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
Gov. Kay Ivey sets execution date for Jeremy Williams
Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday set an execution date for death row inmate Jeremy Williams, who was convicted in the 2021 kidnapping, rape and murder of 5-year-old Kamarie Holland in Phenix City.
Williams is scheduled to be executed by the state’s three-drug lethal injection during a 30-hour window beginning at 12 a.m. August 13 and ending at 6 a.m. August 14. The execution date comes after the Alabama Supreme Court granted a request from Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office on June 16, authorizing the state to carry out the sentence.
In a letter to Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Greg Lovelace, Ivey said the Supreme Court’s June 16 order serves as the official death warrant for Williams.
“By law, I am required to specify the time frame for carrying out the sentence of death,” Ivey said. “Accordingly, I hereby order that Jeremy Lee Williams’s sentence of death be carried out within a time frame beginning on August 13, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. and ending on August 14, 2026, at 6:00 a.m.”
Ivey noted that she retains the authority to commute the sentence before the execution takes place.
Williams, 34, was convicted in April 2024 on four counts of capital murder stemming from Holland’s death. Prosecutors charged him with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a rape, capital murder during first-degree sodomy and capital murder of a child younger than 14.
Authorities said Holland disappeared from her family’s home in Phenix City on December 13, 2021. Her body was discovered two days later inside an abandoned house less than a mile away. An autopsy determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
In addition to the death sentence, Williams received several other prison terms. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for human trafficking and for knowingly producing recordings depicting the sexual abuse of a child. He also received another life sentence for a separate sexual abuse conviction, along with a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to commit human trafficking and a 10-year sentence for abuse of a corpse.
Unlike most death row inmates, Williams sought to speed up the execution process. During a hearing, he told the court that he accepted responsibility for his actions and wanted the sentence carried out.
In 2025, Williams dismissed his attorneys and informed the court that he wished to waive any remaining appeals and proceed with his execution. Russell County Circuit Court Judge David Johnson determined that Williams was competent to make that decision and allowed him to forgo further legal challenges.
Under Alabama law, capital convictions automatically receive appellate review. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals subsequently affirmed Williams’ conviction and death sentence in March.
After that review concluded, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office petitioned the Alabama Supreme Court in May to authorize an execution date. The court granted the request earlier this week, clearing the way for Ivey to schedule the execution.
If carried out as scheduled, Williams’ execution would occur nearly five years after Holland’s death and a little more than two years after he was sentenced to death.
Williams’ execution would be Alabama’s first by lethal injection since April 2025. The state’s three most recent executions were carried out using nitrogen hypoxia, which Alabama began using in 2024.
Alabama
Kids take center stage at Alabama Shakespeare Festival summer camp
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – You don’t find too many camps where you learn how to slap someone. But this summer, you will in Montgomery. It’s one of many kids camps put on by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
“We have our Camp Shakespeare Junior which is our half day for the littles, kindergarten through 3rd grade,” said Cameron Williams, the ASF director of education. “We have Big Kid Shakespeare camp and everyone is learning all about ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.”
They learn about on stage combat, different acting techniques, and also how to be creative and think on their feet.
“I think theater skills are life skills. So, what makes this camp special is we’re doing more than just boosting literacy and doing theater things. We’re doing life skills, learning what it means to be team players, about discipline, and working with people who may have different personalities than you.”
Different kids have different talents. And even if your child isn’t up for a lead role in the next play, this place can leave a lasting impact.
“If you’re looking for a place where your kid can come out of their shell, to learn how to speak in front of a group, and develop some confidence, this is the place to be.”
It’s a place that’s a real treasure in Montgomery, and its mining some young gems, who one day, could be on the big stage themselves. There are still more ASF camps going on this summer for pre-teens and even adults.
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Alabama
Alabama Defense Contractor Agrees to $507K Settlement Over Cybersecurity Allegations
Huntsville-based defense contractor LOGZONE Inc. has agreed to pay $507,144 to resolve allegations that it failed to comply with cybersecurity requirements in contracts with the U.S. Department of the Navy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The settlement resolves claims brought under the False Claims Act alleging that LOGZONE knowingly submitted claims for payment while not meeting certain cybersecurity standards required under two Navy contracts.
Federal officials alleged that between May 2021 and March 2025, LOGZONE did not implement specific cybersecurity controls outlined in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171. The standards are designed to protect sensitive defense information handled by government contractors.
According to the Justice Department, the deficiencies were identified during an assessment conducted by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). The evaluation resulted in LOGZONE receiving a score of -170 on a scale ranging from -203 to 110, indicating significant gaps in compliance with required security controls.
The government alleged that the missing cybersecurity measures could have increased the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information or the exploitation of company systems.
The settlement does not include a determination of liability. As part of the agreement, LOGZONE will pay $507,144 to resolve the allegations.
Federal officials said the enforcement action reflects ongoing efforts to ensure government contractors comply with cybersecurity obligations tied to federal contracts, particularly those involving sensitive defense information.
The investigation and settlement involved the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, the Department of the Navy, the Defense Contract Management Agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
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Additional details regarding corrective actions taken by the company were not immediately available.
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