It’s tough to quantify what school has the best college sports program in the country, but CBS Sports gave it their best shot this summer. With the help of a mathematical weighted formula that the network came up with in 2013, they determined that the University of Alabama had the premier college sports program in the country.
The calculus done for this exercise takes the success of three sports for every FBS school into account; football, plus men’s and women’s basketball. Additionally, two other sports out of baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, lacrosse, hockey and wrestling are also factored into a school’s composite score.
Most college sports fans are likely very well versed in the level of success the Alabama football team has had under head coach Nick Saban. The men’s basketball team had its most successful season since 2003-2004, as they made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Under second year head coach Nate Oats, and led in scoring by sophomore Jaden Shackelford, the Crimson Tide steamrolled their way to a 16-2 conference record in the SEC. Freshman guard Joshua Primo was also just selected in the lottery of the NBA Draft last week by the San Antonio Spurs.
The Crimson Tide’s softball season was also supremely impressive, as the team amassed a record of 52-9. Bailey Hemphill was a force at the plate, hitting 14 home runs while driving in 57 runs during the past campaign. They were also keyed by speed on the basepaths, most notably by Alexis Mack and Elissa Brown. The squad made it to the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series.
Roll SHALLON Roll! We can’t wait to cheer you on in the Vault event finals! ✨❗️ #WhereLegendsAreMade #RollTide pic.twitter.com/2Svx0iseOU
— Alabama Gymnastics (@BamaGymnastics) July 31, 2021
Alabama’s gymnastics team had a standout campaign in 2020-2021, where they were ranked fifth in the country. They won six out of their eight competitions, and took home the title in the SEC tournament. The Crimson Tide got off to a hot start, winning their first four matchups of the year, beating Kentucky twice, Missouri and Auburn.
Just five schools in the nation had a first round pick in both the @WNBA and @NBA drafts this season.
— Alabama Women’s Basketball (@AlabamaWBB) July 30, 2021
Alabama is one of them. 😌@TheRealJuice40 x @JoshuaPrimo4 pic.twitter.com/yT0HUNkkJL
Like their male counterparts, the Alabama women’s basketball program also qualified for the NCAA tournament, and won their first round game against the University of North Carolina before bowing out to the University of Maryland. Senior forward Jasmine Walker was a catalyst last season, averaging just over 19 points per game.
