If the NCAA Tournament tipped off today, Alabama basketball would be in the field - but not quite where fans have grown accustomed to seeing them in recent years.
Coming off a pair of tough SEC losses, the Crimson Tide (12-5 overall, 2-2 SEC) are currently projected as a No. 5 seed in the South Region, according to early bracket predictions. That’s a step down from the lofty heights of recent seasons under Nate Oats, but given the rollercoaster nature of their current campaign, it feels about right.
Let’s rewind a bit. Alabama dropped consecutive conference games - first a 96-90 shootout loss to previously unbeaten Vanderbilt in Nashville, then a 92-88 stumble at home to an unranked Texas squad. Those back-to-back setbacks raised some eyebrows, especially considering how explosive this team has looked at times.
But just when the narrative started to shift, the Tide roared back with a statement win on the road at Mississippi State. It didn’t start pretty - Alabama fell behind by double digits early - but then flipped the switch in a big way.
A 34-7 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second completely flipped the game on its head. Alabama poured in 61 points after the break and cruised to a 97-82 win, their ninth straight against the Bulldogs.
Freshman guard Labaron Philon was electric, dropping a career-high 32 points in the win. He was aggressive, confident, and efficient - exactly what you want to see from a young player stepping into a bigger role. Forward Aiden Sherrell added his own career-high with 22 points and five boards, giving Alabama a much-needed inside-outside punch.
Right now, bracket projections have Alabama facing No. 12 seed High Point in the first round, with the game set in San Diego. It’s a matchup that would favor the Tide on paper, but as we know, March doesn’t care about paper.
For context, Alabama was a No. 2 seed last year and made it to the Elite Eight. The year before, they reached the program’s first-ever Final Four as a No. 4 seed.
Their lowest seed in the Nate Oats era came in 2022, when they entered as a No. 6.
So a No. 5 seed this time around would still keep them firmly in the national conversation - just not quite in the top-tier mix they’ve been flirting with the past few seasons.
Looking across the bracket, Duke is projected as the top seed in the South, while Arizona holds the No. 1 overall spot. UConn and Michigan round out the other No. 1 seeds. Alabama, meanwhile, sits at No. 18 in both the Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 - a solid position, but one that reflects a team still trying to find its consistency.
The SEC as a whole is well represented in the early NCAA Tournament outlook. Nine teams from the conference are projected to make the field:
- Vanderbilt (No. 2 seed, East Region)
- Florida (No. 4 seed, Midwest Region)
- Alabama (No. 5 seed, South Region)
- Tennessee (No. 5 seed, West Region)
- Arkansas (No. 6 seed, East Region)
- Georgia (No. 8 seed, East Region)
- Kentucky (No. 10 seed, South Region)
- Texas A&M (No. 10 seed, West Region)
- Auburn (No. 10 seed, Midwest Region)
That’s a deep group and a testament to how competitive the SEC has become in recent years. Alabama will get more chances to prove itself against that gauntlet, starting with a road trip to Norman this Saturday to face Oklahoma.
The Sooners (11-6, 1-3) haven’t cracked the top 25, but they’ve shown flashes of being a tough out - especially at home. Tipoff is set for noon CT on SEC Network.
Here’s a full look at Alabama’s 2025-26 schedule so far, including results through mid-January:
Non-Conference:
- Nov. 3: vs.
North Dakota (W, 91-62)
- Nov. 8: at St.
John's (W, 103-96)
- Nov. 13: vs.
Purdue (L, 87-80)
- Nov. 19: vs.
Illinois (W, 90-86)
- Nov. 24: vs.
Gonzaga (L, 95-85)
- Nov. 25: vs.
UNLV (W, 115-76)
- Nov. 26: vs.
Maryland (W, 105-72)
- Dec. 3: vs.
Clemson (W, 90-84)
- Dec. 7: vs.
UTSA (W, 97-55)
- Dec. 13: vs.
Arizona (L, 96-75)
- Dec. 17: vs.
South Florida (W, 104-93)
- Dec. 21: vs.
Kennesaw State (W, 92-81)
- Dec. 29: vs.
Yale (W, 102-78)
SEC Play:
- Jan. 3: vs.
Kentucky (W, 89-74)
- Jan. 7: at Vanderbilt (L, 96-90)
- Jan. 10: vs. Texas (L, 92-88)
- Jan. 13: at Mississippi State (W, 97-82)
Upcoming Games:
- Jan. 17: at Oklahoma, noon, SEC Network
- Jan. 24: vs. Tennessee, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
- Jan. 27: vs. Missouri, 8 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 1: at Florida, noon, ABC
- Feb. 4: vs.
Texas A&M, 6 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 7: at Auburn, 3 p.m., TBA
- Feb. 11: at Ole Miss, 6 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 14: vs.
South Carolina, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 18: vs.
Arkansas, 6 p.m., TBA
- Feb. 21: at LSU, 5 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 25: vs. Mississippi State, TBA
- Feb. 28: at Tennessee, TBA
- March 3: at Georgia, 5:30 p.m., ESPNews
- March 7: vs. Auburn, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
The road ahead is no cakewalk, but Alabama has the firepower to make a run. If Philon and Sherrell continue to rise, and if the team can tighten up defensively, the Tide could be peaking at just the right time. March is still weeks away - but the building blocks for a deep tournament run are already in place.