Alabama
Alabama basketball vs. South Carolina: Score prediction, scouting report
Alabama basketball is aiming to score a victory over South Carolina on Tuesday, and it figures to be the Gamecocks’ toughest test yet this season.
South Carolina (13-1, 1-0 SEC) has only lost once all season, a 72-67 loss to Clemson on the road. But none of the wins have been especially signature. The best win was just this past Saturday against Mississippi State at home; the Bulldogs are ranked No. 29 in KenPom’s rankings.
Now, the Gamecocks will have to face the Crimson Tide on the road on Tuesday (6 p.m., SEC Network) at Coleman Coliseum. The question for Alabama is if it can not only get the win but also find a way to finish strong. That has been an issue at times this season for the Crimson Tide.
Ahead of the first SEC game of the season at Coleman Coliseum, here’s a look at how Alabama (9-5, 1-0) and South Carolina stack up.
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Projected starting lineup for South Carolina
Guard Meechie Johnson (junior): 6-foot-2, 184-pounds. Averages: 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks, 1.5 turnovers.
Guard Ta’Lon Cooper (senior): 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. Averages: 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.1 turnovers.
Forward Myles Stute (senior): 6-foot-6, 209 pounds. Averages: 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.2 blocks, 1.4 turnovers.
Forward Stephen Clark (senior): 6-foot-8, 208 pounds. Averages: 3.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0. 1 steals, 0.9 blocks, 0.9 turnovers.
Center BJ Mack (senior): 6-foot-8, 270 pounds. Averages: 13.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.9 blocks, 1.1 turnovers.
This is an overall veteran group in the starting lineup. If not Clark starting at the four spot, Collin Murray-Boyles or Zachary Davis could start there.
South Carolina’s rotation
The Gamecocks have 10 players who have averaged 10 or more minutes per game. Outside of the starting five listed above, Davis has averaged the most time with 19.5 minutes per game. Two freshmen, Morris Ugusuk and Murray-Boyles, are included in that group, each seeing at least 12.4 minutes per game.
How South Carolina stacks up with Alabama in scoring, defense and tempo
KenPom tracks adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. The Gamecocks are decent at both offense and defense but not elite in either.
As is the case in most matchups that Alabama plays, it will look to go significantly faster than South Carolina. KenPom measures the adjusted tempo statistic based on the number of possessions per 40 minutes.
Adjusted offensive efficiency:
South Carolina: 113.4 (49th nationally)
Alabama: 124.8 (1st)
Adjusted defensive efficiency:
South Carolina: 100.5 (78th)
Alabama: 100.5 (76th)
Tempo
South Carolina: 65.4 (329th)
Alabama: 73 (29th)
Score prediction
Alabama 90, South Carolina: 77: The Gamecocks defense will have its hands full, and they haven’t faced near the gauntlet of a schedule that Alabama has. With the game at Coleman Coliseum, the Crimson Tide offense has a strong outing to remain undefeated in SEC play.
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men’s basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
Alabama women’s basketball embarks on its non-conference schedule with a season opener against Stetson, but how much the Crimson Tide’s opponents make from the University of Alabama before SEC play begins in January?
The Tuscaloosa News obtained contract information via an open records request to determine the amount of money that UA will be paying out during the 2025-26 non-conference slate.
Fourteen non-conference foes are on the docket for Alabama, including teams that the Crimson Tide will face during the Pink Flamingo Championships in Nassau, Bahamas, over Thanksgiving. The only contract that wasn’t provided was Alabama’s SEC/ACC Challenge game against Clemson, scheduled for Dec. 4.
Here’s what to know:
Stetson will receive $30,000 from the University of Alabama to travel to Tuscaloosa from DeLand, Florida. Sam Houston is Alabama’s other highest-paid opponent, bringing in $30,000 for the team’s trip from Huntsville, Texas.
Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, McNeese State and Troy will receive $25,000 each. The guaranteed amount that Tulane will be paid is $24,000. Kennesaw State and Samford will receive $20,000 each. Receiving $10,000, the University of Louisiana-Monroe is the lowest-paid opponent Alabama will face.
The Crimson Tide is paying $37,500 to compete in the Pink Flamingos Championship, in which it will meet Harvard and either Minnesota or the University of South Florida.
Per contract agreement, six of Alabama’s non-conference opponents will also receive 15 hotel rooms per night, including Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Kennesaw State, McNeese State and Tulane. Alabama A&M, Jackson State and Kennesaw State are approximately three hours away from Tuscaloosa, or less.
Minus hotel room costs, Alabama will pay a total of $296,500 to the aforementioned visiting non-conference opponents and to participate in the Pink Flamingos Championship.
Alabama and Stetson will tip off at 4 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 3 in Coleman Coliseum ahead of Alabama men’s basketball’s season opener against North Dakota at 7 p.m. on the same day.
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Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
Heflin, Alabama — Every Halloween season, when the sun sets in the small Alabama town of Heflin, the local students from Cleburne County High School toilet paper a few homes.
But last month, they upped their game, toilet papering just about every business in town, too.
“It’s just fun,” one teen told CBS News.
“And then you don’t get caught and it’s like, this is fantastic,” said another.
It was fantastic until they made the mistake of hitting the headquarters of the Heflin Police Department.
“It was up on the roof, the spare cars we had in the parking lot … We had to do something,” Heflin Police Chief Ross McGlaughn said.
So after the “attack” on his station last month, McGlaughn took to social media to send a message to the perpetrators.
“We think that rolling the police department was a little uncalled for, but as we enter into Halloween season, we dont want to hear any crying when we load up like we are going to serve a search warrant and go full out tactical ninja style old school rolling at your place next month,” McGlaughn wrote. “We know who you are and while you just put the play station controller down for a week, we are children of the 80s and 90s who perfected this craft years ago.”
The Heflin Police Department then got to work on an operation that was supported by officers from multiple jurisdictions, all armed to the teeth with toilet paper.
It was an unusual approach to policing, to say the least. But McGlaughn did get permission from the parents in advance. And he said he has his reasons for encouraging the kids like this.
“As long as they’re doing this, they’re not getting into trouble doing something else,” McGlaughn said. “I haven’t seen any types of drugs or alcohol involved. You know, I think they’re spending all their money on toilet paper.”
The kids have definitely taken to the prank war.
“I just think it’s good clean fun for everyone, and it’s been great for our whole town, the police department and everybody,” one student said.
Heflin’s toilet paper war has so tickled the town that businesses are now offering support by putting out free toilet paper. And the kids are taking care of the ensuing mess in their own unique way, by selling insurance.
“They call it the Toilet Paper Rapid Response Team,” McGlaughn said. “So if you buy their insurance and your yard gets rolled, the youth group will come clean it up for you … So you can buy protection.”
But it’s worth it, McGlaughn said, because this has been fun for everyone, including him.
“I’m just rallying everybody,” McGlaughn said as he prepared to toilet paper another home. “That way we can hit the next house. It looks beautiful from down there.”
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