Home Loss to Texas Wounds Alabama's SEC Regular Season Title Chances

The Crimson Tide falls to 1-2 in conference play and will have an even steeper climb to win a third regular season title under Nate Oats.

Alabama forward Amari Allen awaits the tip off of the Texas game on Jan. 10, 2025. | Sarah Munzenmaier/Alabama Crimson Tide on SI

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— There is still plenty of SEC basketball left to be played, but after losing at No. 11 Vanderbilt on Wednesday, No. 13 Alabama needed to bounce back with a win at home against Texas, who was unranked and winless in the SEC.

Instead, the Crimson Tide had a poor game on both ends of the court to lose to the Longhorns 92-88. Alabama drops to 1-2 in the SEC, putting itself in a major, major whole if it wants any shot at a regular season SEC crown, which is always a goal for the team from head coach Nate Oats.

"Obviously, not a good loss," Oats said after the game. "When you're trying to win the league, you can't afford to give up home losses. So it's gonna sting for a while."

Twice under Oats (2021 and 2023), Alabama finished the regular season with two conference losses and the Tide has already matched that total three games in this season.

Alabama went on an 8-0 run before the first media timeout of the game and went up 15-10 with 14:49 to go in the first half, but that would be the last lead the Crimson Tide had. Texas built up an 11-point lead late in the first half. Aided by four straight free throws from Aden Holloway after a technical and a heave at the buzzer, Alabama only trailed 46-45 at halftime.

Instead of carrying over the momentum into the second half, Alabama once again found itself facing a large deficit. After trailing by as many as 13 in the second half, Alabama cut the Texas lead down to one or tied the game multiple times but could never break through to re-take the lead in front of a packed Coleman Coliseum crowd.

Alabama's best chance came when Holloway, a career 80 percent free-throw shooter, missed the front end of a one-and-one with the Tide trailing 74-73. Every time Alabama got close to taking the lead, something or someone got in the way.

"I think when you play them, that's part of being able to get to the end, which is when those runs happen–– and they'll happen throughout the game–– you really, in fact, have to just stay with it and not break," Texas coach Sean Miller said after the game.

Vanderbilt and Texas A&M are the only remaining teams undefeated in SEC play. Including the Commodores and Aggies, there are seven teams ahead of Alabama in the standings with a league record of 2-1 or better.

SEC standings after three games

Team	SEC Record
Vanderbilt	3-0
Texas A&M	3-0
Missouri	2-1
Florida	2-1
Georgia	2-1
Arkansas	2-1
Mississippi State	2-1
Tennessee	1-2
Texas	1-2
Alabama	1-2
Oklahoma	1-2
Auburn	1-2
Kentucky	1-2
South Carolina	1-2
Ole Miss	1-2
LSU	0-3

Things won't get any easier for the Crimson Tide in the immediate future with two road games coming up at Mississippi State on Tuesday and at Oklahoma next Saturday.

"Losing doesn't bother them enough yet," Oats said. "I don't know how many losses it's going to take till it bothers them, but it is bothering me. It bothers the coaching staff, and soon as it starts bothering the players enough, I'm sure they'll change."