Alabama
BYU Initial Sweet 16 Preview: First Look at Alabama and Saint Mary’s
BYU is going to the the Sweet 16 for the first time in 14 years. 11 months after Kevin Young was hired, BYU’s basketball program is going to heights quicker than even the most optimistic fan could have imagined.
BYU will travel to Newark, NJ for a Sweet 16 game next Thursday versus the winner of Alabama-Saint Mary’s. The two teams play each other Sunday at 6:10 ET on TNT.
Below is a quick primer on what each team does and what BYU would expect.
Alabama Overview
KenPom: 6
Record: 26-8
PPG: 91.1 — #1 in NCAA
The Crimson Tide were a final four team last season and play one of the most entertaining brands of basketball in the country. According to KenPom, Bama is #1 nationally in tempo and play at the fastest tempo for any power conference team in college basketball since Washington in 2016. Alabama ranks fourth nationally in offensive KenPom efficiency. Similar to BYU, Alabama plays a deep rotation and goes 10 players regularly.
The headliner is Preseason First-Team All American Mark Sears. The 6-foot-1 fifth-year senior averages 19 points and averages 7 three-point attempts and 7 free throw attempts per game. After shooting 43.6% from three last year, Sears has dipped to 33.5% this season.
Four other Alabama players average double figures. They have shooters, guys that attack the rim, and size. They are talented, big, and athletic. Alabama is ranked fourth in KenPom offensive efficiency and have scored 100+ points eight times.
Defensively, Alabama has solid numbers but have been exposed a handful of times. They rank 7th in the SEC in defensive KenPom efficiency and prioritize taking away the three ball. Opponents in SEC play shot 34% of their field goal attempts from three, which is the lowest rate in the league. Similar to Wisconsin, Alabama does not prioritize turning the ball over. They are 350th nationally in defensive turnover percentage and have the lowest defensive turnover rate in the SEC, turning over opponents on 13.5% of their possessions. Wisconsin did not put much pressure on BYU’s ball handlers, and Egor Demin and the rest of BYU’s team carved them up.
Alabama trailed in the second half to 15 seed Robert Morris, but ended up winning 90-81. Alabama ended the season a bit rocky. After starting 21-3, they ended the season 4-5 before the NCAA Tournament.
A BYU game against Alabama could be in the 100s with both teams tempo and offensive efficiency. Alabama regularly play in the 90s, and had games like a 102-97 win over Kentucky and 110-98 loss to Missouri.
Saint Mary’s Overview
KenPom: 22
Record: 29-5
The Gaels are the Gaels we saw for over a decade in the WCC. They are bottom 5 nationally in tempo, patient in the halfcourt, and tough defensively. They rank 7th nationally in KenPom defensive efficiency and 59th in offensive efficiency.
Saint Mary’s had losses to Arizona State, Utah State, and Boise State in non-conference, but mowed through WCC regular play with a 17-1 record and conference championship. Their top players are familiar faces. Guard Augustas Marciulionis is a two-time WCC player of the year and leads the Gaels with 14 points and 6 assists. His running mate is fifth-year senior Mitchell Saxen (he’s still around!), who averages 12 points and 8 rebounds. 6-foot-8 Arizona transfer Paulius Muraukas is the second leading scorer, averaging 12.2 points and 8 boards. He and Saxen form a physical front court.
Six total players average at least 8 points for the Gaels. Saint Mary’s is not a great shooting team — shoot just 32.5% from three — but they limit turnovers and are second nationally in offensive rebound percentage, rebounding 40% of their misses. Saxen and Muraukas either grab rebounds or are elite at getting their hand on the ball for a tap out. If BYU played Saint Mary’s, I expect they would pack the paint and limit the Gaels’ big man tandem.
Saint Mary’s beat Vanderbilt 59-56 in their first round game, overcoming a 12-point deficit.
Saint Mary’s-Alabama Game Overview and What BYU Can Expect in Sweet 16
This game is fascinating. Both teams play completely different styles. Alabama will mercilessly push the tempo and the Gaels will do everything their power to make this a halfcourt game. KenPom predicts a 77-72 Alabama win while Vegas favors the Tide by 5.5 points. Both teams would give BYU challenges. Stylistically Saint Mary’s is a tougher matchup with their plodding style, but Alabama has more talent and would probably be the tougher game.
Alabama
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.
Alabama
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
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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