Alabama fans have been waiting for months to find out what the roster for Nate Oats' basketball team would be like after the Crimson Tide made the school's first-ever Final Four appearance.

When the transfer portal carousel stopped spinning and the NBA Draft decisions were all announced, it was nothing but great news for Alabama.

Alabama returns two of the team's best players in Mark Sears and Grant Nelson, along with Latrell Lightsell Jr., and also brings in a phenomenal recruit, top-ranked Cliff Omoruyi in the rim-protector portal after struggling last season.

The offseason has gone about as well as Tide fans could have hoped, with major media outlets beginning to take notice of the team Oats is putting together heading into the 2024-25 season.

Related: Oats signs contract extension for biggest buyout in the country

Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated The article was published With the season about six months away, I've released my early college basketball Top 25 rankings, ranking Alabama as the No. 1 team in the country.

“Nate Oats has built a burgeoning powerhouse team in Tuscaloosa that has led to two SEC championships and a trip to the Final Four over the past four seasons, and this season may be the Tide's best chance to cut down the nets,” Sweeney wrote.

Expectations have a tendency to get out of hand, especially since there's still a lot of time before the season officially begins.

Coach Oats appears to be putting together the best lineup he's ever coached, and Sweeney might be right: this could be Alabama's best chance to win a national championship.