TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— No. 7 Alabama men’s basketball’s loss to No. 5 Florida at home on Wednesday night became the Crimson Tide’s fourth defeat in the last six games––all of which came against ranked teams.
Throughout the cold stretch, Alabama has gone from the AP Top 25’s No. 2 team in the nation, then to No. 4, then to No. 6, and following the loss to the Gators, the Tide could move in the wrong direction from its current No. 7 rank.
“You know, we played the best teams in the country and we’ve taken some Ls,” Oats said. “But last year, we lost three in a row in December against three pretty good teams. We lost four of our last six and still made a Final Four run. So I know we’ve got some guys that can bounce back, be ready to go and I’m looking for guys to be ready to go and bounce back tomorrow.”
Although Alabama is set for Saturday’s regular-season finale on the road against No. 1 Auburn, the Crimson Tide can relax a little bit as its postseason destiny is practically set in stone regardless of the outcome.
Nate Oats Details How the Last Six Games Have Affected Alabama
“I don’t think anybody in the country has played the stretch of seven games that we did during the regular season,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said during Friday’s press conference. “I think you could look at all the analytics and stuff, so I think we had the toughest seven-game stretch in the country. It’s obviously going to take a toll on you physically. Guys are a little bit banged up mentally, emotionally, that’s what we’ve tried to just get our guys going again.”
Alabama has also gone from being tied with Auburn for the No. 1 spot in the SEC standings and is now No. 3 after the loss to Florida. The Crimson Tide was once a solidified one-seed for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, but now sits at a No. 2 seed in bracketology.