We're just 18 days away from Alabama basketball's regular season opener against North Dakota at Coleman Coliseum. But we'll get our first glance of the 2025-26 Crimson Tide tonight. Nate Oats and Alabama will play an exhibition game on Thursday night against Florida State in Birmingham's Boutwell Auditorium.
You'll be able to stream the game live on YouTube by following this link.
With a lot of roster turnover, this will look like nearly a completely different team than a year ago. Such is the new reality of the NIL/Transfer Portal era.
Returners (5): Aden Holloway, Houston Mallette, Labaron Philon, Aiden Sherrell, Latrell Wrightsell
Transfers In (4): Jalil Bethea (Miami), Taylor Bol Bowen (Florida State), Keitenn Bristow (Tarleton), Noah Williamson (Bucknell)
Freshmen (4): Amari Allen, Davion Hannah, London Jemison, Collins Onyejiaka
Transfers Out (4): Naas Cunningham (UNLV), Mouhamed Dioubate (Kentucky), Derrion Reid (Oklahoma), Jarin Stevenson (North Carolina)
Out of Eligibility (4): Grant Nelson, Cliff Omoruyi, Mark Sears, Chris Youngblood
Alabama has five returning players from last season and eight new faces to replace the eight who departed. Of those five, two saw next-to-no action in SEC play and on with Latell Wrightsell (Achilles) and Houston Mallette (knee) suffering injuries that knocked them out for the season.
So, of the team's meaningful contributors last season, only three return in Philon, Holloway, and Sherrell.
This is a brand new team, with a lot of production that has to be replaced, most notably from the departure of Mark Sears, the program's No. 2 all-time scorer.
Expectations are a lot more tempered than they were a season ago when Alabama was ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Poll. The Crimson Tide stands No. 15 this year, and is lower in both KenPom (No. 23) and Bart Torvik's (No. 20) preseason projections.
Nate Oats needs to find answers to these questions for Alabama basketball
Who replaces the production lost by Mark Sears?
Mark Sears didn't have the final season in Tuscaloosa that he hoped for, regressing as a shooter to 40.4% from the field (down from 50.8%) and 34.5% from three (down from 43.6%). Still, Sears was Alabama's leading scorer last season, producing 18.6 points per game. When Alabama had to get a bucket, they turned to Sears, and he frequently delivered, much like he did at the buzzer to beat Auburn.
The obvious answer to replace that production is sophomore guard Labaron Philon, whose stunning decision to return changed the calculus for Oats and the Crimson Tide this year. A big sophomore leap is expected for the Mobile native, and if practice has been any indication, he's going to be one of the best guards in the country.
The truth is, however, Alabama probably won't have a scorer reach between 18-20 points per game like Sears the last two seasons. The scoring should be more balanced, with guys like Philon, a healthy Bethea, Holloway, Bol Bowen, Wrightsell, and perhaps one of the bigs - Sherrell or Williamson - all likely to crack double figures in scoring.
Can Alabama defend the rim well enough to take the needed step on defense?
Oats understands it's going to take a leap on defense for Alabama to reach its ultimate goal of winning the National Championship. They took a step forward last season - up to 28th in defensive efficiency from 111th the year before - but it still wasn't good enough. The one thing all of the Final Four teams from a season ago had in common was that they were all Top 10 in defensive efficiency. That's where Alabama needs to get to.
In the two seasons that Alabama won the SEC regular season and tournament titles under Oats, they finished 3rd in that metric. Ironically, the year they finished 111th is the year they broke through and made the Final Four, but that team flipped a switch in March.
KenPom projects Alabama to finish 34th in defensive efficiency this season. That feels a bit low. On paper, Alabama should be vastly improved on the perimeter defensively. Teams won't be able to take advantage of Alabama's lack of size this year. Alabama is bigger, longer, and more versatile at guard and on the wing.
The biggest question - and what could ultimately sink the Tide's hopes of a big improvement on that end - is the defense in the frontcourt. Alabama's two primary bigs - Aiden Sherrell and Noah Williamson - are more versatile offensive options than Cliff Omoruyi or Grant Nelson were, but they aren't on the same level as rim protectors. At least not yet.
Neither has the same athleticism as those two, which could lead to a fundamental change in defensive philosophy. With Omuryi - and Charles Bediako before him - Oats preferred to play a lot of drop coverage defensively, funneling everything into the paint with a shot blocker waiting. Without an elite shot blocker, Alabama is likely to play more aggressively on the perimeter. Instead of dropping on ball-screens, expect a lot more hedging and blitzing the ball handler. Alabama was one of the worst defenses in the country in forcing turnovers last season, and that change could lead to more takeaways and fast-break opportunities on the other end.
If the defense struggles too much, it could open up a role for reclassified freshman Collins Onyejiaka, who is the more traditional five that has typically anchored Alabama's defense.
Will this team shoot the ball like Oats expects?
Oats has said multiple times now that he thinks this will be the best three-point shooting team he's had in Tuscaloosa. There's a good reason for that.
Aden Holloway, Latrell Wrightsell, Houston Mallette, and Taylor Bol Bowen are all proven 40%+ college shooters. Aiden Sherrell and Noah Williamson can both stretch the floor from the 5-spot. Jalil Bethea could take a Holloway-like leap as a shooter in this system. London Jemison is billed as an elite shooter from the high school level.
And perhaps the biggest reason for optimism is Labaron Philon's improved shot. He only hit 31.5% of his three-pointers as a freshman, but connected on just under 39% of his attempts over the final 14 games of the season. If he can creep up to 37%+ from three this year, then this offense is going to be absolutely lethal. Teams will have to respect his shot more, and he'll beat most guards off the dribble if they don't give him space. With Sherrell and Williamson's ability to stretch the floor at center, the paint will be a lot more open for him as a result.
Alabama finished last season ranked 93rd in the country in three-point shooting at 35.3% as a team. That was down from 37.3% the season prior.
Can Oats finally marry elite offense with elite defense?
All that is left for Oats is finally marrying elite offense with elite defense. The best teams of the Oats era in Tuscaloosa have been elite on one end, and either merely good - or outright bad - on the other end.
2020-2021 (SEC Champs): O: 30th; D: 3rd
2022-2023 (SEC Champs): O: 20th; D: 3rd
2023-2024 (Final Four): O: 2nd; D: 111th
2024-2025 (Elite Eight): O: 4th; D: 28th
The last three national champions have all finished Top 10 in both KenPom's adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency metrics. That's the sweet spot Alabama is looking for to cut down the nets and be the last team standing in early April.
Oats has proven he can put elite offenses and defenses on the court. He now has to prove he can do it at the same time.