Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats understands whatâs on the line inside Coleman Coliseum on Saturday. No. 14 Alabama is in position to win its second straight SEC regular season title and a victory over No. 4 Tennessee on Saturday night will separate the Crimson Tide from the Volunteers at the top of conference standings.
Oats also understands the strength of Alabamaâs opponent.
âI’m sure anything short of a Final Four run they’d be disappointed with at the end of the year,â Oats said âSo it’s a really good team we got coming in here with the SEC league title on the line.â
Oats also knows that Alabama will need a much better performance against the Volunteers than it showed during Tennesseeâs 91-71 drubbing of the Tide on Jan. 21. Alabama has grown since that game, putting in solid road performances against Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss to keep pace with the Volunteers. Its offense has stayed humming, having now scored at least 100 points in nine contests, which is the most by an SEC team since 1995-96.
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Alabama is also playing the rematch in front of its home fans with the basketball version of ESPNâs College GameDay coming to Tuscaloosa for the first time ever. The Crimson Tide are nursing a 16-game SEC home winning streak and are 13-1 inside Coleman Coliseum this season.
Home court advantage alone wonât be enough against a deep and talented Volunteers side that game Alabama all sorts of problems in Knoxville, Tennessee. Oats made it clear what needed to change to reverse the result from earlier this season. If Alabama wants to pull off an upset â which Oats emphasized there would be no court-storm for â the Crimson Tide will need to be steady in possession after racking up turnovers in the first game and be strong in its matchups against Tennessee’s talented roster.
With first place in the SEC on the line, hereâs everything you need to know about the game
How to watchÂ
Who: No. 14 Alabama (20-8, 11-4) vs. Tennessee (19-8, 6-8)
When: 7 p.m. CT, Saturday, March, 2
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Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Watch: (Play-By-Play: Dan Shulman, Analyst: Jay Bilas, Sideline Reporter: Jess Sims)
Listen: (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan Passink, Sideline: Roger Hoover, Engineer: Tom Stipe)
When Alabama and Tennesee met in Knoxville, Alabama turned the ball over 22 times, which Tennessee turned into 23 points as it cruised to a 20-point win. The Crimson Tide struggled in possession away from home, and its lackluster defense failed to get stops in response.
When speaking to the media Friday, Oats said Alabamaâs defensive and turnover issues created a cyclical pattern that gave the Tide no chance against the Volunteers. Alabamaâs turnovers gave Tennesee easy points against a weak transition defense. Those scores allowed Tennessee to set its own defense and prevented Alabama from attacking in transition, which is crucial for the Tide in establishing its high-powered offense.
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âIf we can get stops and get out in transition and we’re going against them when their defense isnât set, we’re a lot better off,â Oats said. âSo it’s a combination of a lot, but the turnovers and the defensive, focus, intensity, physicality wasn’t there the first time.â
Alabamaâs defense has been questionable at best since its first meeting with the Volunteers, but the Crimson Tide showed great improvement at taking care of the ball in its last game against Ole Miss. Alabama turned it over just eight times against the Rebels. Mark Sears played 40 minutes, while Aaron Estrada logged 38 and the pair had just a single turnover between them.
While the defense is far from perfect, Alabama has played itself back into games with short bursts of strong defending. Against Ole Miss, it was the middle portion of the game where Alabama ended the first half strong and forced five Rebels turnovers in the opening five minutes of the second half.
The Crimson Tide forced seven Volunteers turnovers during the matchup in January. If Alabamaâs defense has enough effort in it to create double-digit Tennessee turnovers on its home floor, the defense-to-offense cycle that Oats alluded to could flip in favor of the home side.
Height and youth
Just as he did before the matchup in Knoxville, Oats made it clear that Alabama canât solely focus on Tennessee star Dalton Knecht.
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âIt’s not like this is a one-man band,â Oats said⦠âThey just took a very good team, one of the best teams in the league (and) added the leading scorer in the league to it in Knecht, and now they’ve got a team that’s primed to get a one or two seed (in the NCAA Tournament).â
Knecht scored 25 points when the two sides faced off in January. Though heâs been nearly impossible to stop since his scoring against the Tide came on a relatively inefficient 8-for-20 shooting from the field and a 1-for-6 clip from beyond the 3-point line.
The Volunteers hurt Alabama with its physicality, scoring 38 points in the paint. Alabama managed to outdo Tennesee in that category with 42, but that was largely due to the Tideâs 4-for-21 mark from 3-point range, which forced it to rely on paint touches to get points.
Since that game, Alabama has shown it can turn to paint scoring. It outscored Florida 56-40 in the lane on a night where it shot 25% from 3. It outscored Ole Miss 40-28, relying on paint touches early before getting hot from deep.
Those trends of strong paint performances will have to be carried over. Grant Nelson will need to avenge his forgettable outing against the Volunteers, where he fouled out with just three points.
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Alabama will also need another good performance from Nick Pringle, who was suspended for the first game against Tennessee. Friday, Oats gave credit to Pringle for raising his game. He has been in double figures in the last three games, including 10 points and five rebounds against Ole Miss.
Pringle, Nelson and the rest of Alabamaâs frontcourt will need to carry that momentum against Tennesseeâs Jonas Aidoo. The junior was a matchup nightmare in Knoxville, going for 19 points, five rebounds and four blocks.
âOur frontcourt guys just gotta be a little tougher,â Oats said. They got ducked in all night (against Tennessee) and Aidooâs big and he’s good but weâve got to make it a little harder, and our guards gotta do a little better job not letting the guards get so deep and making it easy to just drop the ball in like they did last time.â
To counter Aidoo, Oats said Alabama revisited how it defended talented bigs during nonconference play. Oats referenced the Tideâs games against Purdueâs Zach Edey, Creghtonâs Ryan Kalkbrenner and Arizonaâs Oumar Ballo. In the rematch with Aidoo, Oats said Alabama will look to execute traps from both the baseline and the top of the key.
Ahead of Alabamaâs biggest game of the season, Oats has also raised his expectations for the Crimson Tideâs freshmen.
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âSome of our younger kids have grown up a little more,â Oats said. âI told our freshmen âitâs March now. We don’t need you to be acting like freshmen. You need to look a lot more like sophomores. You played a whole season of basketball and gotten a lot of reps.ââ
No matter how much experience a player has, the Crimson Tide will need all the help it can get against a strong Volunteers side. While Alabamaâs frontcourt hones in on Aidoo, its backcourt will be focused on making life difficult for Knecht, as well as Tennessee guards Zakai Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi. The pairâs experience gives the Volunteers stability in the bacourt. Vescovi is in his fifth season with Tennessee, while Zeigler averages 5.9 assists per game which leads the conference.
The Alabama State Conference of the NAACP has announced its official schedule for the 2026 NAACP-sponsored Selma Jubilee Bridge Crossing Weekend, set for March 6–8 in Montgomery and Selma.
Held under the theme “A Time for Standing,” the annual commemoration honors the Foot Soldiers of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches and recognizes the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis and Rev. Jesse Jackson for their roles in advancing civil rights and voting access.
The three-day event will bring together national, state and local leaders, along with youth and college chapters, faith partners and community members for activities focused on reflection, education and civic engagement.
Scheduled events include a civic discussion titled “The New Civic Path” on March 6 at the Montgomery Interpretive Center at Alabama State University, followed by a Jubilee Gala that evening at Embassy Suites in Montgomery. On March 7, the Birmingham Metro Branch will host a bus trip to Selma, while a statewide civic engagement training will take place in Montgomery.
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SEE ALSO: Bridge Crossing Jubilee to honor Rev. Jesse Jackson’s legacy in Selma SEE ALSO: 16th Street Baptist Church: Keeping a Legacy Alive 63 Years Later
On March 8, participants will take part in the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Parade, voter activation efforts, worship services at Brown Chapel AME Church and Tabernacle Baptist Church, and the traditional bridge crossing at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Organizers say the weekend will emphasize continued civic participation and community engagement across Alabama.
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March 6 — Alabama NAACP Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Gala 5:30PM Embassy Suites by Hilton, 300 Tallapoosa St, Montgomery, AL 36104
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March 7 — NAACP Birmingham Metro Branch Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Bus Trip 8AM–5PM Broad Street and Water Avenue in Selma Alabama
March 7 — Alabama State NAACP Statewide Civic Engagement Training 8–4:15PM Homewood Suites, 7800 EastChase Pkwy, Montgomery, AL 36117
March 8 — Alabama State NAACP in the Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Parade 8AM–10AM Begins at 1722 Broad St and concludes at the National Voting Rights Museum
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Statewide Bridge Crossing Jubilee Bus Trip 8AM–5PM Alabama State University, Untenese and Mobile Branch and University of Alabama, Oakwood University, Broad Street and Water Avenue, Selma
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee Participation in Worship Services 10AM–2PM Brown Chapel AME Church and Tabernacle Baptist Church, Selma
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March 8 — Alabama NAACP Youth and College Civic Engagement Voter Activation 8AM–2PM Broad Street and Water Ave, Selma
March 8 — Alabama NAACP Statewide Bridge Crossing 11:15PM – Line up Alabama NAACP Tent on Waters Ave or at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Selma
Each player had a pivotal role on the Crimson Tide in 2025.
Alabama had a multitude of former players who performed at an elite level at the NFL combine this past weekend.
Former Alabama star quarterback Ty Simpson was among those who put his talents on full display in Indianapolis, as Simpson continues to emerge as a top quarterback prospect available in April’s draft.
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Numerous Crimson Tide stars on both sides of the football were able to have an excellent showing at the combine as well, with each playmaker a vital component to the Tide’s success in 2025.
Here are three Alabama players who helped their draft stock rise at the NFL combine.
Ty Simpson, Quarterback
Simpson is widely regarded as the best quarterback prospect available outside of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. The talented redshirt junior put on an absolute show at the NFL combine, as Simpson delivered multiple perfect throws and put his talents on full display throughout Saturday’s events.
The former Alabama star is a candidate to potentially shine day one in his campaign in the NFL, as Simpson’s draft stock continues to rise prior to April.
Jam Miller, Running Back
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Miller is an extremely fast and athletic running back, despite struggling in the Tide’s backfield last season. The star running back recorded an impressive 4.43u 40-yard dash time, as Miller could very easily shine in the NFL next season with consistent playing time.
Miller was nothing short of elite throughout his entire performance at the combine in Indianapolis, as the former Tide running back continues to rise in a multitude of draft rankings around the football world.
Kadyn Proctor, Offensive Tackle
Proctor played a crucial role on Alabama’s offensive line last season. The star lineman reportedly slimmed down prior to the NFL combine, as Proctor displayed elite speed and athleticism throughout Sunday’s combine in Indianapolis.
Proctor is widely expected to be a mid-to-late first round selection in April, as the talented lineman’s efforts during the combine could quickly begin to work in Proctor’s favor during next month’s draft.
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The 2026 NFL draft will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania starting on April 23, as each Crimson Tide star will look to shine throughout their rookie campaign in the NFL.
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A husband fatally shot his wife before turning the gun on himself at an Alabama hospital just moments after they welcomed their first child on Sunday.
Kynath Terry Jr., 19, gunned down 24-year-old Precious Johnson before fatally shooting himself inside the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night, WTVM 13 reported.
Johnson delivered a healthy baby just before she was murdered. It’s not immediately clear if the baby was present during the shooting, but police said that Terry and Johnson were the only ones injured.
Kynath Terry Jr., 19, shot 24-year-old Precious Johnson at an Alabama hospital after she gave birth to their child. WVTM
Terry’s mother told the outlet that the couple were having some marital issues leading up to Johnson’s due date, but nothing that made her fear her son would become violent.
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She told the outlet that Terry completed Army National Guard training before tying the knot with Johnson.
She noted that Johnson didn’t want Terry’s side of the family at the hospital for her child’s birth, but it’s unclear if anyone from the mother-to-be’s own family was there.
The hospital was plunged into a lockdown “out of an abundance of caution” while police investigated reports of a shooting. It wasn’t lifted until hours later when they determined there was “no active threat to patients, team members or the public,” the outlet reported.
The Homewood Police Department described the tragedy as “an apparent murder-suicide and is domestic in nature.”
Terry completed Army National Guard training before marrying Johnson. WVTMThe shooting sent Brookwood Baptist Medical Center into an hours-long lockdown. Google Maps
Danne Howard, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, told the outlet that the chilling attack “was an isolated incident” unlike anything she’d encountered during her three decades working in the state.
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Howard said, in the wake of the tragedy, the Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital would undergo a security overhaul implementing “lessons learned” from a mandated after-action report.
Just three months ago, in a town six miles outside of Homewood, a beloved sports reporter was fatally shot by her husband before taking his own life. Their 3-year-old son, who was unharmed, led his grandfather to his parents’ bodies.
