Who will Nate Oats' Alabama play in first round of the NCAA tournament? Looking at 2025 March Madness bracket

Nate Oats and his Alabama Crimson Tide team will be looking to make a big impact at the NCAA Tournament as Selection Sunday took place, with all the teams now knowing who and where they are going to play.

Alabama finished the regular season 24-7 and on a high note as it clinched a game-winner on the road against then-No. 1 Auburn at Neville Arena in overtime.

Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, following a dominant 29-point victory over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal, they lost to Florida in the semifinal round in Nashville on Saturday.

Who will Alabama play?

Despite their semifinal loss to Florida in the SEC Tournament, Alabama went into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Region.

It has been pitched against 15-seed Robert Morris, and they will play in Cleveland, Ohio for their first two games, the first of which is on March 21. If the Crimson Tide wins against Robert Morris, they will face the winner of the game between 7-seed St. Mary’s and 10-seed Vanderbilt.

On the other end of the East region, BYU plays VCU and Wisconsin plays Montana. If the Crimson Tide defeats Robert Morris and the next opponent, they will face the team on the other end for a place in the Elite Eight.

Nate Oats sets target for Alabama

After finishing in the final four last year, Oats would want nothing less for his team. Last year, Alabama beat Charleston, Grand Canyon, North Carolina and Clemson before falling to eventual champion UConn in the Final Four.

Going into the NCAA Tournament, Oats said on Sunday that anything short of a Final Four finish would be a disappointment for Alabama.

“Anything short of a Final Four is a disappointment in my opinion….We're more than capable of making it back to the final four, and winning games in the Final Four,” Oats said, per Blake Byer.

Unfortunately for Oats, he might enter the NCAA Tournament without one of his biggest stars, Grant Nelson, after he suffered a knee injury in their SEC semifinal blowout loss to Florida on Saturday. The forward is averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

The extent of Nelson's injury will probably be known on Monday when he's reportedly visiting a specialist. Oats will hope he returns just in time for Alabama's first game on Friday.