Latest news with #NateOats'
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama basketball to add marquee opponent, venue to 2025 nonconference schedule: report
Alabama basketball to add marquee opponent, venue to 2025 nonconference schedule: report Alabama basketball will reportedly head to The World's Most Famous Arena in 2025. According to a report Thursday from college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Nate Oats' Crimson Tide are finalizing an agreement with St. John's and legendary coach Rick Pitino to play at Madison Square Garden in New York. It will mark the first time an Alabama team has played at 'The Mecca' since 2013. The game will reportedly take place on November 8, with St. John's expected to play Alabama in the 2026-27 season at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. St. John's joins an already expansive list of nonconference opponents Alabama is set to face in the 2025-26 season. Oats already has games scheduled against the Illinois Fighting Illini in Chicago, North Dakota and Yale at Coleman Coliseum, and the Arizona Wildcats in Birmingham. The Crimson Tide will also make another trip to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival and face an ACC school in the annual SEC-ACC Challenge. St. John's went 31-5 overall last season and won the both the Big East Tournament and Big East regular season championship. They were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and were bounced in a second-round upset by John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks. The Johnnies are a popular team in many way-too-early rankings ahead of 2025-26. Fox Sports recently ranked St. John's No. 2 in its early top 25, while ESPN's Jeff Borzello had them at No. 3 in his new rankings on Monday. Alabama finished 28-9 last season and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, falling 85-65 to Duke in the East Region final in Newark. The Crimson Tide were ranked No. 6 in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, while St. John's was ranked No. 10. The meeting between Alabama and St. John's will be the first between the two programs in over 40 years. They last met in the 1982 NCAA Tournament at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island with two legendary coaches squaring off. Wimp Sanderson's Crimson Tide defeated Lou Carnesecca's team, 69-68. All-time, Alabama and St. John's have met four times on the hardwood dating back to 1955. The head-to-head series is split 2-2. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
USA Today
16-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Another marquee nonconference matchup reportedly set for Alabama basketball
Another marquee nonconference matchup reportedly set for Alabama basketball Another marquee nonconference game for Alabama basketball is reportedly set. According to a report from Made For March, the Crimson Tide's matchup against the Illinois Fighting Illini in Chicago has been set for Wednesday, Nov. 19 at United Center. It's the return trip from last season's matchup on Nov. 20 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham at the C.M. Newton Classic, a game Alabama won 100-87 behind 23 points from Grant Nelson. Alabama has already announced dates for two other marquee nonconference matchups within the past week. The Crimson Tide will take on the Arizona Wildcats at Legacy Arena on Dec. 13. On Tuesday, Alabama and Purdue announced that the back-end of their home-and-home series would take place Nov. 13 at Coleman Coliseum. Also in the nonconference slate, Nate Oats' Crimson Tide are scheduled to host North Dakota in Tuscaloosa at an unannounced date and make another trip to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival. Another opponent from the ACC will face Alabama in the annual SEC/ACC Challenge, which last year pitted the Crimson Tide against the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. Illinois finished 22-13 overall and went 12-8 in the Big Ten last season. Brad Underwood's Illini earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round of the Midwest Region before falling 84-75 to No. 3 seed Kentucky. Alabama finished 28-9 (13-5 SEC) and reached the Elite Eight before falling 85-65 to No. 1 seed Duke. The Crimson Tide were ranked No. 6 in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and AP poll for the 2024-25 season. Illinois was unranked in the final Top 25 polls. The Tide and Fighting Illini have met five times dating back to 1952. Alabama leads the all-time series, 4-1. Keep up with Alabama's offseason by visiting Roll Tide Wire's 2025-26 roster and transfer portal tracker. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
USA Today
15-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama vs Purdue basketball date set: Here's what we know about marquee rematch
Alabama vs Purdue basketball date set: Here's what we know about marquee rematch Nate Oats' Alabama Crimson Tide will face Purdue basketball for the third straight year when the two teams meet in the 2025 nonconference schedule. A date for the Boilermakers' trip to Tuscaloosa as part of a home-and-home series was confirmed by the school Tuesday. Alabama and Purdue will meet Thursday, Nov. 13 at Coleman Coliseum. Since the game is in Tuscaloosa and both teams finished the 2024-25 season ranked in the top 15 in the major polls, it's hard to imagine Alabama-Purdue won't make it to one of ESPN, ESPN2 or SEC Network. Purdue finished 24-12 overall and went 13-7 in regular-season Big Ten play last season, including an 87-78 win over Alabama in the fourth game of the season on Nov. 15 at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and fell 62-60 to the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16 of the Midwest Region in Indianapolis. Alabama finished 28-9 (13-5 SEC) and made it to the East Region finals (Elite Eight) of the tournament before falling 85-65 to No. 1 seed Duke. The Crimson Tide were ranked No. 6 in the final USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll this year. Purdue was ranked No. 12 in the Coaches Poll and No. 14 in the AP poll. The Tide and Boilermakers have met 10 times dating back to 1976. Purdue leads the all-time series, 7-3. This year's matchup will mark the third straight year the schools have met in the nonconference schedule. Alabama fell 92-86 to Purdue in December 2023 in Toronto. Alabama is also scheduled to face the Arizona Wildcats as part of its 2025 nonconference schedule. The Tide and Wildcats will meet on Dec. 13 at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, it was announced last week. Per Oats' custom, Alabama will have one of the toughest schedules in the nation. The Tide are scheduled to face Illinois in Chicago in nonconference play and make another trip to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival. Another marquee opponent from the ACC will await Alabama in the annual SEC/ACC Challenge, which pitted the Crimson Tide against North Carolina last season. Keep up with Alabama's busy offseason by visiting Roll Tide Wire's 2025-26 roster and transfer portal tracker. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
USA Today
29-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
What channel is Alabama vs Duke on today? Time, TV schedule for Elite Eight showdown
What channel is Alabama vs Duke on today? Time, TV schedule for Elite Eight showdown Alabama is seeking back-to-back Final Four trips for the first time in school history. Standing in the their way is the bluest of college basketball blue bloods: the Duke Blue Devils. It doesn't get much bigger than this for Nate Oats' Alabama Crimson Tide in the NCAA Tournament. OK, maybe a little bigger, such as a trip back to the Final Four. Alabama (28-8 overall) will be looking to get to its second straight when they face the Duke Blue Devils (34-3) in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 seed matchup in the East Region finals of March Madness at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Crimson Tide clinched their second straight appearance in the Elite Eight with a blistering 113-88 win over BYU on Thursday night in Newark. Alabama made 25 3-pointers, setting the record for the most treys in a single NCAA Tournament game. Mark Sears had 34 points and still had time for eight assists. Aden Holloway added 23 on 6-of-13 from beyond the arc, and Chris Youngblood (19 points) and Clifford Omoruyi added 10 to give Alabama four players in double figures. For its part, Duke clinched its second straight Elite Eight appearance with a 100-93 win over the Arizona Wildcats on Thursday. Arizona had an early lead but Duke closed the first half with an 8-2 run over the last 68 seconds. Cooper Flagg's deep 3-pointer from near the mid-court logo gave the Blue Devils a 48-42 lead at halftime. Duke never trailed in the second half, though Arizona would make a late push and get to within five in the game's final two minutes. The Devils' win was their 14th in a row dating back to a Feb. 8 upset loss at Clemson. Flagg had another stellar night, finishing with 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots. Alabama ranks as the top scoring offense in all of college basketball at 91.4 points per game, while Duke ranks No. 12 with 83.6 points per game. Today marks the first meeting between the Crimson Tide and Blue Devils since November 2013. Mike Krzyzewski's team defeated Alabama, 74-64, at Madison Square Garden in the NIT Season Tip-Off that year. It's also the first time Alabama and Duke have ever met in the NCAA Tournament. Here's how to watch today's Alabama vs. Duke Elite Eight game in the East Region final of the NCAA Tournament, including tipoff time, TV channel and streaming information. What channel is Alabama vs BYU game on today? TV Channel: TBS Live stream: Sling TV Brian Anderson (play-by-play) and Jim Jackson (analyst) will have the TV call of today's game at Prudential Center in Newark for TBS. Allie LaForce will report from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include Sling TV. Additionally, the game can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with the Alabama radio broadcast team of Chris Stewart and Bryan Passink by using the Varsity Network app. The national radio feed of the game from Westwood One can be heard for free on the Westwood One sports app and on Sirius XM channel 201. For Sling TV: Watch Alabama vs. Duke live on Sling TV Alabama vs Duke start time today Date: Saturday, March 29 Saturday, March 29 Start time: 7:49 p.m. CT Alabama vs Duke game odds, points spread Odds courtesy of BetMGM. ODDS: Duke -7.5 O/U: 173.5 Alabama basketball schedule 2024-25 Nov. 4: vs. UNC Asheville (W, 110-54) Nov. 8: vs. Arkansas State (W, 88-79) Nov. 11: vs. McNeese State (W, 72-64) Nov. 15: at Purdue (L, 87-78) Nov. 20: vs. Illinois (W, 100-87) Nov. 26: vs. Houston (W, 85-80 OT) Nov. 27: vs. Rutgers (W, 95-90) Nov. 30: vs. Oregon (L, 83-81) Dec. 4: at North Carolina (W, 94-79) Dec. 14: vs. Creighton (W, 83-75) Dec. 18: at North Dakota (W, 97-90) Dec. 22: vs. Kent State (W, 81-54) Dec. 29: vs. South Dakota State (W, 105-82) Jan. 4: vs. Oklahoma (W, 107-79) Jan. 8: at South Carolina (W, 88-68) Jan. 11: at Texas A&M (W, 94-88) Jan. 14: vs. Ole Miss (L, 74-64) Jan. 18: at Kentucky (W, 102-97) Jan. 21: vs. Vanderbilt (W, 103-87) Jan. 25: vs. LSU (W, 80-73) Jan. 28: at Mississippi State (W, 88-84) Feb. 1: vs. Georgia (W, 90-69) Feb. 8: at Arkansas (W, 85-81) Feb. 11: at Texas (W, 103-80) Feb. 15: vs. Auburn (L, 94-85) Feb. 19: at Missouri (L, 110-98) Feb. 22: vs. Kentucky (W, 96-83) Feb. 25: vs. Mississippi State (W, 111-73) March 1: at Tennessee (L, 79-76) March 5: vs. Florida (L, 99-94) March 8: at Auburn (W, 93-91, OT) March 14: vs. Kentucky in SEC Tournment (W, 99-70) March 15: vs. Florida in SEC Tournament (L, 104-82) March 21: vs. Robert Morris in NCAA Tournament (W, 90-81) March 23: vs. Saint Mary's in NCAA Tournament (W, 80-66) March 27: vs. BYU in NCAA Tournament (W, 113-88) Record: 28-8 We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
USA Today
28-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who's in Elite Eight? Updated men's March Madness bracket, schedule for NCAA Tournament
Who's in Elite Eight? Updated men's March Madness bracket, schedule for NCAA Tournament Show Caption Hide Caption Duke, Arkansas, and Houston headline Men's Sweet 16 With the Sweet 16 upon us, USA Today Sports' Mackenzie Salmon previews a few of the top matchups we're most looking forward to. Sports Seriously Sixteen teams have received a few days of rest, but now it's time for the second weekend of the men's NCAA Tournament. Four teams will advance to the Elite Eight after Thursday's March Madness games, which includes matchups between BYU and Alabama, Maryland and Florida, Arizona and Duke and Arkansas and Texas Tech. REQUIRED READING: March Madness games today: Analyzing Thursday's Sweet 16 men's NCAA Tournament matchups Alabama became the first team to advance to the Elite Eight on Thursday with an incredible 3-point performance from the Crimson Tide. Nate Oats' squad won 113-88 with a men's NCAA Tournament-record 25 made 3s on a record-51 attempts. Later, No. 1 seed Florida dispatched No. 4 seed Maryland 87-71 to send two SEC teams to the Elite Eight. Coach John Calipari and the Razorbacks are the lone double-digit seed in the Sweet 16, although they're not a typical Cinderella team, given their Hall of Fame coach plus a roster that features plenty of high-end talent. Follow along here to see Elite Eight teams and matchups and games conclude in the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament: Who's in men's Elite Eight? This section will be updated. No. 2 Alabama (East) No. 1 Florida (West) Elite Eight schedule, how to watch This section will be updated. Dates: Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30 Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30 TV: CBS | TBS/truTV CBS | TBS/truTV Streaming: March Madness Live | Sling TV | Fubo (free trial) When is men's Elite Eight? The men's Elite Eight will take place on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30. Each day will see two games apiece, setting the Final Four field. Men's March Madness bracket All times Eastern. East Region First round No. 1 Duke 93, No. 16 Mount St. Mary's 49 No. 16 Mount St. Mary's 49 No. 9 Baylor 75, No. 8 Mississippi State 72 No. 8 Mississippi State 72 No. 5 Oregon 81, No. 12 Liberty 52 No. 12 Liberty 52 No. 4 Arizona 93, No. 13 Akron 65 No. 13 Akron 65 No. 6 BYU 80, No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth 71 No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth 71 No. 3 Wisconsin 85, No. 14 Montana 66 No. 14 Montana 66 No. 7 Saint Mary's 59 , No. 10 Vanderbilt 56 , No. 10 Vanderbilt 56 No. 2 Alabama 90, No. 15 Robert Morris 81 Second round No. 1 Duke 89, No. 9 Baylor 66 No. 9 Baylor 66 No. 4 Arizona 87, No. 5 Oregon 83 No. 5 Oregon 83 No. 6 BYU 91, No. 3 Wisconsin 89 No. 3 Wisconsin 89 No. 2 Alabama 80, No. 7 Saint Mary's 66 Sweet 16 No. 2 Alabama 113, No. 6 BYU 88 No. 6 BYU 88 No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 1 Duke | 9:39 p.m. | CBS (Fubo) Elite Eight No. 2 Alabama vs. TBD Midwest Region First round No. 1 Houston 78, No. 16 SIU-Edwardsville 40 No. 16 SIU-Edwardsville 40 No. 8 Gonzaga 89, No. 9 Georgia 68 No. 9 Georgia 68 No. 12 McNeese State 69, No. 5 Clemson 67 No. 5 Clemson 67 No. 4 Purdue 75, No. 13 High Point 63 No. 13 High Point 63 No. 6 Illinois 86, No. 11 Xavier 73 No. 11 Xavier 73 No. 3 Kentucky 76, No. 14 Troy 57 No. 14 Troy 57 No. 7 UCLA 72, No. 10 Utah State 47 No. 10 Utah State 47 No. 2 Tennessee 77, No. 15 Wofford 62 Second round No. 1 Houston 81, No. 8 Gonzaga 76 No. 8 Gonzaga 76 No. 4 Purdue 76, No. 12 McNeese 62 No. 12 McNeese 62 No. 3 Kentucky 84, No. 6 Illinois 75 No. 6 Illinois 75 No. 2 Tennessee 67, No. 7 UCLA 58 Sweet 16 No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Tennessee | TBS (Sling TV) No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 1 Houston | TBS (Sling TV) South Region First round No. 1 Auburn 83, No. 16 Alabama State 63 No. 16 Alabama State 63 No. 9 Creighton 89, No. 8 Louisville 75 No. 8 Louisville 75 No. 5 Michigan 68, No. 12 UC San Diego 65 No. 12 UC San Diego 65 No. 4 Texas A&M 80, No. 13 Yale 71 No. 13 Yale 71 No. 6 Ole Miss 71, No. 11 North Carolina 64 No. 11 North Carolina 64 No. 3 Iowa State 82, No. 14 Lipscomb 55 No. 14 Lipscomb 55 No. 10 New Mexico 75, No. 7 Marquette 66 No. 7 Marquette 66 No. 2 Michigan State 87, No. 15 Bryant 62 Second round No. 1 Auburn 82, No. 9 Creighton 70 No. 9 Creighton 70 No. 5 Michigan 91, No. 4 Texas A&M 79 No. 4 Texas A&M 79 No. 6 Ole Miss 91, No. 3 Iowa State 78 No. 3 Iowa State 78 No. 2 Michigan State 71, No. 10 New Mexico 63 Sweet 16 No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 1 Auburn | CBS (Fubo) No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 2 Michigan State | CBS (Fubo) West Region First round No. 1 Florida 95, No. 16 Norfolk State 69 No. 16 Norfolk State 69 No. 8 UConn 67, No. 9 Oklahoma 59 No. 9 Oklahoma 59 N o. 12 Colorado State 78, No. 5 Memphis 70 No. 5 Memphis 70 No. 4 Maryland 81, No. 13 Grand Canyon 49 No. 13 Grand Canyon 49 No. 11 Drake 67, No. 6 Missouri 57 No. 6 Missouri 57 No. 3 Texas Tech 82 , No. 14 UNC-Wilmington 72 , No. 14 UNC-Wilmington 72 No. 10 Arkansas 79, No. 7 Kansas 72 No. 7 Kansas 72 No. 2 St. John's 83, No. 15 Omaha 53 Second round No. 1 Florida 77, No. 8 UConn 75 No. 8 UConn 75 No. 4 Maryland 72, No. 12 Colorado State 71 No. 12 Colorado State 71 No. 3 Texas Tech 77, No. 11 Drake 64 No. 11 Drake 64 No. 10 Arkansas 75, No. 2 St. John's 66 Sweet 16 No. 1 Florida 87, No. 4 Maryland 71 No. 4 Maryland 71 No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 3 Texas Tech | TBS (Sling TV) Elite Eight
