Playing a difficult non-conference schedule is nothing new for Alabama under Nate Oats. Every year, it seems the Crimson Tide ranks among the leaders in college basketball in non-conference strength of scheduling.
This past season, Alabama played games against St. John's, Purdue, Illinois, Gonzaga, Clemson, and Arizona on its non-conference slate. This year, Oats still has some work to do to fill out the Tide's non-conference slate, but it's beginning to take shape.
We know Alabama will play in the Players Era Festival for the third year in a row, and we know it will open up against Baylor in Las Vegas and then play either Gonzaga or Kansas State. They'll play at least one, if not two more, games in that tournament.
Alabama also has games scheduled against South Florida, St. John's, and Seton Hall, along with a to-be-determined opponent in the annual SEC/ACC challenge.
Another opponent was revealed on Friday.
According to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Alabama will participate in the 2026 Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden against familiar non-conference foe, Houston:
NEWS: Duke will play Georgia and Alabama will face Houston in the 2026 Jimmy V Classic at MSG, according to multiple sources.https://t.co/D8nkqWED4c
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 29, 2026
Alabama to face Houston in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden
This will mark the second year in a row in which Oats has taken Alabama to Madison Square Garden for a game. The Crimson Tide faced off in a road game against St. John's last year, earning one of its marquee wins of the season.
This will be a more neutral environment, however.
Houston has consistently been one of college basketball's best teams with Kelvin Sampson at the helm, but Oats and Alabama have had the Cougars' number.
This will be the fourth meeting between the two during the Oats era. Alabama won a home-and-home series against the Cougars, beating them in Tuscaloosa during the 2021-22 season and then on the road during the 2022-23 season. Alabama followed that up by knocking off Houston in the Players Era Festival in 2024 during its inaugural season of existence.
Both Alabama and Houston are projected to be among the best teams in college basketball again in 2026-27. It will be another tough early-season test for the Tide. No date was released for the game yet, but Rothstein notes that the Jimmy V Classic is traditionally played in December.
This will be just the second time Alabama has appeared in the Jimmy V Classic. The first was in 2001, when the Crimson Tide, led by head coach Mark Gottfried, knocked off Temple. That game was played at Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey instead of MSG, where the event moved in 2003.
Add us as a preferred source on Google