While everyone was busy writing off Alabama basketball this season, something important happened over the month of February. Alabama freshman Jaden Shackelford morphed into one of the best shooters in the country.

That’s not an exaggeration, and if he can continue to improve his defense then NBA buzz isn’t far off. Shackelford made 35 three-pointers last month, which tied him for second nationally among Division I-A’s top 10 shooters.

For perspective, Auburn great Bryce Brown, who finished his career second in the SEC in three-pointers (382), had more than 35 treys in a month just twice. In January 2018, Brown had 36 three-pointers in nine games, and in March 2019 he had 44 unforgettable bangers in 11 games.

“Terrific freshman, if not one of the top freshmen in the country, in my opinion,” said Alabama teammate Beetle Bolden, a grad transfer from West Virginia. “He just has a motor to score.”

Shackelford’s extended run has helped keep Alabama’s postseason hopes alive, and offered solid proof that the Crimson Tide’s forever mediocre basketball program might finally be trending in the right direction. Their record (16-13, 8-8) currently has Alabama on the outside of the NCAA Tournament bubble, but look inside the heart of this team and some hopeful signs are beginning to come into focus.

In a difficult conference filled with elite coaches, winning consistently remains a struggle for Alabama, but the effort level and commitment to team basketball is beginning to stabilize in Tuscaloosa. The development of “Shack,” as his coach and teammates call Shackelford, is a perfect reminder of how the NCAA Tournament selection committee must weigh more factors than just Quadrant 1 wins when filling out the bracket. Teams improve and players emerge.

With the growth of Shackelford, Alabama now has four pro prospects in its starting lineup, and the ability to make a run in the Big Dance.

Don’t sleep on the Tide if they can grind out victories in their final two regular season games and get to 10-8 in league play. Alabama isn’t projected to make the NCAA Tournament at this point, but they’re not out of it either. They finish their home schedule on Tuesday against Vanderbilt (9-20, 1-15), and the season finale is at Missouri (14-15, 6-10) on Saturday.

Those are winnable games, but history doesn’t favor strong finishes for Alabama. The last time the Alabama men’s basketball team won its final three games of the regular season was in 1998. That was five coaches ago.

Avery Johnson’s teams were always a mess by the end of the year, but at least he didn’t leave the cupboard bare for the next guy. Three wins in a row going into the SEC Tournament would be considered a major success for first-year coach Nate Oats considering Alabama’s accumulation of injuries. Six players played the bulk of the minutes against South Carolina over the weekend, and Alabama won 90-86.

“I told our guys, ‘If we can get to 10-8, and do what we need to do in Nashville, I think we should be in the NCAA Tournament,” Oats said. “After everything we’ve been through, they’re supposed to take into account injuries and all that stuff...My feeling is the two 10-8 [SEC] teams from last year got in and actually had decent seeds, too (five seed and eight seed.)”

Alabama is the kind of team that can sneak in as an 11 seed, win the play-in game and then get hot and make a run.

They lack size inside, and depth off the bench, but the Crimson Tide is ranked second nationally in scoring (83.2 ppg) and three-point makes per game (11.0). It’s a fun style of basketball for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and Oats’ teams in Buffalo proved they can bust brackets. If Alabama makes the NCAA Tournament, there won’t be a single team in the field happy to be matched up with a starting five featuring Shackelford, point guard Kira Lewis Jr and swingmen John Petty and Herbert Jones.

Lewis is the only player in the SEC averaging at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists per game, and Jones apparently doesn’t even need two functioning hands (his left wrist is broken) to be one of the best defenders in the conference. Meanwhile, Petty was playing out of position before his elbow injury, but still somehow leads the SEC in three-point makes (85) while shooting 45 percent beyond the arc.

The development of team chemistry has taken time, but Oats is proving that he can coach talent. That’s a good sign for the future.

A 6-3, 195-pound guard from Hesperia, California, Shackelford began this season as a promising prospect, but he wasn’t even starting for Alabama until midway through January. His game is undeniable now, however, and he should be a strong contender for freshman All-American honors. Shackelford’s run (40 three-pointers over his last 10 games!) has established him as one of the top scorers in the SEC.

“I don’t think anyone would have predicted quite the numbers he has put up,” Oats said. “It’s pretty ridiculous for a freshman in the SEC doing what he’s doing.”

Noah Locke of Florida was a distant second to Shackelford in February with 26 three-pointers. He’s averaging over 21 points, and nearly six rebounds in his last five games, and has been excellent on the road (28 at Auburn and 21 at LSU).

Now Alabama just needs to win games at the end of the season, and hope everyone’s legs hold out for the SEC Tournament. Jones and his one hand playing every minute against South Carolina was one of the highlights of the season in the SEC. His effort deserves another trip to the NCAA Tournament, and hopefully his teammates can deliver.

If one thing is abundantly clear about this topsy-turvy college basketball season, it’s that the NCAA needs likable players like One-Hand Herb in March Madness.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.