The 2026-27 college basketball season gets rolling Tuesday night in Tuscaloosa, and Alabama starts with a home date against Sam Houston as Nate Oats begins his eighth year leading the Crimson Tide.
Alabama enters the opener off a 3-0 exhibition run, with wins over Furman, Ole Miss and Auburn. That stretch came without Aden Holloway, and the Tide also had to navigate missing time from several other pieces, including Jaxon Richardson, Anderson Diaz and Cole Cloer.
The schedule eases in just a bit compared with the usual Alabama grind. Four of the Tide’s first five games come against teams ranked 150th or lower in KenPom’s preseason rankings, with Seton Hall at 65th as the lone exception. All five of those games will be played in Coleman Coliseum before Alabama heads to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival.
Sam Houston brings a 22-12 record from last season and an NIT appearance into the matchup. It’s the fourth season for head coach Chris Mudge, who has gone 56-43 overall.
The betting line reflects Alabama’s edge. According to FanDuel, the Crimson Tide are 26.5-point favorites, with the over/under set at 171.5. Alabama’s moneyline is -30000, while Sam Houston sits at +5000.
Injury-wise, Oats said Monday that Cole Cloer is “probable” and Anderson Diaz is “doubtful” for the opener. Jon Rothstein reported earlier in the week that Jaxon Richardson will again be on a minutes restriction. Richardson played 10 minutes in Alabama’s final preseason game against Auburn after making his debut under that same limitation.
SEC Network+ will carry the game with Roger Hoover on play-by-play and Mo Finley as analyst.
This will be just the second meeting ever between the programs. Alabama won the first one, beating Sam Houston 77-58 in the All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City in 1997.
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Alabama Just Added More Pressure To A Huge Stretch For Nate Oats
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The timing also adds a little more pressure to a critical stretch for Oats, with Alabama heading into a tricky matchup at LSU after the line swung from the Tide being a slight underdog to a bigger favorite for the Tigers. Alabamas rise to No. 9 in the AP Poll only sharpens the spotlight, and with coaching movement elsewhere in college football potentially affecting recruiting, the Tide are trying to balance present-day expectations with the future they are building. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas LSU Buildup Just Got More Complicated Up Front
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The bigger concern is up front, where left guard Will Sanders is expected to miss time after ankle surgery. For an Alabama team heading into LSU week, any shakeup along the line adds another layer to a matchup that already demands clean protection and physical play, and it leaves the Tide monitoring how quickly the rest of the group can settle in around the loss. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Backfield Question With LSU Now Looming
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Grubbs comments suggest Dears path back into the mix depends first on getting fully healthy. If he does, Alabama could use the added depth, especially with other injuries already thinning the room and limiting those chances even further. For a team heading into one of its biggest games, the question is not just whether Dear is available, but whether he can get enough time to matter. [Read more 🡒]