Alabama Basketball's March Madness Journey Begins

0:00On March 16, Alabama basketball earned the number 4 seed in the Midwest region for the 2026 NCAA tournament. They'll tip off against number 13 Hofstra on Friday in Tampa, Florida. A win there sends them to the round of 32 on Sunday versus the winner between number 5 Texas Tech and number 12 Akron. This March's head coach Nate Oates' sixth straight tournament trip matching the program's longest streak from the 1980s, though that run, ended with a vacated appearance due to penalties. Earlier this season, Alabama started non-conference play at 10 wins and 3 losses, beating teams like St. John's and Illinois, but dropping games to Purdue, Gonzaga, and Arizona. The Crimson Tide hit some rough patches in the southeastern conference play, going 4 and 4 at one point and falling out of the rankings. But they bounced back strong with eight straight victories to grab the number 2 seed and a double buy in the SEC tournament. They came up just short there, losing to number 15 Ole Miss by one point in the quarter

1:00finals. Looking at the bigger picture, Alabama has made the tournament 24 times since the 1970s, often as a mid seed with early exits, though they've reached the final 4 and elite 8 in recent years. The Midwest bracket also features heavy hitters like number 1 Michigan, number 2 Iowa State, number 3 Virginia, and number 6 Tennessee. All eyes now turn to Tampa, where the Tide aim to build on their momentum and chase another deep run through March Madness.