Alabama basketball limps into the NCAA Tournament, losing two of its final three games after winning eight straight before that. The Crimson Tide will look to shake off a disappointing showing in the SEC Tournament, where they wasted their earned double-bye by falling to Ole Miss in the quarterfinals to make a quick exit out of Nashville.
Alabama heads into March Madness with a 23-9 overall record and earned a 4-seed in the Big Dance. The Crimson Tide will play in the Midwest Regional, which is hosted in Chicago. To get there, Alabama will have to win two games in Tampa first.
Right after Selection Sunday, Alabama was dealt an unfortunate blow to its hopes of making a run: star guard Aden Holloway was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree possession of marijuana and failure to affix a tax stamp.
Alabama's 2026 NCAA Tournament hub:
Seed: No 4
Region: Midwest
Next Opponent: vs. 13-seed Hofstra on Friday, March 20th at 2:15pm CT
Midwest Regional Bracket:
1. Michigan
16. UMBC/Howard
8. Georgia
9. Saint Louis
5. Texas Tech
12. Akron
4. Alabama
13. Hofstra
6. Tennessee
11. Miami (OH)/SMU
3. Virginia
14. Wright State
7. Kentucky
10. Santa Clara
2. Iowa State
15. Tennessee State
Alabama will open things up with a dangerous opponent right out of the gate. Hofstra is an elite three-point shooting team and will look to slow the pace down to a crawl. The Pride are more than capable of knocking off the Crimson Tide in the Round of 64, particularly if Holloway is suspended.
If Alabama advances to the second round, standing in the way of a fourth straight trip to the Sweet 16 would be either a battle-tested - yet banged-up - Texas Tech, or another dangerous mid-major that can shoot the lights out in Akron.
Getting past the Sweet 16 would likely mean upsetting Michigan, which would be a monumental task.
Links to Alabama basketball March Madness content:
- Midwest Region injury issues give Alabama an unexpectedly favorable path
- Nate Oats delivers brutally honest verdict on Alabama's season before March Madness
- Hofstra coach Speedy Claxton provided Alabama early bulletin board material
- Jay Bilas believes Alabama can make a run in the Midwest Region
- Alabama needs Amari Allen to break out of his funk in the NCAA Tournament
- Perspective on Alabama's NCAA Tournament success under Nate Oats