Nate Oats is looking to get Alabama basketball over the hump in the 2025-26 season.
Before Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2019, the Crimson Tide’s deepest run in the NCAA Tournament was an Elite Eight appearance in 2004. They’ve been there in 2024 and 2025 under Oats, including a Final Four berth in 2024.
And one look at the Tide’s nonconference schedule in 2025-26 will show that they’ll be battle-tested when SEC play comes around.
After opening the season at home against North Dakota, Alabama will face four straight top 25 opponents: at No. 5 St. John’s (Nov. 8), No. 1 Purdue (Nov. 13), No. 17 Illinois in Chicago (Nov. 19), and No. 21 Gonzaga in Las Vegas (Nov. 24). Thirteenth-ranked Arizona in Birmingham (Dec. 13) is also on tap.
For Oats, the tougher the non-league schedule, the better.
“To me, the thing you’re trying to do is be most prepared come March,” Oats said, via AL.com. “So to me, at this level, you should be the most prepared team come January for SEC play. I don’t think playing 13 cupcakes prepares you for SEC play.”
Alabama will start the season ranked No. 15. Last year’s team went 28-9 and was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tide beat Robert Morris, Saint Mary’s, and BYU before falling to top-seeded Duke in the East regional finals.
Nate Oats broke down his early season scheduling philosophy: “I don’t think playing 13 cupcakes prepares you for SEC play.”Four of Alabama’s first five games are against ranked teams, including two against teams ranked in the preseason top 5 pic.twitter.com/eExUpl9KXN
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) October 14, 2025Nate Oats explains why Alabama will play loaded nonconference schedule in 2025-26 Saturday Down South.
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