With Alabama’s loss to Florida Tuesday, it seems as if the Crimson Tide will need a miracle to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Anthony Grant. Looking back to the start of the season, Alabama seemed destined for a return to prominence. No one expected Alabama to shock the world, but no one thought they’d be caught in the dire straits they’re in now. So, with that in mind, let’s look at the steps Bama took to get here.

Step one: the preseason hype

The AP Poll had Alabama listed as the No. 19 team in the country. A look at their schedule showed Alabama had the audacity to schedule nonconference powerhouses Georgetown and Kansas State, as well as a Final Four team in VCU. The schedule seemed challenging, but it was nothing the Tide couldn’t handle. Indeed, Alabama exploded out of the gates, earning wins against its first seven opponents, including wins against VCU and first-place finish at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament. With a No. 12 ranking in the AP Poll, everything seemed to be going according to plan.

Step two: the disillusionment

Then came the Georgetown Hoyas. Entering the game, no one had found the blueprint for beating Alabama. Exiting the game, the entire nation found the game plan to defeat the Tide: Take away the inside, and force the team to make shots. They weren’t able to. Alabama lost a close one in Tuscaloosa, 57-55, but was unable to recover for weeks. Following the loss to Georgetown, Alabama lost three of its next four.

Step three: the rebound

After what seemed like merely a skid in its schedule, Alabama was able to recuperate and win its next five games, including two in the SEC. The teams weren’t overly talented, but that’s not what mattered to Tide fans. The only thing that mattered was that Alabama got back to winning. Over the five-game stretch, Alabama won by an average of 18 points a game. Everything seemed to be back to normal.

Step four: another (big) bump in the road

Following its five-game win streak, Alabama hit another huge roadblock on the season, losing four straight conference games. At first, it seemed acceptable, as they fell to talented teams in Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Kentucky. A fourth-straight loss to a mediocre South Carolina team, however, revealed that the losses weren’t so much a testament to their opponents’ talent, but to the Tide’s own shortcomings as a team.

Step five: a new hope

Alabama was, once again, able to overcome a skid in its schedule to win its next three games, all in the SEC. Again, the teams were nothing to write home about, but after losing four straight games, the Tide would take all the wins it could. With the regular season winding down, Alabama needed to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume any way it could.

Step six: When it rains, it freakin’ pours

Suspensions to heavy contributors Tony Mitchell, JaMychal Green, Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele led to an improbable 67-58 loss to the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, a team Alabama had beaten by 16 earlier in the season. Though Grant allowed Releford and Steele to play against Florida, it simply wasn’t enough. Florida crushed the Tide and sent it reeling into the remaining of its schedule. This time, Alabama had no answers.

Step seven: pending

This is where the season will be won or lost for Alabama. The Tide still has a chance to salvage its season if it wins the remainder of its schedule. And if they make it happen, it certainly won’t be according to plan. But then again, when has anything gone according to plan this season?