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After a disappointing showing in Nashville, Alabama awaits its NCAA Tournament fate
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 13: Head coach Nate Oats of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts during the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels in the quarterfinal game of the 2026 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 13, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) | Getty Images It’s Selection Sunday, and while the Alabama Crimson Tide had a much shorter than anticipated stint in Nashville this week, Tide fans can – once again – rest easy knowing that Nate Oats’ squad will have its name called later today during the NCAA Tournament selection show. Not every school in the state can say that.
This will be Alabama’s sixth straight appearance in the Big Dance, tying the school record for most consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament (1982-1987). As we all know by now, the range of possible outcomes in the tournament is so heavily influenced by the draw that your team receives. Take the Tide for example – Alabama’s worst team from 2023-2025 is the only one that won its region and advanced to the Final Four.
That was in large part due to the 2024 team getting a trio of mid-major schools in their opening weekend quadrant, followed by one of the worst one-seeds of the 2020s (2024 North Carolina), and then a six-seed in the Elite Eight. The 2023 team – still the best in school history, for my money – caught a horrible match-up in the Sweet Sixteen against a hardened San Diego State team that ended up playing for a natty. The 2025 squad ran into an absolute wagon in Duke last year in the Elite Eight.
And there are a lot of comparisons between this year’s team and the 2024 group. A likely four-seed who went 13-5 in SEC play and then crapped out in its first game in the SEC Tournament, plagued by rebounding issues and defensive concerns mostly due to a lack of an interior presence. But also lethal on offense with a group of guards who can get red-hot and run just about anybody off of the floor when they are on.