Alabama Men’s Basketball is Heading Back to the NCAA Tournament for Sixth Consecutive Season

Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide have officially broken a school record with their sixth-straight inclusion in the NCAA Tournament, with Oats and the Tide now holding the longest NCAA tournament streak in program history after the Tide has made the tournament every season since 2021. Alabama has not missed the NCAA tournament in Nate Oats' tenure, with the 2020 tournament canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Alabama finished the 2025-26 regular season with a 23-8 overall record and a 13-5 record in conference play. After coming into the SEC tournament as the two-seed, the Crimson Tide went one-and-done in Nashville after an 80-79 loss to the 15-seed Ole Miss Rebels in the quarterfinals. Alabama's season earned the Crimson Tide a four-seed in the NCAA tournament, and Alabama will be playing in the Midwest region.

The Tide will face 13-seed Hofstra in the Round of 64. The winner of Alabama and Hofstra will face the winner of five-seed Texas Tech and 12-seed Akron in the Round of 32. Alabama's pod will play in Tampa, Florida, and if the Crimson Tide makes the second weekend, the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will be played in Chicago, Illinois.

Alabama is on a strong run during Nate Oats' tenure with the Crimson Tide in the NCAA tournament, with now six straight appearances, which is an official program record. Alabama made six straight appearances from 1982 to 1987, but the 1987 appearance was vacated due to NCAA violations.

During Oats tenure, the Crimson Tide has made the NCAA tournament every season since 2021. During that stretch, Alabama has made the Sweet 16 four times (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025), the Elite Eight twice (2024, 2025), and the Final Four once (2024).

Alabama head coach Nate Oats will speak with the media shortly now that the Crimson Tide knows its fate, and the path it will have to take to compete for a national championship during March Madness.

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Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.