Alabama men's basketball head coach Nate Oats loves a challenge.
The Crimson Tide has had the toughest strength of schedule in the country for back-to-back years. It's resulted in some losses, but Alabama's ability to build off the failure has led to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances.
"I think [tough schedules have] worked for us," Oats said on May 14. "You look at the success we've had––we've had the No. 1 strength schedule in the country the last two years...But two years ago, when it was really tough, we lost three straight non-conference games. We still ended up going to the Final Four. So I believe we're the only team in the country that's played in the last two Elite Eights. So I think it works.
The first round of the 2025 NBA Draft was on Wednesday night in Brooklyn, N.Y, and the strength of Alabama's schedule (including the NCAA Tournament) became crystal clear as the names were announced. Here is every 2025 first-round pick that the Crimson Tide faced this past season.
Pick Number, Player, College
No. 1 Cooper Flagg, Duke (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight)
No. 2 Dylan Harper, Rutgers (Players Era Festival semifinals)
No. 4 Kon Knueppel, Duke (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight)
No. 5 Ace Bailey, Rutgers (Players Era Festival semifinals)
No. 6 Tre Johnson, Texas (SEC regular season)
No. 7 Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma (SEC regular season)
No. 8 Egor Demin, BYU (NCAA Tournament Sweet 16)
No. 9 Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina (SEC regular season)
No. 10 Khaman Maluach, Duke (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight)
No. 18 Walter Clayton Jr. Florida (SEC regular season, SEC Tournament)
No. 20 Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois (C.M. Newton Classic)
No. 21 Will Riley, Illinois (C.M. Newton Classic)
No. 22 Drake Powell, North Carolina (SEC/ACC Challenge)
No. 23 Asa Newell, Georgia (SEC regular season)
Alabama men's basketball closed last season with a 28-9 (13-5 SEC) record, and following a loss to Duke in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, the Crimson Tide finished 2024-25 as the No. 6 team in the AP Top 25 and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll.
Not a bad overall record with these first-round draft picks in mind.
Round 2 of the 2025 NBA Draft continues at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. Alabama guards Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood, forward Grant Nelson and center Clifford Omoruyi each hope to hear their name called, but the mock drafts are giving the Crimson Tide slim chances.