Alabama Opens Season Against Sam Houston Tuesday
Coach Nate Oats' team begins its 2026-27 campaign at home without suspended guard Aden Holloway.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Basketball
Alabama hosts Sam Houston in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday night to open the 2026-27 season. The Crimson Tide must replace Labaron Philon Jr., Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and Aiden Sherrell after a 25-10 season that ended in the Sweet 16.
Why it matters
Alabama is seeking a seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, and early wins will shape its path. Holloway's five-game suspension and Anderson Diaz's elbow injury remove key contributors from the early schedule.
Holloway averaged 16.8 points and 3.8 assists last season, and he made 74 three-pointers at a 43.8% clip. Amari Allen averaged 11.4 points and 6.9 rebounds as a freshman, while Sam Houston finished last season 22-12.
The players
Nate Oats
Nate Oats is the head basketball coach at the University of Alabama, known for leading the Crimson Tide's up-tempo offensive style.
Aden Holloway
Aden Holloway is an Alabama guard who averaged 16.8 points last season and was arrested on drug charges in March before those charges were dismissed.
Sam Houston
Sam Houston is a university in Huntsville, Texas, competing in Conference USA, and is predicted to finish fourth in the conference this season.
The details
Holloway is serving a five-game suspension that includes three exhibition games, announced earlier this month by Coach Nate Oats. Transfers Drew Fielder from Boise State and Brandon Garrison from Kentucky make their Alabama debuts this season.
Timeline
October 8: Anderson Diaz was injured in an exhibition victory over Furman.
October 22: Alabama defeated Auburn 87-85 without Holloway and Diaz.
November 3: Alabama opens the season against Sam Houston in Tuscaloosa.
Season Trajectory
Alabama enters the season after a 25-10 campaign that ended in the Sweet 16 and is seeking a seventh straight NCAA Tournament bid. The Crimson Tide must rebuild around Holloway and newcomers after losing Labaron Philon Jr., Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and Aiden Sherrell.
Holloway's absence for the first two games shifts early minutes to returning and newly arrived players. Fantasy managers tracking Holloway's 16.8-point average should account for the suspension when setting early lineups.
The takeaway
Early-season results often reveal how a rebuilt roster will coalesce, and Alabama's first games without Holloway will show how deep its rotation really is. Watch the minutes distribution in the Sam Houston game for clues about the lineup going forward.
Further reading
For more on the program's outlook, see Basketball coverage in Tuscaloosa.
