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Goodman: Alabama’s big test is here, and the Tide is ready

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Goodman: Alabama’s big test is here, and the Tide is ready


This is an opinion column.

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There are two key similarities between Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats and former Alabama football coach Nick Saban.

No.1, they both know how to dress, or at least understand that maintaining a classy image in public comes with the job and is a sign of respect for the people they represent.

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This might seem trivial to some, but those are probably just the guys who think it’s OK to wear flannel shirts with dress slacks, flip-flops away from the beach, workout attire away from the gym, sweatpants in public, tactical pants to church, saggy jeans anywhere, camo, team jerseys outside of stadiums, tucked in T-shirts and square-toed shoes or boots.

Everyone else appreciates the fact that Oats isn’t the best dressed coach in college basketball by accident and that Saban (or at least Miss Terry) has impeccable fashion sense.

Secondly — and this might be a little more important — Oats is like Saban in that he never wavers from the coaching ethos that winning is all that matters.

Too cutthroat? Maybe for some, but that’s one of the things that makes Oats good at his job.

Oats hasn’t turned Alabama basketball into a national contender by handing out participation trophies, which is why sitting point guard Mark Sears against LSU didn’t come as much of a surprise.

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The broadcasters calling the game for ESPN made a big deal about Sears being on the bench, but it’s not the first time that Oats has kept Sears out of the rotation this season and it might not be the last either.

Maybe Oats was trying to send a message by putting his best offensive player on the bench, or maybe Alabama’s coach just wanted more length on defense for the second half. Either way, it was the right call. Alabama won and Oats even noted afterwards that it was some of the best defense Alabama had played all season to end a game.

Sears was back in the lineup on Wednesday against Mississippi State and led Alabama with 17 points, six rebounds and nine assists. Once again, though, Oats made the correct decision late in the game when he subbed out Mark Sears and Aden Holloway in favor of taller players.

If only the football coach at Alabama knew how to manage his team so effectively.

No.4 Alabama basketball (18-3, 7-1 in the SEC) returns to action on Saturday with a home game against Georgia. The Tide is one of the deepest teams in the country, and Oats is going to need it to finish out this season. The remaining schedule is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Ten games remain and Alabama’s final seven opponents are all currently ranked in the AP Top 25.

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Alabama could make it all the way to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament and have an easier road.

No one has it easy in the SEC, of course. The league has never been better. Some are calling it the best conference in college basketball history. Maybe so. No.1 Auburn (19-1, 7-0) plays eight ranked opponents across its final 11 games. Tennessee, which has lost three of its last four games, is grinding through a stretch of nine ranked teams in its first 10 conference games.

Coach John Calipari left Kentucky for Arkansas this season, but the Hogs are only 1-6 in the SEC.

Lamont Paris won SEC Coach of the Year in 2024, but his South Carolina Gamecocks are 0-8 to begin conference play this season.

The toughest football conference in the country is now the best basketball conference, too. The SEC’s greatest February of hoops begins on Saturday, but that’s just a build up for the big finish.

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With Auburn and Alabama one and two in the SEC standings, it looks like league bragging rights and the regular-season title will go through the Heart of Dixie. Alabama and Auburn play twice over the final three weeks of the season. It will be a test of mental toughness like this league has never seen.

In benching Sears, Oats made sure that his point guard would be ready for the fight. And if Sears needs a rest, well, Alabama’s cutthroat, win-first coach planned ahead by taking Auburn’s old point guard and making him better.

BE HEARD

Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”

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South Alabama basketball outlasts New Mexico State 77-75, improves to 8-1

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South Alabama basketball outlasts New Mexico State 77-75, improves to 8-1


South Alabama scored the final seven points in a 77-75 victory over New Mexico State on Tuesday night in Katy, Texas.

The Jaguars (8-1) scored all seven of those points at the free-throw line — four from Adam Olsen, two from Chaze Harris and one from Randy Brady — in the final 2:02 of clock time. Elijah Elliott missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Aggies (6-1) suffered their first loss of the year.

Olsen scored 21 points to lead the way for South Alabama, which is off to its best 9-game start in program history. Peyton Law added 18 points and three blocks, while Harris had 17 points — going 11-for-11 from the line.

South Alabama made 32 of 39 free throws in the game, with Law and Olsen each going 6-for-7 and Brady — who had eight points and a team-best seven rebounds — going 5-for-7.

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Jaylen Randall scored 21 points for New Mexico State, while Elliott had 18 — all on 3-pointers. Jamel Jones added 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

South Alabama stays on the road Friday, traveling to East Tennessee State for a 6 p.m. Central game that will stream live via ESPN+.



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Bonnaroo 2026 lineup includes Athens standouts Jessie Murph, Alabama Shakes

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Bonnaroo 2026 lineup includes Athens standouts Jessie Murph, Alabama Shakes


Two of Alabama’s greatest musical exports are set to perform at the 2026 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival: Rising young pop star Jessie Murph and legacy band Alabama Shakes, both from Athens.

Bonnaroo ’26 is scheduled for June 11-14 in Manchester, Tenn., about a 90-minute drive from Huntsville, Alabama. The festival’s headliners will include the deejays Skrillex and Griz, rock bands The Stokes, Turnstile and The Neighborhood, dance group Rufus Du Sol, country rapper Teddy Swims, singer/songwriters Noah Kahan and Role Model, and classic pop act Kesha.

Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. central Friday via bonnaroo.com. Prices start at $389 for four-day general admission and go up to $899 for VIP and $3,995 for “platinum.”

Four-day “Roo Insider” tickets — with perks like front-of-stage viewing, private golf cart transport, artist lounge access, air-conditioned tent accommodations plus all platinum, VIP and GA amenities — start at a princely $27,500.

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Born in Huntsville and raised in Athens, Jessie Murph is known for songs like “Blue Stripes,” “Touch Me Like a Gangster” and “1965.” The 21-year-old singer mixes Lana Del Rey’s sultry charisma and cinematic sound, young Priscilla Presley’s look, and a country drawl filtered through Amy Winehouse’s rap-swagger.

Alabama Shakes were founded in Athens about five years after Murph was born. Led by dynamic 37-year-old singer Brittany Howard, the Shakes are known for 2010s rock-and-soul songs like “Hold On,” “Always Alright” and Grammy winner “Don’t Wanna Fight.”

This summer, Howard (who went solo in 2019) and Shakes bassist Zac Cockrell (who’d been part of Howard’s solo band) reconnected with Shakes guitarist Heath Fogg for a lucrative amphitheater tour.

But it’s been a “three-union,” not a true reunion. The Shakes’ original drummer Steve Johnson was left out of the tour, telling AL.com he’d been ousted from the band due to legal issues he had during the band’s hiatus. In late August, Alabama Shakes 2.0 released “Another Life,” the band’s first new song in eight years.

In addition to Murph and Alabama Shakes, notable Bonnaroo ’26 undercard acts include Rock’s Latest Great Hope, the British singer known as Yungblood. There’s also hot indie/punk groups like Geese, Wet Leg and Amy & The Sniffers and classic rockers Wolfmother, Modest Mouse and Blues Traveler.

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Rap’s represented by stars like Vince Staples and Lil Jon, and electronic music by the likes of Major Lazer. Meanwhile, Tedeschi Trucks Band harkens back to Bonnaroo’s jam-band origins.

Weather truncated Bonnaroo’s 2025 edition. The festival was also canceled in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic.

Creole slang for “the good stuff,” Bonnaroo debuted in 2002 and is held on a 700-acre farm. Attendance at the festival has ranged from around 70,000 for the 2012 debut to around 100,000 in 2012 and down to an estimated 45,000 or so in 2016. The last full Bonnaroo, held in 2024, drew around 70,000, according to the Nashville Tennessean.

Past headliners have included Beastie Boys, White Stripes, Jay-Z, Phish, Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Dave Matthews Band, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West, The Police, Radiohead, Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder and Metallica.

C3 Presents is the production company for Bonnaroo. Their other festival productions have included Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Atlanta’s Shaky Knees and New Orleans’ Voodoo Music + Arts Experience.

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C3 also helmed South Star, a Huntsville festival, which debuted in 2024 with acts like Gwen Stefani, Tom Morello and TLC. South Star was cut short due to weather and didn’t return to Huntsville for 2025.



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NFL Monday night: Former Alabama prep star becomes league career leader

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NFL Monday night: Former Alabama prep star becomes league career leader


Marcus Jones returned a punt 94 yards for a touchdown to send the New England Patriots on their way to a 33-15 victory over the New York Giants on Monday night.

With its 10th consecutive victory, New England became the first NFL team to reach 11 wins in the 2025 season.

Jones’ touchdown return came off a 54-yard punt by New York’s Jamie Gillan and put the Patriots ahead 10-0 with 5:17 left in the first quarter as they raced to a 30-7 halftime lead.

The punt return was the 75th of Jones’ career, qualifying the former Enterprise High School and Troy standout for the NFL’s career record book, and his 14.63-yards-per-return average went to No. 1 in league history.

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Jones replaced George McAfee, who averaged 12.78 yards on 112 punt returns for the Chicago Bears from 1940 through 1950, with three years missed for military service in World War II.

Later in the game, Jones had punt returns of 17 and 13 yards, bringing his all-time best average to 14.64 yards.

Only twice in NFL history has a player from an Alabama high school or college had a longer punt-return touchdown than Jones did on Monday night.

On Nov. 24, 1968, San Diego Chargers cornerback Speedy Duncan from Druid High School in Tuscaloosa returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in a 37-15 loss to the New York Jets in an AFL game.

On Jan. 1, 2017, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill from West Alabama returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in a 37-27 victory over the Chargers.

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The third punt-return touchdown of Jones’ career was his second of 2025. Jones returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown during a 42-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 28.

Jones’ Monday-night effort tied the franchise record for the longest punt-return touchdown, equaling Julian Edelman’s 94-yarder in a 38-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 2, 2011.

New England quarterback Drake Maye completed 24-of-31 passes for 282 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions on Monday night.

New England Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis breaks up a pass during an NFL game against the New York Giants on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

In addition to Jones, who started at cornerback for the Patriots, seven other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the New York-New England game:

  • Christian Barmore (Alabama) started at defensive tackle for the Patriots. Barmore made five tackles.
  • Carlton Davis (Auburn) started at cornerback for the Patriots. Davis made five tackles, recorded one tackle for loss and broke up two passes.
  • Patriots tight end CJ Dippre (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive.
  • Cor’Dale Flott (Saraland) started at cornerback for the Giants. Flott made five tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
  • Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville, Alabama) made two tackles on defense, recorded one tackle for loss and had one tackle on special teams.
  • Giants offensive linebacker Evan Neal (Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
  • Giants defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City) made one tackle.
  • Patriots safety Dell Pettus (Sparkman, Troy) did not record any stats.
  • Darius Slayton (Auburn) started at wide receiver for the Giants. Slayton had two receptions for 41 yards and one touchdown. Slayton’s first touchdown of the 2025 season came on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Jaxson Dart as New York reduced New England’s lead to 17-7 with 12:46 left in the first half. Slayton also caught a 2-point conversion pass after New York’s second touchdown.
  • Patriots wide receiver Jeremiah Webb (South Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
  • Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (Hueytown) dressed for the game but did not play. Winston had started the previous two games and thrown for 567 yards in a 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 16 and a 34-27 overtime loss to the Detroit Lions on Nov. 23. Winston returned to the sideline with the return of rookie QB Jaxson Dart from a concussion.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

New England (11-2) does not play against until Dec. 14 as the Patriots enter their bye week. New England will return against the Buffalo Bills at noon CST Dec. 14 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

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New York (2-11) also is set for its open date in Week 14 of the NFL season. The Giants return against the Washington Commanders at noon Dec. 14 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton scores a touchdown during an NFL game against the New England Patriots on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton scores a touchdown during an NFL game against the New England Patriots on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.(AP Photo/Steven Senne)



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