Alabama 2026-2027 Basketball Preview: A rebuilt sleeper that will surprise a lot of people

But much depends on Alabama’s health and quick cohesion against one of the nation’s toughest schedules.

Coming off yet another Sweet 16, Nate Oats has found himself rebuilding for the second consecutive season — previously after losing fifth-year legends Marc Sears and Dakota Durant. Facing the loss of nine players, and having been bounced from yet another tourney by yet another post team, Oats and Preston Murphy took this rebuild as an opportunity to get big, and I mean big everywhere. There are exactly two players under 6’6″. And a team that was the 6th tallest in the SEC last season (79th overall), is now projected to be the 9th largest in the country. But are long bodies alone going to be enough to get by in a league where the 800-pound Gainesville gorilla rolls out even more size, but with blue-chippers in the paint?

Uncharacteristically, it is also an Alabama team with very little guard depth. The Tide is loaded in the post and at the wings, but pure shooters are hard to come, and ball handlers even more so. How well Amari Allen adjusts to Guard minutes, how quickly Anderson Diaz and Cole Cloer return from injury, and how everyone gels after an exhibition season that saw the freshmen picking up the load, will tell us much about the Tide’s fortunes — at least early. And early is certainly a test. No less than three months after Nate Oats swore he was going to undertake an easier schedule, Alabama once again faces one of the nation’s most brutal schedules: 5th in the country.

Let’s take a look:

Roster:

It’s probably easier to say who Alabama returns rather than who has departed.

Bama’s biggest challenge is obviously replacing Labaron Philon. Baron was Alabama’s leading scorer, averaging 21.5 points and 4.8 assists per game. His loss creates a void in shot creation, ball handling, and late-game clutch play. He was especially one of the Tide’s most consistent penetrators, and always found himself near the rim.

Alabama then lost Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Houston Mallette, and Noah Williamson to graduation. And Taylor Bol Bowen, Aiden Sherrell, Jalil Bethea, and Davion Hannah all hit the quitter hole. Mallette’s loss is especially going to be felt when the game gets dirty and calls for all-energy players and locker room guys. It’s hard to truly describe what he’s meant to this team in terms of wins, losses, and gutty plays.

In their place, Oats Brought in four transfers, and signed a large high school class (five)

Meet the Old Guys

Aden Holloway: Point Guard, Senior

You cannot overstate the importance of Biz. Outside of Baron, he was second on the team in win share, where he averaged 17 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game, while shooting almost 41% from the perimeter and 43% from the floor. He’s easily the Tide’s best (and most clutch) three-point weapon, and possesses almost unlimited range. Biz is one of the few players on the team with a greenlight to shoot from almost anywhere on the floor. Unfortunately, a legal run-in with the hippie lettuce will sideline Holloway for three more games to start the season.

Amari Allen: Forward, Sophomore

Alongside Aden Holloway, it’s easy to call A5 the Tide’s most important returnee. Last year as a true Frosh, he netted11.9 points, 7.0 boards, and 3.1 assists per game as a freshman. He flagged down the stretch, and after flirting with the draft, he returned to UA. His lack of length prevent him from being an elite defender at wing, but he’s transitioning to guard this year, where he will be a larger, more physical force at that position. And his versatility is going to be unmatched by many in the SEC.

London Jemison: Forward, Sophomore

High-energy London Jemison returns after averaging some fairly modest stats, that don’t really do justice to his impact on the floor: just 6.2 PPG. But he’s a long and very athletic 6’8″, and can play both the 3 and the 4 — and can defend well at both spots.

Keitenn Bristow: Power Forward, Junior

There were two Crimson Tide’s last season: Before Keitenn Bristow’s injury, and after. The former Southland POTY stormed on to the scene, and had turned eyes across the country playing a stretch-four for ‘Bama. He was an active defender, ran the floor well, and had polished his shot. He was proving to be a matchup nightmare against even the likes of Purdue and Illinois. When he went down, a huge part of Bama’s frontcourt went with him. A healthy Bristow has all-SEC potential.

Meet the New Guys (Transfers)

We’ve seen a few

• Drew Fielder (Boise State): The 6’11” PF/C averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds last season while shooting 40.9% from three-point range. His ability to stretch the floor and be a small-ball Five can prove lethal to opposing frontcourt players. We are in love with Fielder, and think he has the potential to get settled in and be that game changer in the post that ‘Bama has lacked since Bediako departed.
• Brandon Garrison (Kentucky): A 6-foot-10 former McDonald’s All-American who brings considerable physical ability and frontcourt depth. BG has been a terror in the exhibition season, and you genuinely wonder how Mark Pope screwed this up. He’s the quintessential modern power forward, and can move well without the ball to get down the court.
• Jamarion Davis-Fleming (Mississippi State): A 6-foot-10 forward who averaged 3.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks as a freshman. He provides defensive potential and rebounding.
• Cole Cloer (NC State): A 6-foot-8 forward with considerable shooting ability. He averaged 16 points during Alabama’s first two exhibitions, hitting 8 of 18 from three-land. He has been a revelation on the perimeter and has a whole lot of Knecht to his game. Can’t believe NC State let this one get away.

Key New Guys (Freshmen)

• Anderson Diaz: Consensus blue-chip freshman point guard (reclassified from the 2027 class), is being counted on for much, especially spelling Holloway at the point. The learning curve at that position is concerning, naturally. But his ability to dish and create his own shot could help ease the loss of Philon in those roles.
• Jaxon Richardson: Perhaps ‘Bama’s most athletic player…ever. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of Jax, owing to injury. He won’t stay on the bench though. There are immediate minutes available for a younger team that loves to run.
• Tarris Bouie: Keep two eyes on Bouie. So far, he has been the gem of ‘Bama’s freshman class, turning heads and drawing eyeballs from around the country. His energy is off the charts (shades of Nick Pringle), with almost as much athleticism as Jaxon Richardson, and perhaps the best shot-making ability of any of the freshmen. Talking heads are already calling him a one-and-done. And, man, have we missed this defense-and-breakout.

Schedule: Nate Loves the Pain

It has to be a masochistic fetish at this point. Nate Goats has never been particularly interested in taking the Yellow Brick Road to get to the Dance, and despite protestations to the contrary, he did it to himself again.

Look at this non-con slate, and it doesn’t even include Oakland or Seton Hall. Look at this screen shot:

The conference schedule is just as brutal as it has been the last two seasons, and may be even more difficult than the Tide’s OOC slate.

The nine road games are against eight teams that made the NCAA tourney, with six of them ranked in the Preseason Top 25, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Mizzou, Texas, and Aggie. Home isn’t a much easier path, as the SEC schedule includes a visit by Florida, who has blown Alabama out four of the last five, and won three of those by 20+. Then there are the annual home-and-homes with the Barn and the Hogs.

Mercy.

Season prediction:

The Tide has perhaps two potental legitimate all-Americans, with another player or two having Freshman AA capability. But a lot of it is going to turn on health and conditioning, as ever, and how well Biz can transfer back to the PG spot. His scoring is undeniable, but of the Tide’s returners, he was also the most turnover prone. And, when he leaves the floor how well can Allen handle the ball? Can Diaz be ready to run this offense as a 17-year-old?

The frontcourt shouldn’t give ‘Bama as much heartburn as it did in previous seasons, but it would help to identify some gamechangers in the post. Will that be Fielder? BG? Keitenn? And then of course there’s that schedule, with very little time for this team to grow into itself, find its way, and find a working bench rotation.

There are going to be growing pains, no question, and especially defensively. But, given Oats’ developmental track record, the tempo and length and athleticism of this squad, and the energy at which they play, I still expect another very solid year for ‘Bama, one that most teams would envy…especially with this schedule.

Let’s say it’s a 12-6/11-7ish record in SEC play, with a Top 4 or 5 finish, and another Sweet 16 appearance for the Crimson Tide.

And I also believe that a lot of people are sleeping on how talented this group really is.

Roll Tide