Despite picking back-to-back wins on the road in the SEC, coach Nate Oats’ Alabama Crimson Tide took another step back in the latest March Madness bracketology projections from ESPN and veteran college basketball prognosticator Joe Lunardi.
Alabama (13-5 overall, 2-2 conference) defeated Mississippi State, 97-82, and Oklahoma, 83-81, away from Coleman Coliseum last week. In both games, the Crimson Tide needed a big rally to get the win.
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Alabama trailed by 14 in the first half in Starkville before leading by as many as 22. Against Oklahoma, the Tide were held scoreless over the final four-plus minutes of the first half and fell behind 44-33 at halftime.
Star sophomore guard Labaron Philon and forward Aiden Sherrell led the Crimson Tide in both wins: 32 points and 22 points, respectively, against Mississippi State. The two combined for 44 points against Oklahoma.
Alabama is idle in midweek action before taking on the Tennessee Volunteers Saturday in prime time.
In the meantime, here’s where ESPN and Lunardi see Alabama in the NCAA Tournament five games into the Tide’s conference schedule.
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Alabama basketball falls in NCAA Tournament projections, despite back-to-back road wins
If the NCAA Tournament were to begin today, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi sees Alabama basketball as a No. 5 seed and facing the 12th-seeded Liberty Flames, the projected Conference USA champion, in the West Region in Tampa, Florida. The winner would face the No. 4 vs. No. 13 seed winner of Virginia vs. Florida Atlantic.
The Arizona Wildcats (18-0) are the projected top seed in the West Region, as well as the No. 1 overall tournament seed in ESPN’s projections. The Michigan Wolverines, UConn Huskies and Duke Blue Devils are also projected top seeds.
SEC overtakes Big Ten for most teams projected to reach NCAA Tournament, March Madness
Alabama is one of 10 SEC teams Lunardi now sees reaching the NCAA Tournament, the most of any conference and just ahead of the Big Ten’s projected nine bids. The ACC is projected to receive eight bids and the Big 12 seven.
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Here’s a look at the SEC teams that would make the NCAA Tournament if it started today, according to ESPN’s predictions.
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Vanderbilt Commodores (No. 3 seed, East Region)
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Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 5 seed, East Region)
Alabama basketball schedule 2025-26: Vols up next
Alabama, ranked No. 17 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, will face Tennessee at Coleman Coliseum Saturday. Tipoff for Alabama-Tennessee is 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Here’s a game by game look at Alabama basketball’s 2025-26 schedule.
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Nov. 3: vs. North Dakota (W, 91-62)
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Nov. 8: at St. John’s (W, 103-96)
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Nov. 13: vs. Purdue (L, 87-80)
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Nov. 19: vs. Illinois (W, 90-86)
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Nov. 24: vs. Gonzaga (L, 95-85)
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Nov. 25: vs. UNLV (W, 115-76)
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Nov. 26: vs. Maryland (W, 105-72)
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Dec. 7: vs. UTSA (W, 97-55)
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Dec. 13: vs. Arizona (L, 96-75)
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Dec. 17: vs. South Florida (W, 104-93)
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Dec. 21: vs. Kennesaw State (W, 92-81)
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Dec. 29: vs. Yale (W, 102-78)
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Jan. 3: vs. Kentucky (W, 89-74)
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Jan. 7: at Vanderbilt (L, 96-90)
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Jan. 10: vs. Texas (L, 92-88)
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Jan. 13: at Mississippi State (W, 97-82)
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Jan. 17: at Oklahoma (W, 83-81)
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Jan. 24: vs. Tennessee, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
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Jan. 27: vs. Missouri, 8 p.m., SEC Network
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Feb. 1: at Florida, noon, ABC
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Feb. 4: vs. Texas A&M, 6 p.m., SEC Network
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Feb. 7: at Auburn, 3 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
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Feb. 11: at Ole Miss, 6 p.m., SEC Network
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Feb. 14: vs. South Carolina, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
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Feb. 18: vs. Arkansas, 6 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU
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Feb. 21: at LSU, 5 p.m., SEC Network
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Feb. 25: vs. Mississippi State, ESPN2 or ESPNU
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Feb. 28: at Tennessee, ESPN or ESPN2
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March 3: at Georgia, 5:30 p.m., ESPNews
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March 7: vs. Auburn, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Record: 13-5 overall
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama basketball’s March Madness projection after back-to-back wins
