A familiar face will be in Coleman Coliseum as Alabama basketball tips off conference play this weekend.

The No. 6 Crimson Tide will host No. 10 Oklahoma for the SEC opener on Saturday with a start time of 5 p.m. CT.

Mohamed Wague will be back in the Plaid Palace to face his former Alabama (11-2) teammates for the first time since hitting the transfer portal in April.

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More Mo in the building for Alabama basketball SEC Opener

With Wague’s return, Alabama’s Mouhamed Dioubate won’t be the only “Mo” in the building.

The 6-foot-10 Wague notched eight starts in 33 games played last season at UA. Despite playing through a knee injury down the stretch, he put up 3.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per contest with three double-digit outings.

Now with the Sooners (13-0), Wague has yet to start, averaging 7.3 minutes off the bench. As the first-year SEC members stay undefeated, he’s registered averages of 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Oklahoma basketball will be pesky at perimeter

Alabama will need shots to fall like they did against South Dakota State − and probably better − to outlast Oklahoma from deep. The Crimson Tide has been productive in the paint this year, but beating an OU team that’s limiting opponents to just 27.1% from the arc requires a presence from 3-point range.

UA shot 31.7% on threes through non-conference play while Oklahoma cleared 36.7%.

While OU has picked up statement wins over Arizona, Louisville and Michigan, and advanced into the top 10 of the coaches poll, it’s ranked 43rd in the NET compared to No. 9 Alabama. That’s because the Sooners have played seven games against teams currently in Quad 4.

Crimson Tide can’t afford too many turnovers against Sooners

OU turns the ball over. Still not as much Alabama.

Entering Saturday, the Sooners are averaging 11.2 turnovers per game to 12.7 for Alabama. With Houston Mallette and Chris Youngblood back in the rotation, UA has gotten better about forcing them. However, if the two can’t get some steals against OU, Alabama could see itself fall victim to the Sooners, who are forcing over 14 turnovers per game on opponents, with an average 9.5 steals per contest.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to an incredible start to the season, with 13 wins and zero losses thus. Oklahoma is one of three undefeated teams remaining in college basketball, with the other two teams being Tennessee and Florida — all three being members of the SEC. That elite conference also has ten ranked teams to this point in the season.

This is undoubtedly the best conference in college basketball, and it will be an absolute juggernaut for every game, with the teams going up against each other. Out of the three undefeated teams remaining, only one of them is led by a freshman.

Jeremiah Fears has been a star for the Sooners this season. 

Coming out of high school, he was a consensus four-star recruit, but he has played like a potential top-ten pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Fears is a 6-foot-4 point guard averaging 18.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He has absolutely stuffed the stat sheet and has played winning basketball the entire time.

The talented lead guard just looks special with the ball in his hands. He consistently creates advantages off the dribble as he’s very quick and shifty with the ball in his hands. He is quite explosive, too, so it’s no surprise that he has scouts believing that he can be the guy for an NBA team if he is given the keys to the offense.

For him to come in and lead Oklahoma to an undefeated season during non-conference play has convinced a lot of scouts and NBA decision-makers that he’s worthy of a top-ten selection in this year’s draft. The decision-making and shooting concerns are quite valid for the young point guard, but he’s still very young and has a lot of responsibilities on a highly touted team.

Fears is just so dangerous off the dribble and might be the best advantage creator in the entire draft. His inside-the-arc scoring is really special. He’s able to finish around the basket with a ton of creativity, has a smooth mid-range pull-up jumper and has great touch on his floater. The touch is pretty good inside the arc which allows scouts to believe he can eventually be a consistent 3-point shooter as he continues to find his rhythm.

Fears begins conference play tomorrow in a tough road game versus No. 5 ranked Alabama. If the freshman point guard leads the Sooners to another win and keeps their undefeated streak alive, then we could really start to see Fears’ name reaching levels we haven’t seen before this year. Don’t be surprised if he jumps into the top-three conversations after this weekend.

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As we approach the halfway point in the girls’ high school basketball season, we’ve decided to post 20 of the top high school girls basketball players in the state of Oklahoma and let the fans decide who their top player is.

The Sooner State is loaded up with some of the top talent in the country. This list is packed with Division I talent, four- and five-star recruits, and others having fantastic seasons for their respective programs. Many fantastic players didn’t make the list. See if your favorite player did, read about each one and cast your vote.

You may vote as many times as you’d like between now and when the poll closes on Jan. 31, at 11:59:59 p.m. E.T.

Other top high school sports news:

Decision by No. 1 recruit Aaliyah Chavez has finalists searching for answers

Top Arkansas Razorbacks recruit Jordan Martin has Missouri buzzing

Nation’s No. 1 girls high school basketball recruit Aaliyah Chavez scores 124 points in Caprock Texas Classic

Top Missouri girls high school basketball program extends five-year winning streak

The standout junior scored 15 points in an 81-48 victory over Meade County (KY) on Dec. 20 and has helped the Trojans to a 7-1 start in 2024. As a sophomore, she played a key role in helping Douglass reach its first state tournament since 1992. She is currently weighing offers from Oklahoma State and Nebraska-Omaha, respectively.

The sophomore guard averaged 18 points per game as a freshman at Idabel – leading the Warriors to the Class 3A championship – before transferring to Broken Bow. So far, the Lady Savages are 1-1 so far in 2024, coming off a 70-37 win at Heavener on Dec. 19. She has an offer from Abilene Christian.

Donley scored a game-high 24 points and added 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocks in a 52-33 win over Harding Charter Prep on Dec. 20. The reigning Class 4A state finals MVP, Donley helped lead Bethany to back-to-back state titles and a 4-2 mark in 2024.

A 5-foot-9 guard who averaged 19 points per game last season at Classen SAS, Durley moved to Edmond North where she has helped the Huskies to a 4-4 mark so far. Durley holds offers from Marquette, Oral Roberts, Nevada and others.

Scored 28 points to surpass 1,000 career points during a loss to Norman on Dec. 20. As a junior she averaged 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two points per game.

A 6-foot wing, Herrod is a 4-star recruit by ESPN. She’s ranked No. 59 overall in the nation on the ESPN Hoopgurlz 100 and ranked No. 42 overall in the nation by 247 Sports. She averaged 13 points, five rebounds and two steals per game at Millwood last season before transferring to Putnam North.

The 6-1 all-state guard and 4-star recruit entered this season ranked No. 49 on the ESPNw Top 100. She surpassed 1,000 career points last season while averaging 16 points, five rebounds and two steals. The Huskies are 4-4 this seasons.

After averaging 20 points per game in 2023-24, Johnson entered the 2024-25 season rated the sixth-best recruit in Oklahoma and 41st overall in the nation on the ESPNW HoopGurlz 100. She earned the 38th overall ranking in the nation by 247Sports and earned a 4-star rating by ESPN.

Originally committed to Nebraska before reopening her recruitment and committing to Michigan, in six games this season, Mathurin – 5-10 shooting guard – is averaging 21.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks. She is an ESPN 4-star recruit.

One of the most talented underclassmen in the state, Minor is rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN. The 6-foot guard averaged 14 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals as a freshman. She is reportedly receiving interest from many Division I programs.

The 5-11 forward won a Class 2A state championship in softball at Dale and added back-to-back trips to the Class 2A finals in basketball. She helped the Pirates go 30-2 last season on the court. They are currently ranked No. 1 in Oklahoma Class 2A and are currently 11-1 this season.

A multi-sport athlete, Parker – the 2023-24 Gatorade National High School Softball Player of the Year – averaged 29.3 points per game on the court while leading Pocola to the 2A state tournament last season. She’s helped her team to a 4-0 start so far.

An ESPN 5-star recruit and one of the tops in the country, Parks committed with the Jayhawks after scoring 26.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.6 steals and 2.9 assists as a junior – helping lead Norman to the Class 6A championship along the way.

An ESPN 4-star recruit, Richardson garnered a lot of college buzz before committing to SMU. She averaged 24 points as a freshman.

One of the top uncommitted underclassmen in the state, Stewart is believed to be holding offers from Missouri, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas A&M, Wake Forest and Nebraska after helping lead Lincoln Christian to back-to-back Class 4A state championships.

A Bethel transfer, Megehee averaged 24.9 points per game last season.

One of the top 2025 recruits in the state, Williams averaged 16.2 points last year for the state power. She is an ESPN 4-star recruit.

A Class 3A all-state selection, Gaddy averaged 20.9 points as a junior for Alva – where she also excels in cross country and track and field. Gaddy scored 25 points in a 45-39 victory over Owasso at the Mustang Holiday Classic on Dec. 27.

Committed to Oklahoma at the start of her sophomore season on Sept. 4, 2022, after considering offers from Kentucky, Ohio State, Florida State and Michigan. Holds a 5-star composite rating by 247Sports. She averaged 18 points as a sophomore and led Bethany to the Class 4A state championship. The 6-1 guard has the Bronchos off to a 4-2 start in 2024-25.

Alston reportedly has six Division I offers. A guard/forward combo, Alston averaged 12.4 points as a sophomore and has helped lead Mustang to a 7-3 mark to open this season.

Also considered: Mercades Lopez, sr., Idabel; Shelby Thornton, sr., Del City; Talia Vann, sr., Grind Prep; Skylar Anderson, jr., Dale; Saniyah Morrison, sr., Tulsa Rogers.