Alabama

Alabama’s win over Oklahoma shows Tide’s growing confidence, unselfishness

Published

1 year ago

January 5, 2025

Alabama’s win over Oklahoma shows Tide’s growing confidence, unselfishness

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nate Oats told his team that he wanted them to set the tone for the rest of the season by dominating its first Southeastern Conference games. No. 5 Alabama accomplished that mission in its first home matchup, rolling No. 12 Oklahoma 107-79 Saturday.

The Crimson Tide’s blowout victory not only showcased its elite talent and deep roster but also the team’s improvement in confidence and unselfishness playing as a unit. The Tide shared the wealth all game, which allowed it to bully Oklahoma on the glass, create second-chance opportunities, run out in transition and rack up 20 assists as a team to just nine turnovers.

The best representation of the Tide’s unselfishness Saturday came from its star player. Fifth-year guard Mark Sears led the Tide in scoring with 22 points but was far more proud of setting up his teammates. He ended the game with a double-double that included a career-high 10 assists, which demonstrated growth that Oats thinks will be critical for his side going forward.

“You could see his energy when his teammates were scoring, which is great,” Oats said. “We need that out of him. He was more excited about getting 10 assists — I mean, I think you saw when he hit [Aden] Holloway for one 3, that was his ninth and he was all fired up. Then he got Jarin [Stevenson] on the roll for his 10th. I was happy to see that. We talk about Mudita — vicarious joy through others’ success. Mark was really happy for his teammates scoring, particularly off his passes tonight, but thought it was good.”

For Oats, Saturday’s win can serve as a launchpad for a team with plenty of newcomers still figuring out how to play with one another. Alabama has been hit with the injury bug and had to readjust after Latrell Wrightsell Jr. was knocked out for the season with an Achilles tear. Other players like Chris Youngblood and Houston Mallette have had to get up to speed after missing the beginning of the season.

“We’ve kind of figured ourselves some,” Oats said. “I still think there’s a lot of chemistry that has to be figured out because some of these guys haven’t played that much together. So we’re still figuring some of our chemistry stuff out but I think our offensive rebounding and our ability to get to the free throw line has been big for this team.”

Youngblood in particular has demonstrated the kind of unselfishness required for a player who is still finding his confidence this season. The South Florida transfer is still working his way back to full fitness and finding his rhythm shooting after a leg injury kept him sidelined until mid-December.

Alabama has big expectations for what Youngblood can do when he’s 100%, but he hasn’t let his injury prevent him from contributing in other ways right away while his shot isn’t falling. In 20 minutes against the Sooners, Youngblood finished with nine points and eight rebounds, including a team-leading four offensive boards and had a plus-17 box plus-minus rating.

“Chris is the ultimate competitor,” Oats said. “He hates losing at anything. He’s gonna talk, be aggressive. He’s gonna try to be physical. He had a couple fouls where maybe he was trying to do some stuff like that. He’s gotta be a little bit better with that, but he’s gonna get to the O Boards. He’s gonna try to use his strength. He’s a strong kid. He’s strong and competitive so he’s gonna make plays like that.”

Performances like Sears’ and Youngblood’s and others helped Alabama get off to the strong start Oats was looking for in its first home conference game. Now, the Tide will look to accomplish step two in Oats’ plan of early league domination turning into a trophy in March.

Alabama will head on the road to face South Carolina on Wednesday. The Gamecocks haven’t had the best season by the SEC’s high standards, but Oats knows Alabama will have to play with the same kind of togetherness and unselfishness, to pick up a win on the road.

The Tide’s first SEC victory should serve as a massive confidence boost and a roadmap to future victories in conference play. The next step is displaying the dominance it showed for most of the game against Oklahoma on both ends of the court for an entire game.

“I thought the first 20 minutes was exactly what we needed to see out of these guys on a nightly basis. I thought we came out with the right mindset. I thought our walkthrough was sharp. Our trainer told me that the guys were really locked in as soon as they got here in the morning. It was a great day of prep. I thought it was good preparation coming in. We had some really good practices and got a week off. It’s what we need.”

“Now can we do it consistently and honestly, can we do it for 40 minutes? We didn’t do it for 40 tonight we did it for maybe 20 or 30. We got up 28 on them with I think 12-something to go in the second half is what they had. To be up 28 with 13 minutes to go in the half and then finish at 28, they played us even for the last 13 minutes which is a little disappointing. But I think for the first 27 minutes of that game we had the edge we needed.”

Alabama will face South Carolina at 6 p.m. CT Wednesday inside Colonial Life Arena. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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Alabama

How to watch Tennessee Volunteers: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | Feb. 28

Published

1 hour ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

How to watch Tennessee Volunteers: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | Feb. 28

Labaron Philon’s No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-7, 11-4 SEC) hit the road to match up with Ja’Kobi Gillespie and the No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers (20-8, 10-5 SEC) at Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, Feb. 28. The game starts at 6 p.m. ET.

We have more details below, including how to watch this matchup on ESPN.

Prepare for this matchup with everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s college hoops action.

Tennessee vs. Alabama: How to watch on TV or live stream

Game day: Saturday, February 28, 2026
Game time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Arena: Thompson-Boling Arena
TV Channel: ESPN
Live stream: Fubo – Watch NOW (Regional restrictions may apply)

Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

Tennessee vs. Alabama stats and trends

Tennessee ranks 78th in the nation with 80.5 points per game so far this year. At the other end, it ranks 62nd with 69.1 points allowed per contest.
The Volunteers are thriving when it comes to rebounding, as they rank third-best in college basketball in boards (39.9 per game) and second-best in rebounds allowed (25.9 per contest).
So far this season, Tennessee ranks 30th in college basketball in assists, averaging 17.1 per game.
With 11.8 turnovers per game, the Volunteers are 257th in the country. They force 10.7 turnovers per contest, which ranks 224th in college basketball.
This season, Tennessee is making 6.9 threes per game (271st-ranked in college basketball) and is shooting 34.7% (139th-ranked) from three-point land.
With a 30.2% three-point percentage allowed this season, the Volunteers are 22nd-best in the country. They rank 182nd in college basketball by giving up 7.8 three-pointers per contest.
Tennessee has taken 67.3% two-pointers and 32.7% three-pointers this year. Of the team’s buckets, 75.8% are two-pointers and 24.2% are three-pointers.

Tennessee vs. Alabama Odds and Spread

Spread Favorite: Volunteers (-4.5)
Moneyline: Tennessee (-222), Alabama (+179)
Total: 164.5 points

NCAA Basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 4:11 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

Follow the latest college sports coverage at College Sports Wire.

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Alabama

Alabama ‘Fully Aware’ of Losing Streak to Tennessee Ahead of Road Rematch

Published

14 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Alabama ‘Fully Aware’ of Losing Streak to Tennessee Ahead of Road Rematch

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Losing to a rival almost always hurts more than falling to another opponent during the regular season. Years of hatred, unforgettable moments and tradition boiled up into one game, and the delivery is nowhere to be found for one team.

No. 17 Alabama has won seven straight games and is eyeing an eighth on Saturday on the road against No. 22 Tennessee. This is the second time that Crimson Tide will face the Volunteers, as Alabama lost in Tuscaloosa in January.

The loss a month ago to head coach Rick Barnes and company brought UA’s losing streak against Tennessee to five games. It’s the first time that the Tide has dropped this many games to the Vols since 1968-72 — a streak that came two years before Alabama head coach Nate Oats was born (Oct. 13, 1974). It’s why Oats is not treating Tennessee as a faceless opponent or like any other team the Tide has faced.

“Every year we’ve been here they’ve caused us issues,” Oats said during Friday’s press conference. “Our players, are fully aware that we’ve lost five in a row. They’re fully aware of what happened out there last year. I’ve taken ownership for my share of what happened up there last year.

“We’re fully aware that they beat us at home. We haven’t lost very many home games in conference, period, really since we’ve been here, and they handed us one this year.”

After falling to Florida on Feb. 1, Alabama moved down to the ninth spot in the conference standings, and the college basketball world started to question whether or not the Crimson Tide would be a threat in the postseason.

But a switch flipped after that loss, and the current winning streak has Alabama tied for the No. 2 spot in the SEC standings. Everything seems to be trending in the Tide’s direction, as there are only three games remaining on the schedule.

Oats is in his sixth year as Alabama’s head coach. Following the retirement of former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl during the offseason, Oats became the second-longest tenured coach for one team in the conference. The coach in front of him: Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, who has held his position since the 2015-16 season.

Both Alabama and Tennessee have finished conference play in the top-4 of the standings since the 2022-23 season. The Crimson Tide was the regular-season and SEC Tournament champions in both the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons, while the Vols won the 2022 SEC Tournament and were the conference’s regular-season champions in 2023-24.

“So our guys know, but at the same time, we’ve got a lot of respect for how they play and what they do. We’ve got to come in with a healthy amount of respect for them, but we got to try to win this game.

“There’s a lot riding on this game. What happens in Arkansas-Florida, you’re either going to be all alone in second place if we could get a win, or you’re going to be one game out first. If you take a loss, now you’re in danger of losing a top-4 seed. They’ll be tied with us if we take a loss.”

“So there’s a lot riding on the SEC standings in this game here. They know that. They know what our struggles against Tennessee have Been as well.”

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Alabama

Selmont seeks incorporation to become independent Alabama city

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Selmont seeks incorporation to become independent Alabama city

SELMONT, Ala. (WSFA) – An unincorporated community in Dallas County is seeking to establish itself as an independent city, hoping to gain control over local government services and community priorities that have long been managed at the county level.

Selmont, located across the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma, is home to approximately 2,700 registered voters and carries a significant place in civil rights history.

The community was the site of a pivotal moment during the Bloody Sunday march in 1965, when roughly 600 civil rights marchers were tear-gassed by Alabama state troopers, including 13-year-old Mae Richmond.

“People ask us ‘Were we afraid?’ No. We were not afraid. We were not afraid, first of all, even as a 13-year-old child, we knew that we were doing what God was permitting us to do,” Richmond, a 60-plus year resident of Selmont, said of the historic event.

As an unincorporated community, Selmont lacks its own municipal government. Residents must contact the Dallas County Commissioner for public works services. It’s a situation that community leaders say limits responsiveness to local needs.

Erice Williams, a community activist leading the incorporation effort, said the change would fundamentally alter how the community operates.

“It would give us decision power and allow us to get funding that we can allocate to our own community that we can make our own priorities be clear and resolved at the same time,” Williams said.

Williams also highlighted the strain on current county services. “Connel Towns (county commissioner) is the only person we have to call, and the resources and time that he would have to serve our community is very limited,” he said.

Operation Selmont, the group spearheading the incorporation effort, is currently gathering signatures on a petition to present to the local probate judge. The organization needs approximately 500 signatures to move forward with the incorporation process and has already collected 40 percent of its goal.

The next meeting for Operation Selmont is scheduled for March 6 at 6 p.m.

For longtime residents like Richmond, incorporation represents an opportunity to ensure Selmont’s future and maintain its identity for generations to come.

“That we will be able to teach and train our children to give them the strength that our foreparents had that they will be able to stand up for justice and for equality,” Richmond said of her hopes for the community’s future.

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