We are just over two weeks from the start of the Alabama basketball regular season. The Crimson Tide will host Sam Houston in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday, November 3rd to kick off Nate Oats' eighth season as the head coach.
Before then, Alabama will face one final exhibition test this Thursday against Auburn in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide has won its first two exhibitions, knocking off both Furman and Ole Miss in consecutive weeks. They've done so without star guard Aden Holloway, who will be suspended through the first two games of the regular season.
Despite a strong recruiting class and some key Transfer Portal additions, along with, of course, Oats' track record of making four consecutive Sweet 16 appearances with the Crimson Tide, Alabama isn't generating the buzz we've seen in recent seasons.
The preseason AP Poll was released on Monday, and Alabama was ranked No. 20. It's the lowest preseason ranking since starting 24th at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, which culminated in the first Final Four in program history:
BREAKING: Preseason College Basketball AP Poll🏀https://t.co/g4z17LVdWP pic.twitter.com/dYJufsSTG0
— On3 (@On3) October 19, 2026
Alabama opens the year ranked No. 20 in the preseason AP Poll
Alabama is one of seven SEC teams ranked in the Top 25, which indicates the overall strength of the league. It'll once again be a bloodbath in conference play.
Alabama is the fifth-highest-ranked SEC team, behind No. 1 Florida, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Tennessee, and No. 12 Arkansas. No. 23 Kentucky and No. 24 Vanderbilt also made the cut in the poll.
Oats has to like a little bit of preseason doubt for a change. He also might be a little confused by it because internally there's a lot of confidence that this team can get to the Final Four for the second time in four seasons.
Oats addressed the offseason needs in the frontcourt. Alabama won't have anyone as singularly impactful as Aiden Sherrell down low, but the depth is much, much better with the additions of Brandon Garrison, Jamarion Davis-Fleming, and Drew Fielder in the Transfer Portal.
Alabama's offense has hummed already in the preseason without Holloway. When he returns, he and Amari Allen should form one of the nation's top backcourts. There's talent on the wing, too, highlighted by impressive freshman Cole Cloer, who has been a revelation in the two exhibition games.
Improvement on the defensive end will be paramount to Alabama being a second-weekend or beyond tournament team. The flashes of what that can look like were apparent in spurts against Ole Miss, particularly down the stretch to secure the win.
This is a talented group that Oats has assembled once again. Don't be surprised if we look back at this preseason ranking and scoff sooner rather than later.
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