Alabama and Ohio State competing for a national championship is hardly an unusual occurrence for either school.
It tends to happen in January, though.
Six weeks after the Crimson Tide beat Ohio State in the title game of the College Football Playoff, it just so happens the two schools have a pair of the nation's best men's basketball teams.
The fourth-ranked Buckeyes and No. 6 Alabama are hardly playing the part of sidekicks to their school's football teams. Both teams are 18-6 and in the running for high seeds in next month's NCAA tournament, and the Tide are trying to win the program's first Southeastern Conference title since 2002.
Alabama second-year coach Nate Oats finds it "kind of absurd and ridiculous" when opposing programs try to use that gridiron prowess as a negative against the Tuscaloosa school when it comes to basketball recruiting.
"Yeah, football's great here. They win national championships frequently. It also brings in a lot of money," said Oats, who took over at Alabama after four seasons in charge at Buffalo, which belongs to the Mid-American Conference - a league known for its midweek football MACtion.
"It also shows that the athletic department as a whole is real healthy. There's a lot of positives that come with having a great football program. I think you see it here, you see it at Ohio State."
In some ways, it's a symbiotic relationship. Football recruits get to see top hoops teams play during their campus visits, at least where there is not a pandemic. Basketball coaches and players and other sports teams benefit from the resources generated by a football program raking in many millions. Both get loads of free publicity.
Ohio State men's coach Chris Holtmann said the football team's success definitely raises the profile of the brand, but he's not sure how much it means to elite basketball players shopping for a school.
"You know, there have been some ebbs and flows in terms of our program and in overall high-level achievement or success," Holtmann said. "I don't know if that's really reflected or coincided in any way with the football program here and their sustained excellence."
The Buckeyes had their hopes for a No. 1 NCAA seed damaged with back-to-back losses to third-ranked Michigan and Michigan State to fall to 12-6 in the Big Ten, but they are still in the mix for a high seed. Ohio State has had a strong basketball program well before this season, making the NCAA bracket every year from 2009 to 2015. Ohio State made Final Four appearances in 2007 and 2012, a step Alabama has yet to take.
The Tide have been to only two NCAA tourneys since 2006, but this has been a special year. Alabama, coming off an 81-66 loss at No. 20 Arkansas on Wednesday night to drop to 13-2 in the SEC, is trying to close out its first league title since 2002. A high NCAA seed awaits a program that has never been higher than a No. 2 seed (1987 and 2002) and is projected to potentially match it.
Both teams have had strong seasons even after losing stars to the NBA: All-American Kaleb Wesson of Ohio State and Alabama point guard Kira Lewis Jr.
Alabama football coach Nick Saban has been able to watch more games than usual this season, if only on TV, with coronavirus-related recruiting restrictions limiting his usual January and February travel. He thinks success from any other program at the school, whether it's basketball or softball, benefits the others.
"I think there's a lot of exposure lost if you don't have good programs," Saban said in a phone interview Thursday. "Just like for the basketball team to be doing well, be on ESPN, getting to March Madness and getting the exposure, when you're good at things, it creates a lot of positive image and exposure for the university, and it's a reflection on the athletic department's commitment to a standard of excellence."
Saban's program has been notable for a wealth of titles and talent as well as a hefty support staff. Oats has built out his own support staff to an extent, with the budget increasing more than $100,000 in the last fiscal year from Avery Johnson's final season in 2018-19, up to $575,000. Oats has doubled the number of graduate assistants to four.
It's nothing like the behemoth football staff, but Oats does have everything from a special assistant to the head coach to a director of operations and an operations coordinator.
On the court, Alabama forward Alex Reese is enjoying the ride.
"We've been playing really well. It's been fun," he said. "Hopefully we'll be able to go out there and compete for national championships and stuff like that like the football team did. Hopefully we'll be able to get on their level pretty soon."