Skip to main content
Alabama

Alabama basketball picked 4th in SEC, two players named preseason All-SEC

63571867_t466o7i5ncby: Blake Byler10/13/25blakebyler45
LabaronPhilonUF
Alabama guard Labaron Philon vs. Florida (Steve Roberts / Imagn Images)

The Southeastern Conference announced the predicted order of finish as voted on by the media for the 2026-26 basketball season on Monday morning. Alabama was predicted to finish fourth, behind predicted league champion Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Last season the Crimson Tide was picked to win the league in the preseason. It finished in third place with a 13-5 league record in one of the best seasons by any conference in men’s college basketball history. Alabama received the 3-seed in the SEC Tournament, falling to eventual conference tournament and national champion Florida in the semifinals.

The media has picked Alabama no lower than sixth in the preseason every year under head coach Nate Oats, and picked in the top-5 for the past six seasons, dating back to Oats’ second year in 2020-21.

Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway named preseason All-SEC

The league also announced the media’s picks for preseason All-SEC teams, with sophomore guard Labaron Philon being named to the preseason first team.

Philon burst onto the college basketball scene as a freshman last season, averaging 10.6 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds on Alabama’s Elite Eight team. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team at season’s end, and is expected to have a breakout season after withdrawing from the NBA Draft process last May.

Junior guard Aden Holloway was also named to the preseason third team, the second Crimson Tide guard to make a preseason all-league list.

Holloway saw an immediate jump in production in his first season in Tuscaloosa last year after transferring in from rival Auburn. He averaged 11.4 points per game and shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Predicted Order Of Finish

  1. Florida
  2. Kentucky
  3. Tennessee
  4. Alabama
  5. Arkansas
  6. Auburn
  7. Missouri
  8. Ole Miss
  9. Texas
  10. Mississippi State
  11. Vanderbilt
  12. Oklahoma
  13. Texas A&M
  14. Georgia
  15. LSU
  16. South Carolina

Preseason All-SEC Teams

First Team

Otega Oweh — Kentucky (Player of the Year)
Alex Condon — Florida
Josh Hubbard — Mississippi State
Labaron Philon — Alabama
Tahaad Pattiford — Auburn

Second Team

Nate Ament — Tennessee
Boogie Fland — Florida
Ja’Kobi Gillespie — Tennessee
Thomas Haugh — Florida
Mark Mitchell — Missouri

Third Team

Malik Dia — Ole Miss
Aden Holloway — Alabama
Karter Knox — Arkansas
Jaland Lowe — Kentucky
DJ Wagner — Arkansas

Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!

Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $11.99! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!

You may also like