Alabama men’s basketball appeared to be in for a down year in 2025-26 after a 100-77 loss to Florida in the Swamp on Feb. 1, which saw the team drop to 4-4 in the SEC.
“It’s getting close to the tipping point,” head coach Nate Oats said Feb. 3. “We’re either going to start playing better and go on a run here, or we’re going to continue to play .500 basketball, and that’s not what anybody came here to do.”
Oats and the Crimson Tide mustered a 9-1 stretch to close the regular season slate and ended SEC play second in the league, securing a double-bye in the SEC tournament. The team is also in contention for a spot on the 3-seed line in the NCAA tournament. The impressive finish to SEC play, despite a glaring weakness on the glass and injuries, puts 2025-26 as Oats’ best coaching job in his tenure at Alabama.
Despite averaging 40.8 rebounds per game — eighth-best in Division 1 — Alabama has allowed opponents to snatch down 39.9 rebounds per game — 358th-best in Division 1 — which has directly resulted in several of the team’s losses.
Oats said after the 98-88 loss to Georgia on Tuesday that his team’s rebounding issues “are just killing us right now.”
In spite of its rebounding troubles, the team picked up key victories over Illinois, Clemson, Auburn and Tennessee.
Alabama lost three key rotational pieces to long-term injuries early in the season: center Collins Onyejiaka, guard Davion Hannah and forward/center Keitenn Bristow. Oats said Monday that the trio is not expected to return this year.
The pain from the losses of Onyejiaka and Bristow was further exacerbated by lackluster play from Bucknell transfer center Noah Williamson.
Williamson was a touted get in the portal for Oats and assistant coach Preston Murphy but regressed mightily from winning Patriot League Player of the Year last season. He has averaged 1 point per game on 26.2% shooting, a far cry from 17.6 points per game on 53.8% shooting a year ago.
The injury bug has not been limited to just the Crimson Tide’s frontcourt this season. Guards Labaron Philon Jr., Aden Holloway, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Jalil Bethea each have missed time. Bethea was expected to be a key contributor for the Crimson Tide this season but suffered a broken toe before the season began and missed a majority of nonconference play.
Despite the injury bug’s persistence, Oats’ team has remained a contender for both the SEC tournament championship and the national championship, a testament to his leadership and development. Without the production the team has received from Philon, Holloway, forward Amari Allen and center Aiden Sherrell, Oats’ seventh season at the helm may have gone much differently.
Alabama will look to win a third SEC tournament under Oats, starting on Friday night, facing either 7-seed Georgia, 10-seed Texas or 15-seed Ole Miss at 6 p.m. CT. The game can be streamed on SEC Network.
