TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WHNT) — Following a season where the Alabama Crimson Tide reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in 20 years, another first is happening for the UA men’s basketball team.

Alabama has been selected as the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA tournament, which was revealed during the one-hour selection show on Sunday night.

As the top seed in the south region, the Tide will play the winner of Texas A&M-CC and SE Missouri State in the round of 64, just one hour east from their home at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham.

This marks the first time the Crimson Tide has been named as a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Previously, Alabama was a no. 2 seed under Nate Oats in 2021 and made it all the way to the sweet sixteen, where they lost a heartbreaker at the buzzer to UCLA.

Alabama men’s basketball has also never made it farther than the elite eight, which they achieved in 2004 as a no. 8 seed before losing to UConn.

As the no. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, Alabama took down Mississippi State and Missouri to advance to the final, where they beat Texas A&M 82-63.

The Crimson Tide worked its way to a 26-5 regular season record, earning the title of SEC regular season champions.

Alabama’s resume includes a road win against a Houston Cougars team that was ranked no. 1, as well as nine other wins against quad 1 NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) teams like Arkansas and Kentucky.

But, the Tide’s season didn’t come without some blemishes. Losses to Gonzaga, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas A&M caused some fear that Alabama wouldn’t get the top overall seed, but an SEC Tournament win seems to have wiped away that doubt.

Alabama’s opening game of the NCAA Tournament will take place on Thursday, March 16, at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.