Alabama Basketball to Play UNC Asheville in Season Opener

The Crimson Tide will open the 2024-25 season in Coleman Coliseum on Nov. 4.

Jan 20, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports / Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama basketball will open the 2024-25 season with a home game against UNC Asheville on Nov. 4, a source confirms to BamaCentral. The game was first reported by Made For March on Twitter/X.

The game nearly completes the Crimson Tide's non-conference schedule for the 2024-25 season, with only one game of the typical 13-game slate still unannounced. It is expected that the remaining game will take place later in the week on the week of the season opener.

Nate Oats, who is infamous for creating extremely difficult non-conference schedules, has done it once again. The Crimson Tide has marquee games at Purdue (Nov. 15), vs Illinois in Birmingham (Nov. 20), at North Carolina (Dec. 4), and vs Creighton at home (Dec. 14) all on the schedule.

Alabama will also participate in the first annual Players Era Festival, an MTE in Las Vegas that features NIL-based rewards for the participants. Alabama will open with another marquee opponent in Houston on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas, while playing either Rutgers or Notre Dame in the second game of the event, with the third game TBA.

Other games announced for the non-conference schedule include home games against McNeese (Nov. 11), Kent State (Dec. 22) and South Dakota State (Dec. 29) as well as a road game against North Dakota (Dec. 18).

Alabama athletics is expected to officially announced the non-conference slate in full in the coming months, as well as the dates for SEC games. The Crimson Tide has a reasonable chance to enter the 2024-25 season as the preseason No. 1 team.