The 2026-27 college basketball season isn't far away. Only a month and a half remains until the Alabama Crimson Tide return to the hardwood for their season opener against Sam Houston at Coleman Coliseum on Nov. 3.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Joe Lunardi unveiled his latest bracketology update for the 2027 NCAA Tournament, which will increase from 68 teams to 76 for the first time next March. If Lunardi's projections are correct, Alabama won't need the benefit of the expanded field.
The longtime college hoops prognosticator has Nate Oats' team as a No. 4 seed in March Madness. Alabama had been projected as a No. 3 seed over the summer but fell one spot in Lunardi's update in August.
The Crimson Tide are coming off their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament
appearance under Oats, and their fifth trip to the Sweet 16 in six years. Alabama finished 25-10 overall last season, including a 13-5 mark in conference play that earned the Crimson Tide the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament.
The Tide defeated Hofstra and Texas Tech during the opening weekend of March Madness before falling to the national champion Michigan Wolverines in the Sweet 16.
Alabama is set to return starting forward Amari Allen after he withdrew from the NBA draft, as well as forward London Jemison and guard Aden Holloway, should he be reinstated. The Tide also brought in four-star freshman Jaxon Richardson as part of its 2026 recruiting class.
As it stands, ESPN's Jeff Borzello ranked Alabama No. 16 in his way-too-early outlook for 2026-27 on Sept. 2. CBS Sports' Gary Parrish has the Tide No. 19 in his latest preseason rankings.
SEC leads projected NCAA Tournament bids ahead of 2026-27 college basketball season
Led by projected No. 1 seed Florida, Alabama is one of 13 SEC teams Lunardi forecasts to make the 2027 NCAA Tournament. Texas is a projected No. 3 seed while Arkansas joins Alabama among the No. 4 seeds. Tennessee and Kentucky are projected No. 5 seeds.
Vanderbilt, Missouri, Georgia, Auburn, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and LSU are also forecast as NCAA Tournament teams for 2026-27 in Lunardi's latest outlook.
Alabama basketball schedule 2026-27
- Nov. 3: vs. Sam Houston
- Nov. 6: vs. Arkansas State
- Nov. 9: vs. Oakland
- Nov. 13: vs. Seton Hall
- Nov. 17: vs. Kennesaw State
- Nov. 24: vs. Baylor (Players Era Festival, Las Vegas)
- Nov. 26: vs. Gonzaga or Kansas State (Las Vegas)
- Nov. 27-28: vs. TBA (Las Vegas)
- Dec. 2: at Miami
- Dec. 8: vs. Houston (New York)
- Dec. 12: vs. St. John's (Birmingham)
- Dec. 16: at South Florida
- Dec. 21: at Iowa (Des Moines)
- Dec. 29: vs. Samford
- Jan. 2: at Mississippi State
- Jan. 5/6: vs. LSU
- Jan. 9: at Arkansas
- Jan. 12/13: vs. Ole Miss
- Jan. 16: vs. Florida
- Jan. 19/20: at South Carolina
- Jan. 23: vs. Oklahoma
- Jan. 26/27: at Missouri
- Jan. 30: vs. Auburn
- Feb. 6: at Kentucky
- Feb. 9/10: at Texas
- Feb. 13: vs. Arkansas
- Feb. 16/17: vs. Mississippi State
- Feb. 20: at Tennessee
- Feb. 23/24: at Texas A&M
- Feb. 27: vs. Vanderbilt
- March 2/3: vs. Georgia
- March 6: at Auburn
The 2027 SEC Tournament is March 10-14 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Contact us at @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Where Alabama sits in ESPN's updated bracketology outlook for 2026-27
