Alabama basketball to play exhibition game at Birmingham’s Boutwell Auditorium

Crimson Tide fans will get to see their men’s basketball team play in several different venues across the state this year including a newly-announced preseason stop in Birmingham.

Alabama is scheduled to host Wake Forest in the Bama in Boutwell exhibition game presented by Nike and Hibbett on Friday, Oct. 18. The game will raise funds for Children’s of Alabama.

Keep reading to find out all the information about the game + learn more about the upcoming season for the Tide.

Bama in Boutwell

The exhibition game will take place just over two weeks prior to Alabama’s season opener against UNC Asheville.

The Bama in Boutwell game is expected to welcome in just over 2,000 fans, the smallest venue on the Tide’s schedule this season. Tickets will go on sale just over a month before the game. Here’s what you need to know:

• Presale: Tuesday, Sept. 10
• Public sale: Thursday, Sept. 12

The presale can only be accessed by people who submit their email to the exhibition game’s website. If there are still tickets remaining after the presale, those will go on sale two days later.

There is currently no word on the price of tickets for the game.

Boutwell Auditorium

The Boutwell Auditorium turns 100 years old this year but it has not hosted a basketball game in more than four decades, according to Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin.

“You are seeing and standing in a historic venue. It has been 45 years since this venue has hosted a basketball game. When I say we are excited, we are literally counting down to October 18 to be in a position to host this game.”

~ Randall Woodfin

More recently, the venue has been used for:

• Concerts
• Campaign rallies
• World Games events
• Extreme weather shelter

Alabama basketball

After the program’s first ever trip to the Final Four, the hype around Alabama men’s basketball goes well beyond the city of Tuscaloosa. Many are expected the Crimson Tide to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll.

This team is no stranger to playing in front of their fans outside of Coleman Coliseum. The team also has a charity exhibition game scheduled to take place at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville against Memphis on Oct. 28.

Meanwhile, Alabama also has a regular season game scheduled for Legacy Arena on Nov. 20. The Tide will play Illinois in the annual C.M. Newton Classic.

“There’s a reason there’s been so much college basketball in Birmingham over the last several years. It’s been the city’s commitment to bring those type of events to Birmingham and this is just another one of those.”

~ Michael Eady, President of Knight-Eady

Will you be attending any of the Alabama basketball games this season? Let us know across social media by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn!