Alabama basketball

Grant Nelson scored 23 points and Aden Holloway had 18 to lead No. 8 Alabama to a 100-87 win over No. 25 Illinois in a matchup of Elite Eight teams from last season. Nelson opened the game with three straight 3-pointers. Will Riley led Illinois with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Kansas strengthened its grip on No. 1 in the AP Top 25. The rest of the top 10 turned into a jumble of teams swapping places. The Jayhawks picked up five first-place votes in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, receiving 49 from a 61-person media panel. No. 2 UConn, No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 4 Auburn all received votes. The shuffling started with No. 8 Alabama’s loss to No. 6 Purdue, a game that dropped the Crimson Tide six spots and bumped the Boilermakers up seven. Losses by Duke and Arizona shook up the top 10.

Sarah Ashlee Barker scored 25 points to help power the unbeaten No. 22 Alabama women's basketball team to a 75-52 nonconference win over UL-Monroe. Alabama is now 6-0 to start the season after earning its second win on the road. The Warhawks (3-1) lost for the first time in three home games.

The No. 22 Alabama women's basketball team remains defeated after a victory over Alcorn State (1-3) in an 88-59 on their home court in Tuscaloosa inside Coleman Coliseum. Thursday's win followed the Tide beating Norfolk State on Wednesday.

Grant Nelson scored 22 points and had seven rebounds to lead No. 2 Alabama over McNeese State 72-64 on Monday night. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. went 5 for 9 from 3-point range, scoring 15 points for the Crimson Tide, and Mark Sears added 15 points, three rebounds and five assists.

Mark Sears scored 20 points, and No. 2 Alabama beat UNC Asheville 110-54 in its season opener. Sears led the Crimson Tide in scoring on 6-for-8 shooting and was 3 for 4 from 3-point range. Clifford Omoruyi did not miss a shot in his Alabama debut, and the Rutgers transfer scored 16 points on six shots to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks.

Aaliyah Nye scored 25 points, Sarah Ashlee Barker added 23 and No. 24 Alabama rolled to a 115-53 season-opening win over New Orleans. The Crimson Tide shot 52% (45-86), including 14 of 31 from 3-point range. Nye was 7 of 12 behind the arc and Barker hit three from distance in the sixth-highest scoring game in school history.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to college athletes being granted an additional year of eligibility. Now the majority of those players impacted by that move are preparing for their final seasons in college basketball. This includes guard Mark Sears for No. 2 Alabama.

Alabama is coming off the program’s first Final Four run and hoping for even more this season. Coach Nate Oats' team opens the season ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and favored to win the Southeastern Conference championship. Expectations soared when All-America guard Mark Sears and forward Grant Nelson both opted to return.

Alabama is the Southeastern Conference favorite in basketball, not football. John Calipari is leading a team with high expectations, just not at Kentucky. And Texas and Oklahoma are along for the ride now, too.