What Do You Expect from Alabama Basketball in 2013 – 2014?

Alabama basketball's up and down season fell short of impressing the NCAA selection committee and resulted in a trip to the NIT instead. For the second time in three seasons, the Crimson Tide finds itself as a 1-seed in the secondary tournament.

Throughout the year, debate has been ongoing about whether fans think head coach Anthony Grant should be in charge of the program going forward. For a school that most outsiders feel is apathetic towards the sport of basketball, the argument has polarized the fanbase and sparked a lot of discussion. Pro-Grant fans feel that he has performed well despite a youthful team and key losses from injuries and suspensions, while the Anti-Grant crowd complains about offensive ineptitude and lack of progress.

Before we can discuss expectations, it's best to give some background on the program's history. The goal is to understand whether Grant's accomplishments are in line with where they've been historically. This isn't to say that the goals of the program shouldn't be elevated, especially considering the current championship culture within the athletic department, but that's another argument completely.

Where should we be placing the Alabama basketball team in relation to the rest of the SEC? Fans of the program when C.M. Newton and Wimp Sanderson were in charge would tell you it's second only to Kentucky, but is that fair? Let's look at the numbers as they rank in the conference.

First, the good:

• 2nd all-time in total wins behind Kentucky.
• 3rd in all-time winning percentage behind Kentucky and Arkansas.
• 20 total NCAA appearances, tied for 4th with LSU but behind Kentucky, Arkansas and Missouri.
• 8 Sweet 16 appearances.
• Reached #1 ranking in 2003.
• 8 regular season SEC Championships (tied for 3rd)
• 6 SEC Tournament Championships (2nd)

Now the bad (or average):

• 1 SEC regular season championship in 26 years (2002)
• Since winning 3 SEC Tournaments in a row from 1989-1991, Alabama hasn't won another one in the past 22 years.
• Seven other conference teams have won the SEC Tournament since Alabama's last title.
• Only once since 1991 has Alabama made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
• Made it past the Sweet 16 only once (2004).

From a objective perspective, one could reason that Alabama basketball had one great decade, a couple good decades, and the rest were around average. The program enjoyed most of its success under two coaches - C.M. Newton and Wimp Sanderson - with Mark Gottfried adding a solid five-year run. Other than that, the program doesn't have much to hang its hat on.

I've included all of this background to present a question for Alabama fans: What do you need to see from Anthony Grant's Alabama team next season in order to be satisfied with the direction of the program?

On paper, Grant has made the tournament once in four years, which is above the school's average of once every five years. The other two years his team nearly missed the field of 68 as evidenced by receiving a 1-seed in the NIT twice, which shows he's been a win or two away from being one of the most popular coaches on campus.

On the other side of the argument, his roster completely lacks a consistent inside presence and that reflects on his recruiting. The team has improved every year on defense, but regressed offensively in each of his four seasons.

Next year will be year number five for Anthony Grant and the results will directly reflect on him as a head coach. Will any bid to the NCAA Tournament satisfy you? Does the team need to win a game in the tournament? Or are we spinning our wheels trying to make Alabama fans care about basketball?

Vote on the poll below and leave a comment explaining your stance. We'd love to understand what the fans are thinking after another missed NCAA Tournament.