Why Nate Oats Views Alabama's Season as a 'Disappointment' Entering NCAA Tournament

Alabama basketball has officially tied a program record with its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Furthermore, the Crimson Tide is a top-four seed for the fourth straight year after being announced as a No. 4 seed during Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show.

Under head coach Nate Oats, Alabama has become one of the most consistent programs in the SEC and nationally.

Oats is not satisfied with the results.

“I didn’t plan on being a four-seed this year. Our players didn’t plan on it," Oats said. "Our plan was to win the SEC regular season and tournament. To me, it’s been a little bit of a disappointment at this point.”

Alabama will face Hofstra in the Round of 64 in Tampa Bay on Friday. The Crimson Tide sits at 23-9 entering the Big Dance following an up-and-down season with very high highs and low lows. A road win over St. John's and an eight game SEC winning streak showed the team's potential, while a 4-4 start to conference play and a stunning SEC Tournament loss to 15-seeded Ole Miss are the reasons this team is not a two or three seed.

"We can make up a lot of excuses for why we didn't have the year we wanted to have," Oats said, citing injuries. "But at the end of the day, we didn't win enough games for what we expect to win around here."

Despite the disappointment with the seeding, Oats made it clear that the program’s expectations remain unchanged entering the NCAA Tournament.

"While the program is to heights that we wanted to get it to, and it hadn't been here in a while, we've got to make a run," Oats said. "We got to get back to Sweet 16."

2026 Midwest Region

• No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 UMBC/Howard
• No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis
• No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron
• No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra
• No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio)/SMU
• No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State
• No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara
• No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State

Alabama Basketball in the NCAA Tournament:

(Season, Seed, Final Result)

• 1974-75: Lost in Round of 64 (NCAA Tournament seeding introduced in 1979)
• 1975-76: Lost in Sweet 16
• 1981-82: 4-seed, Lost in Sweet 16
• 1982-83: 6-seed, Lost in Round of 64
• 1983-84: 9-seed, Lost in Round of 64
• 1984-85: 7-seed, Lost in Sweet 16
• 1985-86: 5-seed, Lost in Sweet 16
• 1986-87 (vacated): 2-seed, Lost in Sweet 16
• 1988-89: 6-seed, Lost in Round of 64
• 1989-90: 7-seed, Lost in Sweet 16
• 1990-91: 4-seed, Lost in Sweet 16
• 1991-92: 5-seed, Lost in Round of 32
• 1993-94: 9-seed, Lost in Round of 32
• 1994-95: 5-seed, Lost in Round of 32
• 2001-02: 2-seed, Lost in Round of 32
• 2002-03: 10-seed, Lost in Round of 64
• 2003-04: 8-seed, Lost in Elite Eight
• 2004-05: 5-seed, Lost in Round of 64
• 2005-06: 10-seed, Lost in Round of 32
• 2011-12: 9-seed, Lost in Round of 32
• 2017-18: 9-seed, Lost in Round of 32
• 2020-21: 2-seed, Lost in Sweet 16
• 2021-22: 6-seed, Lost in Round of 64
• 2022-23: No. 1 overall seed, Lost in Sweet 16
• 2023-24: 4-seed, Lost in Final Four
• 2024-25: 2-seed, Lost in Elite Eight
• 2025-26: 4-seed, Result TBD

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