Nate Oats has led Alabama basketball to the best three-year run in program history. The program has won an SEC regular season and tournament championship, been to three straight Sweet 16s, back-to-back Elite 8s, and a Final Four.
But with the departure of key players like Mark Sears and Grant Nelson, oddsmakers appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach with the Crimson Tide for 2025-26.
FanDuel released odds to win the national championship for 2025-26, and Alabama came in tied for the 18th-best odds to win it all at +3500. Purdue and Houston were tied for the best odds at +1000, with Duke and Florida next, and then a logjam tied for fifth between Kentucky, Michigan, Kansas, St. John’s, and UConn all at +1700.
Alabama’s odds rank fifth in the SEC, behind Florida, Kentucky, Auburn, and Arkansas.
Flying under the radar is nothing new for Nate Oats and Alabama
Despite the success Oats has brought to Tuscaloosa, turning the Crimson Tide into one of the best programs in college basketball, Alabama is not a blue blood. That means they don’t get the benefit of the doubt with significant roster turnover like some programs do.
The hype-train won’t be chugging at the same speed this offseason as last. Alabama came into last season ranked No. 2 in the country. They didn’t quite live up to that billing, but making the Elite Eight for just the third time in program history was far from a disappointing season.
If the FanDuel odds hold true to preseason rankings, Alabama will probably be somewhere between No. 15 and No. 20 to open the season. That’s been a pretty normal spot under Oats. The year Alabama made the Final Four, they opened the season ranked No. 24 in the AP Poll. The year they entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and won an SEC double (regular season and tournament title), they started the year ranked No. 20.
This team might be flying under the radar nationally, but Oats has quietly built what, on paper, looks like a talented, well-balanced team. It looks like the type of team Oats has always wanted to build.
With Labaron Philon shockingly returning to Tuscaloosa, Alabama has the pieces around him to be a true contender. Philon can break down defenses, and Oats should be able to consistently surround him with four capable shooters.
The addition of Noah Williamson and the growth of Aiden Sherrell gives Oats the ability to run a true five-out system with their ability as outside shooters. That should open the lane even more for Philon to get to work.
Latrell Wrightsell and Houston Mallette could be two of the best shooters in the entire country. If Miami (FL) transfer Jalil Bethea can look more like the ballyhooed prospect he was billed to be and less like the player who struggled as a freshman, then this team’s ceiling is the National Championship, regardless of what Vegas thinks in June.
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