Alabama basketball is in the process of finalizing a matchup with St. John’s, according to an announcement Thursday from the Crimson Tide’s NIL collective. The game is expected to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 8, per CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.
Rothstein also noted that St. John’s, led by head coach Rick Pitino, will return the favor during the 2026–27 season with a game at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. St. John’s was a No. 2 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and is projected to be a top-five team entering the 2025–26 campaign.
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This marquee matchup aligns with Alabama head coach Nate Oats’ commitment to building a challenging non-conference schedule. The Crimson Tide are also slated to face Purdue, Arizona, and Illinois, and will participate in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas as well as the SEC/ACC Challenge.
That said, Oats has hinted at possibly rethinking his scheduling philosophy due to the increasing competitiveness of the SEC.
“There are no off nights,” Oats told SiriusXM College Sports Radio in April. “It’s part of why I schedule the way I do, but we may need to reassess our non-conference approach given how tough the league has become.”
Alabama’s 2024–25 season ended in the Elite Eight with a loss to Duke, while St. John’s was knocked out in the second round by John Calipari’s Arkansas squad.
The last meeting between Alabama and St. John’s came in the 1982 NCAA Tournament, where Wimp Sanderson’s team edged out a 69–68 win. Oats and Pitino have faced off twice before, splitting the series when Pitino was at Iona.
