What you need to know to start the 2026-27 college basketball season
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The college basketball season is officially underway with a full day of hoops happening across the country Monday.
Our in-state teams will be getting in the action as the week goes along but before you head out to a local game, there are a few things to catch up on from the offseason.
Keep reading for more on new coaches, players to watch and games to add to your calendar over the next six months.
Alabama’s Pauline Love leads list of new coaches
There will be five new head coaches making their debut this week across the state.
Alabama women’s coach Pauline Love takes over after the Tide made four consecutive tournament appearances under coach Kristy Curry. Love, who was an assistant under Curry in 2024, returns to Tuscaloosa after spending a year at Oklahoma.
The Alabama State men’s program will now be led by coach Chris Wright, his first head coaching job at the NCAA level. He led Langston University to the NAIA championship game last season.
After two straight NCAA Tournament appearances, Troy is replacing Scott Cross with coach Adam Howard who previously served as assistant coach at Nebraska and NC State.
North Alabama has hired Anna Nimz as the next women’s basketball coach. Nimz heads to UNA after leading Northwestern State for the last six years.
Jax State is turning its women’s basketball program over to legendary high school coach Ricky Austin.
Tahaad Pettiford, Amari Allen among players to watch
Three in-state players made ESPN’s list of top 100 men’s players ahead of the 2026-27 season including:
- 30. Aden Holloway, Alabama
- 40. Amari Allen, Alabama
- 66. Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
Nate Oats’ squad will also debut star recruits Qayden Samuels and Jaxon Richardson, who were both ranked in the top 50 recruits nationally by 247 Sports.
Some other in-state players who made their preseason all-conference teams include:
- Aniya Palmer, Alabama A&M women
- Brynn Lusby, North Alabama women
- Aniya Hubbard, Troy women
- Michael James, Alabama State men
- Peyton Law, South Alabama men
If you’re looking for more talent from Alabama, make sure to check out Huntsville native Caleb Holt. The 5-star recruit and former Buckhorn High School star is at Arizona this season but is expected to be a top 5 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft.
10 in-state matchups to add to your calendar
There will be plenty of new and historic cross-state rivalry matchups on the hardwood this year. Here are 10 you can circle on your calendar:
- Women
- Alabama A&M at Alabama, Nov. 5
- North Alabama at Jax State, Nov. 9
- UAB at Alabama A&M, Nov. 17
- Auburn at Alabama, Feb. 7
- Troy at South Alabama, Feb. 13
- Men
- Jax State at South Alabama, Nov. 5
- Samford at UAB, Dec. 2
- Alabama State at Alabama A&M, Jan. 16
- South Alabama at Troy, Jan. 27
- Alabama at Auburn, March 6
Let us know which matchup you’re most looking forward to this season.
Alabama teams overlooked in preseason bracketology
Just two in-state teams appear in ESPN’s preseason bracketology predictions and both of them are in the men’s tournament.
Alabama is projected as a 5 seed in Joe Lunardi’s first bracketology from Oct. 27. Auburn, who missed the tournament last season but won the NIT, is listed as a No. 8 seed. A total of 12 SEC teams are in the projected field of 76 teams.
Meanwhile, no in-state teams are list in Charlie Creme’s women’s tournament bracketology. Two women’s teams, including Samford and Alabama, made the big dance last season.
March Madness expansion
This will be the first season for the expanded 76-team tournament for both men’s and women’s basketball. Each will include 32 automatic bids determined by conference tournaments with 44 at-large bids handed out.
This expands the “First Four” round to what will now be known as the opening round featuring 24 teams and 12 play-in games across two sites — Dayton, Ohio and Wichita, Kansas.
The limit for total regular season games is also growing from 31 to 32 this season.
