TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Nate Oats is very intentional in building the non-conference schedule for Alabama basketball. Typically the scheduling philosophy has involved adding a school or coaching staff that Oats has some sort of personal connection to, or an opponent that is going to bolster Alabama's NCAA tournament résumé.

So Friday night's matchup against Seton Hall seems to fall a little bit out of the norm. The Pirates (3-0) have had some strong moments historically as a program, but they haven't made the NCAA tournament since 2022. Shaheen Holloway is the reigning Big East Coach of the Year after flipping Seton Hall from a 7-25 record in 2025 to a 21-12 record last season.

"My whole deal in the non-conference is trying to make us the best team we can be, not necessarily find the teams that you can beat the easiest or best," Oats said Thursday. "So we've struggled against some programs that are physical, tough, defensive-minded, and I think Shaheen does as good a job as anybody in the country at putting a team on the floor that's tough, physical, going to guard you, going to make you earn everything you can."

When director of scouting and analytics Adam Bauman, who does the team's scheduling, brought up the possibility of playing Seton Hall, it was a "for sure" for Oats. There's something that Oats like about the way Holloway's teams play thought, and he's hoping the early test will help get his team ready for what's to come later on the schedule.

Oats also grew up watching Big East basketball, which including a Seton Hall squad that made a Final Four in 1989 and back-to-back Sweet 16s in 1991 and 1992.

"Can we handle a team that plays as tough and physical as Seton Hall?" Oats said. "Because we're going to see it. You know, you look at some of our losses last year: Texas, Tennessee, Florida. These teams that are tough, physical into you, like we got to do a better job against those teams. I’m excited to see what we do against these guys, and can we learn? Will the freshmen handle the physicality, toughness that these guys are going to give us?”

No. 18 Alabama (3-0) is a team with a lot of new faces, including six freshmen. For the first time in Oats' eight seasons in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide opens the season with five straight home games inside Coleman Coliseum, allowing these freshmen and transfers a little bit more time to settle into Oats' system. But the matchup with the Pirates is definitely the toughest test yet.

"We've stressed to our guys, this is a good team," Oats said. "No disrespect to the first three teams we've played. They're good for their level in their league. This is a different deal though. They play tougher, more physical. They're more athletic. We're gonna have to play a lot better. Particularly the defensive rebounding part of it, we haven't been great at. so it's been a huge point of emphasis just dealing with the physicality. Seton Hall's a bit big, but I'm anxious to see what our guys do."