Alabama basketball coach Nate Avoine is a well-known fan of non-conference challenges.
Projected to be a top-five team In preseason polls, the Crimson Tide shouldn’t have expected anything different from their skipper for the 2024-25 season.
This year’s non-con slate includes seven teams that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournamentfive making the Sweet 16 and beyond: Creighton, Houston, Illinois, North Carolina and Purdue.
The little cakes
UNC Ashville, November 4
After a final four-way run, Alabama returns to Coleman Coliseum with a target on its back to open the season. The inaugural meeting between the two could get heated, with UNC-Asheville trailing its runner-up finish from last season 22-12 in the Big South. Alabama will look to make a statement in the season opener.
Kent State, Dec. 22
Kent State is hoping history repeats itself: 22 years ago, the No. 10 seed Golden Flashes upset the Crimson Tide in the NCAA Tournament. But if Oats’ roster is as complete as it claims to be, Alabama should be able to flip the script with ease in this home game. Additionally, Oats went 7-3 against coach Robert Senderoff during his time in Buffalo.
Big names, big matches
Purdue, November 15
Two Final Four teams meet in a first test in West Lafayette, Indiana. Alabama reached college basketball’s biggest stage for the first time in its history last season, while Purdue won a record 34 wins to reach the national championship game for the first time since 1969.
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North Carolina, December 4
In March, Alabama shocked top-seeded UNC with a season-ending 89-87 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 in guard Ian Jackson and small forward Drake Powell, the No. 8 and No. 11 prospects in the 2024 recruiting class, while Alabama welcomes its own pair of five-stars in small forward Derrion Reid and Auburn transfer point guard Aden Holloway. .
Creighton, December 14
Alabama looks for a program first-ever win against Creighton, hosting the Bluejays at Coleman Coliseum. It would have been easier if Bluejay center Ryan Kalkbrenner, whose second-half return from injury stunned Alabama last year, had opted to enter the NBA draft as planned rather than making a comeback with his extra year of eligibility due to COVID.
The sleepers
McNeese State, November 11
The Cowboys have LSU coach Will Wade, who has already made the trip to Tuscaloosa. That means a first rivalry matchup for Oats, who holds a 5-2 record, as well as winning the 2021 SEC Tournament championship game, against Wade.
Arkansas State, November 8
In his second year with the Red Wolves, former Alabama assistant Bryan Hodgson has already made major changes, including going 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 89-65 finish of the 2022-23 season for Alabama.
Illinois, November 20
The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, home of this CM Newton Classic game, hasn’t always been kind to Alabama, which fell twice in the classic before last year’s win over Liberty. Illinois went 20-13 last season, but struggled despite the experience it brought back.
North Dakota, December 18
Nelson returns home to North Dakota and the Fighting Hawks have plenty of experience battling the big man, who was previously a close rival as a student at North Dakota State. The Alabama running back center played for NDSU for the first three seasons of his career before hitting the portal in June 2023.
South Dakota State, December 29
The Jackrabbits’ closest margin against Alabama came in 2012 with a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Alabama guard Trevor Lacey. These NCAA Tournament contenders could be a surprise to conclude non-conference play.
The tough guys of the tournament
Houston, Rutgers and Notre Dame, November 26-27 and 30
There’s no better place to hold a tournament in Las Vegas where players play for money – over $9 million in NIL, to be exact.
A money-hungry Crimson Tide will want a bite of Houston’s Sweet 16 team, which finished tied for third 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 use a break thanks to Rutgers, or a second wind. The Scarlet Knights lost fourth-year 6-foot-11 rim protector Clifford Omoruyi to the Crimson Tide in the transfer portal.
With a 13-20 record for the Fighting Irish last season, Alabama appears to be favored. But the Crimson Tide will be there to avenge the 2022 NCAA Tournament first-round exit at the hands of Notre Dame.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached by email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article was originally published on The Tuscaloosa News: 2024-25 Alabama basketball schedule: Non-conference roster breakdown
