Basketball season has come to a close for Alabama, as both its men’s and women’s teams bowed out of the NCAA tournament.
Each team delivered several memorable games across their respective campaigns. Here are the picks for each team’s top three games of the 2025-26 season.
No. 25 men’s basketball 117, No. 20 Arkansas 115
This game was highly anticipated and lived up to its billing. Two likely future NBA draft lottery picks — Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. and Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr.— squared off inside Coleman Coliseum, with the former scoring an astounding 49 points.
“He was in a boot for two days, and still did that,” Razorbacks head coach John Calipari said of Acuff. “And I said, ‘Do you think you might have to miss this game?’ He said, ‘Are you nuts?’”
Arkansas opened up a double-digit lead and carried a 57-47 lead into the break, after Acuff and guard Meleek Thomas combined for 38 points in the opening period. The Crimson Tide bounced back with a dominant second half and led by 3 with just 12 seconds to go before Acuff knocked down a game-tying triple that sent the game to overtime.
A back-and-forth first overtime ended with the teams deadlocked once again, after Acuff failed to sink a game-winner. A 5-0 Crimson Tide run — capped off by guard Houston Mallette’s second made triple in overtime — gave Alabama a lead it never relinquished, despite an attempted game-tying shot from Razorbacks forward Malique Ewin that spun off the rim.
No. 15 men’s basketball 103, No. 5 St. John’s 96
An early-season trip to the iconic Madison Square Garden showed what this season’s Crimson Tide was capable of, as it took down a fellow Sweet 16 team in St. John’s in the Big Apple.
Philon starred in the winning effort with 25 points and closed out the victory, accounting for 7 points in the team’s decisive 9-0 run. Head coach Nate Oats said that Philon “hit some big shots” in the win.
Forward Taylor Bol Bowen showed his potential in the victory, notching 17 points, including 10 in the second half. Following this game, the former Florida State transfer struggled to stay healthy, leaving Crimson Tide fans wondering how his season might have gone without injuries.
“If Taylor doesn’t bring it like he brought it, we have no chance to win this game, especially with the rest of the guys in foul trouble in the frontcourt,” Oats said postgame.
No. 17 men’s basketball 71, No. 22 Tennessee 69
After losing five straight to the Vols, the Crimson Tide looked primed for a sixth straight loss for much of this game. Tennessee led by 13 points with 12 minutes to play and dominated the glass, 47-30. The Vols also attempted 22 more shots than Alabama.
Then, the Volunteers offense hit a wall and encountered a point-hungry Philon, who scored 10 of the Crimson Tide’s last 15, including the eventual game-winning midrange jumper over Vols center J.P. Estrella, which sealed the comeback victory.
“The mudita, camaraderie [and] chemistry on this team is great and it was a big part of that,” Oats said of the comeback win.
Women’s basketball 64, No. 6 Kentucky 51
The 15-1 Crimson Tide continued its strong start to the season when it pulled off a midweek stunner over then-No. 6 Kentucky in January, which was powered by senior guard Jessica Timmons’ 24-point performance and stellar defense.
Alabama led by as many as 23 points before it let off the gas to end the fourth quarter, when the game was well out of reach for the Wildcats. The win was the first of two top 15 upsets the Crimson Tide snagged at Coleman Coliseum.
“Their will is incredibly special,” head coach Kristy Curry said. “Their will has to be stronger than their skill; they understand that. I’ve said this all along, and it’s not cliche: culture doesn’t graduate.”
No. 21 women’s basketball 64, No. 13 Ole Miss 63
The second of two marquee wins for Alabama in 2025-26 came again in the midweek, as the Crimson Tide used last-minute heroics to stun the Rebels at Coleman in February.
A gritty and resilient effort kept Alabama right alongside Ole Miss for the majority of the contest, with the Crimson Tide pulling away and snagging the victory off of guard Diana Collins’ made layup with 18 seconds to play.
“We’ve done historic things all year long,” guard Karly Weathers said. “We just care about getting that next game, because we want to continue to play for the girl next to us.”
Women’s basketball 76, Tennessee 64
After falling to the Vols at home in the regular season, Alabama enacted revenge in the SEC tournament second round with a wire-to-wire victory in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Crimson Tide started off strong, entering halftime with a 39-29 advantage. Despite the Volunteers’ best efforts, consistency on both sides of the ball kept the lead in double digits, growing as large as 15. Alabama moved on to the SEC tournament quarterfinals with the win, adding to its NCAA tournament resume.
“I thought we played good team basketball,” Curry said. “[I’m] just really happy for our team to survive and advance and get to another day.”
