Nate Oats has led Alabama basketball to a fifth straight NCAA Tournament. Alabama enters March Madness as the No. 6 overall team and a 2-seed. It's the third time in five tournament appearances under Oats that the Crimson Tide has been a 1 or 2 seed. In the previous history of Alabama hoops, that has only happened two other times.
Alabama enters the Big Dance at 25-8 overall having gone 1-1 in the SEC Tournament with a blowout win over Kentucky and a 22-point loss to Florida in the semifinals. No team in the country played a more challenging schedule than Oats and his team.
That means Alabama is battle tested and ready for the NCAA Tournament. Three times under Oats Alabama has made the Sweet 16, including the last two seasons. Last year, the Tide made the Final Four for the first time in program history.
If they are going to make a run again in 2025, it will all start this weekend.
Alabama's 1st round NCAA Tournament opponent revealed
Alabama is the 2-seed in the East Regional and will open up the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday. The Crimson Tide will tip off in the early window on Friday at 11:40 AM CT agaisnt 15-seeded Robert Morris, the champion of the Horizon League.
Robert Morris enters the tournament on a 10-game winning streak and ranks 139th overall in KenPom. Alabama hasn't played a sub-100 opponent since December 29th against South Dakota State, their final non-conference game of the season.
Alabama opened as a 22.5-point favorite, per FanDuel.
Furthermore, if Alabama defeats Robert Morris they will play in the second round on Sunday against the winner of 7-seed St. Mary's and 10-seed Vanderbilt. St. Mary's is 22nd in KenPom. In Alabama's last nine games, they have played only one team ranked lower than that in KenPom.
If Alabama advances to the second weekend, they'll travel to Newark, New Jersey to compete for the East Regional. Their most likely opponent in a hypothetical Sweet 16 matchup would be 3-seed Wisconsin or 6-seed BYU, though 11-seed VCU will be a popular upset pick.
The road to the Final Four likely leads through Duke in the Elite Eight. The Blue Devils are the East Regional's No. 1 seed and are the No. 1 ranked team in KenPom. A healthy Cooper Flagg will make Duke a popular National Title pick.
Alabama will need a healthy Grant Nelson to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.