In the 2024 season, Alabama Basketball lost five games in November and December. The season ended for Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide in the NCAA Tournament Final Four. The four early losses were to eventual NCCAT 1-seed Purdue, 2-seed Arizona, 3-seed Creighton, and 6-seed Clemson.
Nate Oats does not take losing lightly. He expects every game to be a Crimson Tide win. But he doesn't schedule to win early; he schedules to win late, in March and April.
Oats is often touted for bold scheduling. Some detractors question whether Oats may go beyond bold to borderline crazy. Wisely or foolishly, Oats has done it again for the 2026-27 season.
So far, Alabama has 28 regular-season games, not including the preseason game against Sam Houston State. Nate Oats is expected to add one or two more. Adding a couple of lesser opponents makes the most sense.
Alabama Basketball Schedule Toughness
The 28 currently scheduled games include 17 opponents from last season's NCAA Tournament, assuming Alabama plays Gonzaga in the Player's Era Tournament. Nineteen of the 28 games come from the 17 teams.
An old, generally accurate premise is that teams ranked in the Top 40 of the NCAA NET rankings in March will make the NCAA Tournament.
In basketball terms, March is a world away. Much will change, but for discussion, Bart Torvik's current 2026-27 rankings provide a guide.
Based on Torvik's algorithm, Alabama has 15 games scheduled against NCAA Tournament-quality teams. In addition, Iowa, at No. 41, is just outside the rankings. Torvik has the Crimson Tide ranked No. 19.
Alabama Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
- Nov. 2 vs. Sam Houston State - Tuscaloosa
- Nov. 13 vs. Seton Hall - Tuscaloosa
- Nov. 17 vs. Kennesaw State - Tuscaloosa
- Nov. 24 vs. Baylor - Las Vegas
- Nov. 26 vs. Gonzaga or Kansas State - Las Vegas
- Nov. 27 vs. TBD - Las Vegas
- Dec. 2 vs. Miami - Miami (SEC vs. ACC Challenge)
- Dec. 12 vs. St. John's - Birmingham
- Dec. 21 vs. Iowa - Des Moines
- TBD vs. Houston - New York
- TBD vs. USF - Tampa
Under Nate Oats, Alabama has played harder non-conference schedules. Don't put it past him adding another heavyweight to 2026 if one is available.
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