Breaking down Alabama basketball’s non-conference schedule with 5 Sweet Sixteen opponents

Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats is a well-known fan of a non-conference gauntlet.

Projected to be a top-five team in the preseason polls, the Crimson Tide shouldn’t have expected any different from its skipper for the 2024-25 season.

This year’s non-con slate features seven teams that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, five making the Sweet 16 and beyond: Creighton, Houston, Illinois, North Carolina and Purdue.

The Cupcakes

UNC Ashville, Nov. 4

After a final Four run, Alabama returns to Coleman Coliseum with a target on its back to open the season. The inaugural meeting between the two could get chippy, with UNC-Asheville riding high off of last season’s 22-12 runner-up finish in the Big South,. Alabama will be looking to make a statement in the season opener.

Kent State, Dec. 22

Kent State hopes history will repeat itself: 22 years ago, the No. 10-seed Golden Flashes dealt the Crimson Tide an upset in the NCAA Tournament. But if Oats’ roster is as complete as it’s hyped to be, Alabama should be able to flip the script with ease in this home game. Plus, Oats notched a 7-3 record over coach Robert Senderoff during his time at Buffalo.

Big names, big games

Purdue, Nov. 15

Two Final Four squads meet in an early test in West Lafayette, Indiana. Alabama reached college basketball’s biggest stage for the first time in school history last season, while Purdue clinched a program high 34 wins to reach the national championship game for the first time since 1969.

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North Carolina, Dec. 4

In March, Alabama shocked a top-seeded UNC with a 89-87 season-ending loss to reach the Elite Eight. Now, the Crimson Tide visits the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Tar Heels bring guard Ian Jackson and small forward Drake Powell, the No. 8 and No. 11 prospects in the 2024 recruiting class, as Alabama welcomes its own pair of five-stars in small forward Derrion Reid and Auburn point guard transfer Aden Holloway.

Creighton, Dec. 14

Alabama looks for a first-ever program win against Creighton, hosting the Bluejays in Coleman Coliseum. This would be easier had Bluejay center Ryan Kalkbrenner, whose second-half return from injury stunned Alabama last year, opted to go in the NBA Draft as planned rather than make a return with his extra year of eligibility due to COVID.

The sleepers

McNeese State, Nov. 11

The Cowboys have LSU coach Will Wade, who has made the trip to Tuscaloosa before. That means an early rivalry matchup for Oats, who holds a 5-2 record, plus the 2021 SEC Tournament championship game win, over Wade.

Arkansas State, Nov. 8

In his second year with the Red Wolves, former Alabama assistant Bryan Hodgson has already made major changes, including improving from 13-20 to 20-17 and reaching the Sun Belt championship game last season. Expect this one to be a little closer than the 2022-23 season’s 89-65 final for Alabama.

Illinois, Nov. 20

Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, which is hosting this C.M. Newton Classic game, hasn’t always been sweet to Alabama, which has fallen in the classic twice prior to last year’s win over Liberty. Illinois went 20-13 last season but struggled despite the experience it returned.

North Dakota, Dec. 18

Nelson is coming home to North Dakota and the Fighting Hawks have plenty experience keying in on the big man, who was previously a nearby rival as a student at North Dakota State. Alabama’s returning center played for NDSU for the first three seasons of his career before hitting the portal in June of 2023.

South Dakota State, Dec. 29

The Jackrabbits’ closest margin against Alabama came in 2012 with a 3-point buzzer-beater from Alabama guard Trevor Lacey. These NCAA Tournament contenders could be a surprise to wrap up non-conference play.

The tournament toughies

Houston, Rutgers and Notre Dame, Nov. 26-27 and 30

There’s no better to have a Las Vegas tournament where players play in for money — over $9 million in NIL, to be exact.

A cash-hungry Crimson Tide will want a bite of Sweet 16 squad Houston, which finished tied for No. 3 with the Crimson Tide in last season’s final AP Top 25 poll. The two last met in 2022, with Alabama winning 71-65.

Alabama could get a breather from Rutgers, or a second wind. The Scarlet Knights lost fourth-year 6-foot-11 big Clifford Omoruyi, a rim protector, to the Crimson Tide in the transfer portal.

With the Fighting Irish going 13-20 last season, Alabama figures to be favored. But the Crimson Tide will be out to avenge 2022’s first-round NCAA Tournament exit at the hands of Notre Dame.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball 2024-25 schedule: Breaking down non-conference slate