Nate Oats' Alabama Crimson Tide are just three weeks away from tipping off the 2026-27 men's basketball regular season. Expectations for the Tide vary, but this week offered a glimpse of how media members who cover the SEC view Alabama entering Oats' eighth season in Tuscaloosa.
The SEC on Monday released its preseason poll ahead of the conference's media days event. The Crimson Tide were picked to finish fifth, one spot below the Tennessee Volunteers and one spot ahead of the Vanderbilt Commodores.
To no surprise, Todd Golden's Florida Gators were picked to win the SEC. The Texas Longhorns were tabbed as runner-up with John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks picked to finish third.
Alabama returns sophomore starting forward Amari Allen, as well as guard
Aden Holloway and forwards London Jemison and Keitenn Bristow. The Tide added four-star shooting guard Jaxon Richardson as part of its 2026 recruiting class.
Alabama also brought in four players from the transfer portal, all with size: 6-foot-11 center Drew Fielder (Boise State), 6-foot-10 forward Brandon Garrison (Kentucky), and 6-foot-10 forward Jamarion Davis-Fleming (Mississippi State).
Former four-star recruit and NC State small forward Cole Cloer joined Alabama from the transfer portal, as well.
The Crimson Tide finished 25-10 overall last season and were 13-5 in SEC play, earning the No. 2 seed at the conference tournament in Nashville. Alabama made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed and fell to national champion Michigan in the Sweet 16.
Alabama has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the past six seasons with five trips to the Sweet 16, two trips to the Elite Eight, and the program's first-ever trip to the Final Four in 2024.
The Crimson Tide open the regular season Nov. 3 against Sam Houston at Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama basketball schedule 2026-27: start times, TV channel info
All start times Central.
- Nov. 3: vs. Sam Houston, TBA
- Nov. 6: vs. Arkansas State, TBA
- Nov. 9: vs. Oakland, TBA
- Nov. 13: vs. Seton Hall, 8 p.m., SEC Network
- Nov. 17: vs. Kennesaw State, TBA
- Nov. 24: vs. Baylor (Las Vegas), 9 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 26: TBA (Las Vegas)
- Nov. 27-28: TBA (Las Vegas)
- Dec. 2: at Miami, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Dec. 8: vs. Houston (New York), 5:30 p.m., ESPN
- Dec. 12: vs. St. John's (Birmingham), 2:30 p.m., ESPN
- Dec. 16: at South Florida, 6 p.m., ESPN2
- Dec. 21: at Iowa, 6 p.m., Peacock
- Dec. 29: vs. Samford, TBA
- Jan. 2: at Mississippi State, 5 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 5: vs. LSU, 6 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 9: at Arkansas, 1 p.m., ESPN2
- Jan. 13: vs. Ole Miss, 8 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 16: vs. Florida, 1 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
- Jan. 20: at South Carolina, 5 p.m., ESPN2
- Jan. 23: vs. Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 26: at Missouri, 8 p.m., ESPN
- Jan. 30: vs. Auburn, 5 or 5:30 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
- Feb. 6: at Kentucky, 1 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
- Feb. 9: at Texas, 6 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 13: vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m., ESPN2
- Feb. 16: vs. Mississippi State, 8 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 20: at Tennessee, 1 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
- Feb. 23: at Texas A&M, 8 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 27: vs. Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
- March 3: vs. Georgia, 6 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU
- March 6: at Auburn, 5 p.m., SEC Network
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Where Alabama basketball lands in SEC preseason media poll
