Alabama Basketball to Face SEC Program in Preseason Birmingham Exhibition

Alabama basketball will face Ole Miss in the Ballin in Boutwell preseason event, Rebels head coach Chris Beard announced on The Next Round on Thursday.

The exhibition will be held in Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. CT. This game will not count towards either team's record, as Alabama's first regular-season game is at home against Sam Houston on Nov. 6.

The Crimson Tide fell to Ole Miss 80-79 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal on March 13. Alabama, which was the 2-seed, had a double-bye, while the 15-seed Rebels took down 10-seed Texas and 7-seed Georgia in back-to-back days before upsetting UA. Ole Miss went up by multiple possessions within the first few minutes, and the Crimson Tide had to play catch-up from there. But UA never took the lead or even tied the game, as it got complacent.

This will be a revenge game for Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide, and they're quite familiar with this venue. Alabama beat Wake Forest 98-77 in the "Bama in Boutwell" exhibition in 2024, and in 2025, when the name was changed to "Ballin in Boutwell" due to numerous other schools also participating in the Nike and Hibbett sponsored event, the Tide outlasted Florida State 109-105.

"Several things," Beard said when asked what intrigued him about Ballin in Boutwell. "Familiar with the event having watched it last year, thought it was one of the coolest things going on in the preseason exhibition cycle out there.

"Two, probably more important, just the chance to play quality competition as we're preparing for the season. A lot of respect for Nate, what he does, what he's built at Alabama, what he's sustained at Alabama is probably the most impressive thing to me personally. We're looking forward to the opportunity."

Alabama will also host Ole Miss during SEC play, but the date for that matchup is unknown at this time.

Preseason games are not only a great way for fans to see the team in action early, but it also gets the newcomers' feet wet. Alabama has eight incoming freshmen and transfers, as this year's team will look much different. Oats stressed after the season-ending loss to Michigan in the Sweet 16 that "we got to get bigger," and that's the theme of the new roster. Every transfer is 6-foot-8 or taller, while the other freshmen besides Anderson Diaz are roughly 6-foot-6 apiece.

Oats and lead assistant coach Preston Murphy's rosters over the last couple of years have been very guard-centric. Alabama has been at the top of college basketball in pace and shots from behind the arc, but this year's team, on paper, embodies the usage of the frontcourt players. Granted, many of the tall newcomers have a consistent 3-ball in their arsenal, but scoring in the paint could be a more frequent occurrence this upcoming season than in past ones.

Alabama women's basketball will also compete at Ballin in Boutwell on Oct. 15 at 12 p.m against UAH. Like the men's team, the women's basketball roster will look much different, and that includes new head coach Pauline Love. The 38-year-old is filling the role of Kristy Curry, who departed from Tuscaloosa after 13 seasons for the same position at USF on March 24. This is Love's first head coaching job.

2026 Ballin in Boutwell Schedule

(All times central)

Alabama A&M vs. Samford (MBB): Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.
Auburn vs. Central Florida (WBB): Oct. 14 at 12 p.m.
Auburn vs. Florida State (MBB): Oct 14 at 7 p.m.
Alabama vs. UAH (WBB): Oct. 15 at 12 p.m.
Alabama vs. Ole Miss (MBB): Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.

Alabama Men's Basketball's 2026-27 Schedule as of July 16

PRESEASON EXHIBITION Oct. 15: vs. Ole Miss in Birmingham
Nov. 6: vs. Sam Houston
Nov. 13: vs. Seton Hall
Nov. 17: vs. Kennesaw State
Nov. 24: vs. Baylor at Players Era Championships in Las Vegas
Nov. 26: vs. winner of Gonzaga/Kansas State at Players Era
Nov. 27: vs. winner of Michigan/Creighton/Miami/TCU at Players Era (if Alabama wins prior matchups)
Nov. 28: Players Era Championship (if Alabama contends) vs. winner of Tennessee/Maryland/Iowa State/San Diego State/St. John's/Oregon/Louisville/Texas Tech
Dec. 2: at Miami in ACC/SEC Challenge
Dec. 12: vs. St. John’s in Birmingham
Dec. 16: at South Florida
Dec. 21: vs. Iowa in Des Moines, Iowa
TBD vs. Houston at the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden
TBD vs. Samford

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