Two weeks out from the start of the regular season, Alabama basketball is still waiting for its first real game, but the preseason respect level is already set. The Crimson Tide landed at No. 20 in Monday’s AP poll, a ranking that gives Nate Oats a little extra bulletin-board fuel heading into his eighth season in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama will open the year at home against Sam Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Before that, the Tide has one more exhibition tune-up, facing Auburn in Birmingham on Thursday. So far, Alabama has handled its first two exhibition games, beating Furman and Ole Miss in back-to-back weeks while playing without star guard Aden Holloway, who will be suspended for the first two regular-season games.
Even with a strong recruiting class, several important Transfer Portal additions and Oats’ run of four straight Sweet 16 appearances, Alabama isn’t drawing the kind of preseason buzz it has in recent years. The No. 20 slot is the program’s lowest preseason ranking since it opened 24th entering the 2023-24 season, the year that ended with the first Final Four in school history.
The AP release also underscored just how loaded the SEC looks again. Alabama is one of seven league teams in the Top 25 and checks in as the fifth-highest ranked SEC squad, behind No.
1 Florida, No. 7 Texas, No.
8 Tennessee and No. 12 Arkansas.
Kentucky sits at No. 23, with Vanderbilt right behind at No. 24.
If Oats enjoys one thing, it’s a little skepticism. And there’s reason to believe Alabama is feeling plenty of confidence internally, too. The frontcourt has been addressed with the additions of Brandon Garrison, Jamarion Davis-Fleming and Drew Fielder, giving the Tide more depth inside even if it doesn’t have anyone as singularly impactful as Aiden Sherrell down low.
The offense has already looked sharp in the exhibitions, and Holloway’s return should only raise the ceiling. Once he’s back, he and Amari Allen could form one of the country’s best backcourts. There’s also help on the wing, where freshman Cole Cloer has stood out and emerged as a real bright spot in the first two exhibition games.
The biggest swing factor remains defense. If Alabama wants to get beyond the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, that end of the floor has to tighten up. There were promising stretches against Ole Miss, especially late, when the Crimson Tide closed it out on that side of the ball.
This is a skilled, deep team with Oats’ fingerprints all over it. The preseason ranking may not reflect that yet, but Alabama has plenty of time to change the conversation.
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Tennessee's Celebration Just Added Another Twist To This Alabama Rivalry
Tennessees latest win over Alabama already carried the usual rivalry weight, and now it has come with an SEC penalty attached. The league fined the Volunteers $500,000 after fans rushed the field following the victory, a scene that has become familiar in college football but still runs afoul of conference policy when it crosses the line into the competition area.
For Alabama, the detail that stands out is where that money is headed. The fine will be paid to the Crimson Tide, while Tennessee does have a path to argue for a reduction if it can show it took steps to prevent the breach or that contact was minimal. The SEC also leaves room for schools to stage on-field celebrations, but only if they submit procedures in advance and get them approved, which gives this rivalry another layer of paperwork to go with the emotion. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Brutal Truth After Tennessee Exposed This Weakness
Alabamas trip to Tennessee turned into a blunt reminder of where things stand after a 26-10 loss that sent the Crimson Tide into consecutive regular-season defeats for the first time since 2007. ESPN analyst Greg McElroy pointed to the line of scrimmage as the defining issue, with Tennessee dictating play and Alabama unable to match the Volunteers physical edge.
The offensive problems only made the night harder to absorb, as turnovers and an ineffective rushing attack left Alabama searching for answers. Tennessees strong ground game helped control the flow throughout, and now the Tide head into an important rebound spot against Texas A&M with pressure to respond quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Bigger Question Than Just The Tennessee Loss
Alabamas 26-10 loss to Tennessee would have been enough to force a reset on its own, but the bigger issue coming out of the weekend is the injury list that kept the Crimson Tide from looking like itself. Head coach Kalen DeBoer spent time afterward updating the status of Zabien Brown, EJ Crowell, Ryan Coleman-Williams, Racin Delgatty and Terrance Green, a reminder that the season is being shaped not just by results, but by who is available to take the field.
The encouraging part for Alabama is that the group is being handled on a week-to-week basis, with some players expected back at practice soon. Still, until those bodies return and the Tide can see how quickly they regain rhythm, the conversation around the program is going to be about depth, availability and whether the roster can stabilize fast enough to keep the loss from turning into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]