"Auburn fans just cringed": College hoops fans react as Nate Oats' Alabama set to face Ivy League champion next season

Alabama has added Yale to its non-conference schedule for next season, which sparked reactions from college basketball fans.

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein tweeted the news on X, though he did not specify the date and time for this matchup between the Southeastern Conference and Ivy League teams.

College hoops fans reacted to the post, with many expressing shock at the Crimson Tide’s decision to play Yale.

“This could make for some good content,” another tweeted.

“I have a hard time believing anyone from Alabama knows what Yale is, Jon,” one tweeted.

However, some fans could not help but take a jibe at Auburn, citing the time Yale defeated Auburn 78–76 in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

“This reminds me of the time Auburn lost to Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament,” another tweeted.

“Yale is going to win,” one tweeted.

Alabama and Yale have played just once, when the Crimson Tide hosted the Bulldogs on Dec. 28, 2008, and won the game 66–63.

The Crimson Tide will once again play host to Yale, who will be hoping to pull off a famous win against a program that reached the Elite Eight stage of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Alabama had defeated Robert Morris, Saint Mary's and BYU in the tournament before falling 85–65 against favorites Duke.

Nate Oats’s team finished with a 28-9 record last season. It made its fifth straight March Madness appearance under the coach.

Yale dominated the less illustrious Ivy League, finishing as regular and conference tournament champions. The program earned a 13th seed in the NCAA Tournament but could not go past the Round of 64, where it lost 80–71 to Texas A&M.

Alabama’s 2025-26 non-conference schedule is taking shape

Alabama will aim to surpass last season’s 28 wins, and much of the early focus will be on how it handles its non-conference schedule.

Some of those matchups have already been confirmed, with Oats’ team set to host North Dakota on Nov. 3, followed by a high-profile clash with Purdue in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 13. The Crimson Tide will take on Illinois on Nov. 19 before meeting Arizona in Birmingham on Dec. 13.