Where Alabama basketball ranks in final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
Michigan is the national champion. Check out where Nate Oats' Alabama Crimson Tide land in the final Coaches Poll after a fifth Sweet 16 in six years.
College basketball crowned a new champion Monday night. The Michigan Wolverines defeated the UConn Huskies, 69-63, to take home the 2026 Men's NCAA Basketball Championship after a dominant run through March Madness -- a run that included a 90-77 win over Nate Oats' Alabama Crimson Tide . The Crimson Tide were one of the only teams that managed to play a star-studded Wolverines team close, and they were the only team to actually lead Michigan at halftime.
Alabama doesn't celebrate moral victories, though, and the Tide's loss in the Sweet 16 isn't an exception. Despite some ups and downs, Alabama still managed to have another good season under Oats. The Crimson Tide made the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
Athletic Director Greg Byrne also locked Oats in for the future by making him one of the five highest-paid coaches in the sport . Alabama finished 25-10 overall and 13-5 in SEC play. With the Wolverines giving the Big Ten its first national championship in men's basketball since 2000, and the Big Ten securing its third major sports championship this calendar year, here's a look at who finished behind Michigan in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for the 2025-26 season.
Nate Oats signs contract extension with Alabama basketball šø Nathan Ray Seebeck, Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images https://t. co/Um5P4HBWp2 pic. twitter.
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