Alabama basketball will face Wake Forest in a preseason charity exhibition

Creative agency Knight Eady announced Thursday that Alabama men’s basketball will face Wake Forest on Oct. 19 in an inaugural charity exhibition in Birmingham, Ala. called “Bama in Boutwell”.

The contest will be held at Boutwell Auditorium and is sponsored by Nike and Hibbett Sports. Here is the waiting list to grab tickets.

It is the second time Alabama has scheduled a charity exhibition this offseason, as the Crimson Tide will face Memphis in the Rocket City Classic on Oct. 28 in Huntsville, Ala.

This is also the second consecutive season that Alabama and Wake Forest have scheduled a charity exhibition as they went head-to-head on October 29, 2023 to support stroke research at the Wake Forest Health Atrium Baptist Comprehensive Stroke Center. The Demon Deacons won that game 88-80.

Alabama and Wake Forest have met six times in the regular season since their first meeting on December 20, 1956. The Demon Deacons had the Crimson Tide’s number as they lead the all-time series 5-2. That said, these schools have not faced off in a regular season game this century, as their last matchup came in the first round of the NIT Tournament on March 10, 1999.

Alabama’s basketball program finished No. 3 in that AP poll after a 5-12 season that ended with the first NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance in school history.

A strong argument can be made that this is the most anticipated season in Tide Hoops history. Head coach Nate Oats and his staff, several returning players including first-team All-SEC Mark Sears, multiple experienced transfers and highly touted freshmen all give Alabama realistic expectations to go two more wins than last season’s NCAA Tournament to claim the school. first national title.

Wake Forest posted a solid 21-14 record last season and made the second round of the NIT tournament before falling to Georgia.