With football season still in full swing, it’s tough for some fans to shift their focus from the gridiron to the hardwood — especially with the Tide gunning for a win against Oklahoma next Friday.

Despite that, hoops season in the South is in its final stretch ahead of conference play. As is always the case with a Nate Oats led program, Alabama has found itself playing in a ton of premiere games, as Oats forms one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country.

Though this practice inevitably leads to some losses early in the year, it’s Oats’ philosophy that it also prepares them for SEC play and eventually, the postseason.

The Tide is off to an impressive 7-2 start with multiple top-ten wins, including St. John’s and Illinois. So far, Alabama has only taken defeats to Gonzaga and Purdue ahead of a huge showdown in Birmingham this week against No. 1 ranked Arizona.

In terms of guard play, Oats might just have his most talented backcourt yet. Coming off Mark Sears’ limelight, that’s a serious statement to make.

The team is led in the scoring department by Mobile native and returning sophomore Labaron Philon, who returned to school after testing the NBA waters and instantly became the team’s biggest offensive threat. Through the beginning of the season, Philon has averaged 21.4 points per game, along with 5.4 assists.

Philon’s running mate — Aden Holloway — is another talented player in his second year in the program after transferring from Auburn. Holloway has averaged 18.2 points per game and 4.3 assists, while knocking down nearly 43 percent of his three point attempts.

Beyond the pair, Latrell Wrightsell also returned for another year. Though he’s had some trouble returning from an injury last year, he’s been able to contribute. Houston Mallette and Jalil Bethea round out a group of guards that might be as deep and talented as Alabama has ever seen.

The 2025-26 team has some more work to do in order to round into form. With still some very tough games left ahead, Oats and his staff are hungry to get back to the Final Four and claim the program’s first ever national title.

If they’re going to do it, the endless collection of guards are going to be a huge reason why.