No Days Off: Alabama Basketball will face St John’s at Madison Square Garden

After a five-month campaign through another brutal schedule, Coach Nate Oats remarked at season’s end that he would be probably be rethinking his approach: perhaps not scheduling so many high profile, set-piece games this year. The SEC slate is simply too demanding to also face a six-week war of attrition against elite NCAA tourney teams.

I think many of wondered if he was fibbing. After all, Oats ascribes to the belief that November games prepare you for March success. And after four SEC titles, four Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight berth, and the school’s first Final Four bid, who are we to argue?

For those who questioned if the Tide would truly back off its Basketball Bataan, you now have your initial data point.

Alabama’s first non-conference opponent has been set, and the Tide will be meeting Rick Pitino’s powerful St John’s Red Storm on their home court, under the Midtown Manhattan lights of venerable Madison Square Garden.

Nate Oats and Rick Pitino have a very respectful relationship, one where Nate has been surprisingly deferential to the dean of college hoops. And when BDR eased back into college coaching at Iona, a brash Nate Oats in his first season made sure Alabama was the first major conference team to reach out and schedule a contest with the Gaels.

Pitino did what Pitino does, and Iona smothered the Tide that night, but there was high praises all around afterwards. And now, in just two short seasons, back to his roots in the Big East, Pitino has taken a downtrodden-but-proud St John’s team back to the upper echelon of the sport. The Red Storm have gone 51-18, claimed the Big East crown, tracked for back-to-back Top 10 recruiting classes (and currently have the No 3 Portal class), and earned a 2-seed in the NCAA tourney.

It is a ferocious, physical style of ball, with a team once again projected to be among the Big East’s best, so Alabama will not be easing into their 2026 campaign — not against the talent coming again, against that coach, and in a true road game.

SJU returns the favor, and Alabama will (predictably) “host” a return date the following season in Birmingham.
The hype for 2026 has begun.

Roll Tide