The Alabama Crimson Tide have a chance to advance on the NCAA Tournament seeding line if they can avoid an upset or two in this week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville.
Tournament No. 2 seed Alabama (23-8 overall) will face the Ole Miss Rebels (14-19) in the quarterfinals on Friday at Bridgestone Arena. The Rebels are the surprise team in Nashville this week after winning over Texas and Georgia in back-to-back days.
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No. 15 seed Mississippi won just four SEC games throughout the regular season, but Malik Dia and AJ Stoll led the resurgent Rebels to a 10-point victory over Texas and a 76-72 win over seventh-seeded Georgia on Thursday. The two combined for 36 points against the Bulldogs and 41 points against the Longhorns.
With a double bye, Alabama has not played since beating Auburn 96-84 on Saturday at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide led by 22 points in the first half and 28 points in the final quarter. Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway each scored 21 points, Amari Allen scored 16 points and London Jemison scored 11 points.
Alabama is ranked No. 15 in both the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25 Coaches Poll.
While Nate Oats’ team has yet to play a game in the SEC Tournament, they’ve made progress in the latest March Madness rankings updates from USA TODAY Sports and other national outlets.
Alabama basketball climbs in USA TODAY Sports’ March Madness outlook ahead of Sunday’s picks
In USA TODAY Sports’ updated bracket on Friday, Alabama moved up one spot and is projected to be the No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. Analysts Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus believe the Crimson Tide will face Big West Conference No. 14 seed UC Irvine in the first round of March Madness.
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The Anteaters finished with an overall record of 22-10 and won the Big West regular season championship. UC Irvine will face Cal State Northridge (20-13) in the semifinals of the Big West tournament on Friday at 8 p.m. CT.
Smith said of red tide:
“Another team with a strong second half is Alabama, the Tide has won eight of 10 games heading into the playoffs. The backcourt of Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon gives them the firepower to make noise.”
USA Today’s March Madness predicts Alabama will play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. If Alabama wins its first-round game, Myerberg, Smith and Timanas could clash with the projected sixth-seeded Miami Hurricanes (25-7) in the second round.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, CBS Sports and veteran college basketball analysts Andy Katz and Jerry Palm also elevated Alabama from a projected No. 4 seed to a No. 3 seed this week.
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The other No. 3 seeds in USA TODAY Sports’ latest March Madness predictions are Iowa State, Nebraska and Gonzaga. In November, Gonzaga defeated Alabama 95-85 at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
Bubble watch: Which SEC teams are in and out of the NCAA tournament?
According to USA TODAY Sports’ current March Madness projections, the SEC has 10 teams projected to make the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Below are the incoming and outgoing rosters as of Friday, March 13th.
who is there
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Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 5 seed, Midwest Region)
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Vanderbilt Commodores (No. 5 seed, East Region)
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Missouri Tigers (10th seed, East Region)
who is out
Auburn and Oklahoma State round out USA TODAY Sports’ top four. The Tigers (17-16) lost to Tennessee 72-62 in the SEC Championship Game on Thursday. The Sooners (19-14) defeated Texas A&M 83-63 on Thursday.
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2026 Alabama Basketball Schedule
Here’s a game-by-game analysis of Alabama’s 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule
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Nov. 3: vs. North Dakota State (W, 91-62)
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November 8: In 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 (women, 115-76)
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Nov. 26: vs. Maryland (women, 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 (women, 102-78)
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Jan. 3: vs. Kentucky (women, 89-74)
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January 7: At Vanderbilt (L, 96-90)
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Jan. 10: vs. Texas (L, 92-88)
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Jan. 13: Mississippi State (W, 97-82)
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Jan. 17: At Oklahoma State (W, 83-81)
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Jan. 24: vs. Tennessee (L, 79-73)
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Jan. 27: vs. Missouri (W, 90-64)
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February 1: Florida State (L, 100-77)
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February 4: vs. Texas A&M (W, 100-97)
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February 7: Auburn (W, 96-92)
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February 11: Mississippi State (W, 93-74)
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February 14: vs. South Carolina (women, 89-75)
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February 18: vs. Arkansas (W, 117-115, 2OT)
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February 21: LSU (W, 90-83)
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February 25: vs. Mississippi State (W, 100-75)
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February 28: Tennessee (W, 71-69)
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March 3: Georgia (L, 98-88)
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March 7: vs. Auburn (W, 96-84)
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March 13: vs. Ole Miss, 6 p.m. CT, SEC Network
Record: 23-8.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama basketball on the rise in USA TODAY Sports March Madness outlook
