# 2018–19 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Avery Johnson and played its home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 18–16, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for ninth place in SEC play. They defeated Ole Miss to advance to the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament where they lost to Kentucky. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Norfolk State.
On March 24, 2019, the school fired head coach Avery Johnson. A few days later, the school hired Buffalo head coach Nate Oats as coach.

## Previous season

The Crimson Tide finished the 2017–18 season 20–16, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. They defeated Texas A&M and Auburn in the SEC tournament before losing in the semifinals to Kentucky. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Virginia Tech in the first round before losing in the second round to Villanova.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Collin Sexton | 2 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Freshman | Mableton, GA | Declared for the 2018 NBA draft; selected 8th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Ar'Mond Davis | 22 | G | 6'6" | 193 | Senior | Tacoma, WA | Graduated |
| Braxton Key | 25 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Sophomore | Decatur, GA | Transferred to Virginia |
| Landon Fuller | 33 | F | 6'8" | 222 | Sophomore | Brentwood, TN | Left team |

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Javian Fleming C | Canton, MS | Canton High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 3, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Diante Wood SG | Anniston, AL | Sacred Heart Catholic School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Nov 8, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Kira Lewis Jr. PG | Meridianville, AL | Hazel Green High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Aug 10, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Alabama Commits". Rivals.com. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Montevallo | W 82–40 | | 12 – Petty | 11 – Hall | 5 – Ingram | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Southern | W 82–62 | 1–0 | 20 – Hall | 9 – Jones | 7 – Lewis | Coleman Coliseum (9,793) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| November 11, 2018* 6:00 pm, SECN | | Appalachian State | W 81–73 | 2–0 | 21 – Lewis | 12 – Hall | 4 – Jones | Coleman Coliseum (9,701) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| November 15, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Northeastern Charleston Classic Quarterfinals | L 52–68 | 2–1 | 17 – Petty | 5 – Ingram | 2 – Hall | TD Arena (2,648) Charleston, SC |
| November 16, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Ball State Charleston Classic Consolation 2nd round | W 79–61 | 3–1 | 20 – Mack | 12 – Hall | 7 – Petty | TD Arena (2,752) Charleston, SC |
| November 18, 2018* 12:30 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Wichita State Charleston Classic 5th place game | W 90–86 | 4–1 | 24 – Lewis | 6 – Jones | 5 – Ingram | TD Arena (2,862) Charleston, SC |
| November 26, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Murray State | W 78–72 | 5–1 | 20 – Lewis | 8 – Jones | 4 – Jones | Coleman Coliseum (9,004) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| November 29, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at UCF | L 64–70 | 5–2 | 14 – Tied | 9 – Hall | 4 – Ingram | CFE Arena (4,449) Orlando, FL |
| December 4, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | Georgia State | L 80–83 | 5–3 | 19 – Lewis | 11 – Hall | 2 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (9,076) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 9, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN | | Arizona | W 76–73 | 6–3 | 20 – Lewis | 9 – Hall | 4 – Petty | Coleman Coliseum (9,581) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 18, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | vs. Liberty Rocket City Classic | W 84–75 | 7–3 | 21 – Hall | 5 – Hall | 4 – Lewis | Von Braun Center (5,781) Huntsville, AL |
| December 21, 2018* 8:00 pm, SECN | | Penn State | W 73–64 | 8–3 | 17 – Hall | 11 – Hall | 4 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (10,142) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| December 30, 2018* 5:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Stephen F. Austin | W 79–69 | 9–3 | 17 – Lewis | 14 – Hall | 8 – Lewis | William R. Johnson Coliseum (7,203) Nacogdoches, TX |
| January 5, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 13 Kentucky | W 77–75 | 10–3 (1–0) | 22 – Mack | 10 – Hall | 6 – Jones | Coleman Coliseum (12,424) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 8, 2019 8:00 pm, SECN | | at LSU | L 79–88 | 10–4 (1–1) | 15 – Lewis | 8 – Petty | 5 – Jones | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,718) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 12, 2019 2:30 pm, SECN | | Texas A&M | L 80–81 | 10–5 (1–2) | 22 – Petty | 16 – Hall | 3 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (12,288) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 16, 2019 8:00 pm, SECN | | at Missouri | W 70-60 | 11–5 (2–2) | 14 – Johnson Jr. | 11 – Hall | 3 – Ingram | Mizzou Arena (8,530) Columbia, MO |
| January 19, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 3 Tennessee | L 68–71 | 11–6 (2–3) | 30 – Petty | 12 – Hall | 5 – Ingram | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,957) Knoxville, TN |
| January 22, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | No. 20 Ole Miss | W 74–53 | 12–6 (3–3) | 15 – Petty | 10 – Hall | 2 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (10,710) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 26, 2019* 11:00 am, ESPNU | | at Baylor Big 12/SEC Challenge | L 68–73 | 12–7 | 16 – Norris | 7 – Hall | 6 – Lewis Jr. | Ferrell Center (7,094) Waco, TX |
| January 29, 2019 7:30 pm, SECN | | No. 22 Mississippi State | W 83–79 | 13–7 (4–3) | 19 – Hall | 8 – Mack | 3 – Lewis Jr. | Coleman Coliseum (11,632) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 2, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Auburn Iron Bowl of Basketball | L 63–84 | 13–8 (4–4) | 18 – Petty | 10 – Hall | 4 – Ingram | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| February 6, 2019 8:00 pm, SECN | | Georgia | W 89–74 | 14–8 (5–4) | 25 – Mack | 8 – Hall | 7 – Lewis Jr. | Coleman Coliseum (10,541) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 9, 2019 7:30 pm, SECN | | at Vanderbilt | W 77-67 | 15-8 (6-4) | 18 – Lewis Jr. | 12 – Norris | 4 – Lewis Jr. | Memorial Gymnasium (10,539) Nashville, TN |
| February 12, 2019 8:00 pm, SECN | | at Mississippi State | L 62–81 | 15–9 (6–5) | 17 – Lewis Jr. | 7 – Hall | 3 – Tied | Humphrey Coliseum (8,022) Starkville, MS |
| February 16, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | Florida | L 53–71 | 15–10 (6–6) | 14 – Lewis Jr. | 7 – Hall | 2 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (12,148) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 19, 2019 8:00 pm, SECN | | at Texas A&M | L 56–65 | 15–11 (6–7) | 14 – Mack | 6 – Petty | 4 – Lewis Jr. | Reed Arena (5,459) College Station, TX |
| February 23, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPNU | | Vanderbilt | W 68–61 | 16–11 (7–7) | 19 – Lewis Jr. | 11 – Hall | 6 – Ingram | Coleman Coliseum (11,020) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 26, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at South Carolina | W 68–62 | 17–11 (8–7) | 17 – Lewis Jr. | 10 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Colonial Life Arena (11,164) Columbia, SC |
| March 2, 2019 11:00 am, ESPN | | No. 13 LSU | L 69–74 | 17–12 (8–8) | 23 – Petty | 10 – Hall | 5 – Jones | Coleman Coliseum (11,570) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| March 5, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Auburn Iron Bowl of Basketball | L 60–66 | 17–13 (8–9) | 13 – Lewis Jr. | 8 – Hall | 3 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (11,865) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| March 9, 2019 5:00 pm, SECN | | at Arkansas | L 70–82 | 17–14 (8–10) | 14 – Mack | 8 – Hall | 2 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (16,253) Fayetteville, AR |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2019 6:00 pm, SECN | (10) | vs. (7) Ole Miss Second Round | W 62–57 | 18–14 | 21 – Mack | 15 – Hall | 5 – Norris | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN |
| March 15, 2019 6:00 pm, SECN | (10) | vs. (2) No. 4 Kentucky Quarterfinals | L 55–73 | 18–15 | 15 – Reese | 6 – Tied | 3 – Petty | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN |
| National Invitation Tournament |||||||||
| March 20, 2019* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | (1) | (8) Norfolk State First round – Alabama bracket | L 79–80 $^{OT}$ | 18–16 | 18 – Jones | 12 – Hall | 6 – Ingram | Coleman Coliseum (2,086) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||