Alabama basketball

Mark Sears scored 20 points, Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon each had 15 points and No. 10 Alabama beat No. 20 North Carolina 94-79 on Wednesday night in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Clifford Omoruyi and Derrion Reid each scored 11 points and Grant Nelson had 10 points to help the Crimson Tide (6-2) beat three straight Top 25 opponents for the first time in three seasons.

The No. 20 North Carolina Tar Heels face the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide. The teams meet Wednesday for the first time this season. North Carolina is 2-0 at home, and Alabama is 0-1 on the road.

The No. 19/20 Alabama women's basketball team moves to 9-0 on the season after defeating Georgia State on Monday at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide outrebounded the Panthers 65 to 22 for the win while also scoring 40 points in the paint.

The AP Top 25 national schedule features No. 2 Auburn's visit to No. 9 Duke and No. 10 Alabama's visit to No. 20 North Carolina in a doubleheader played on the same night and a short drive apart. Those games will offer tests for teams that have made cross-country trips in the past two weeks for tournaments or made-for-TV matchups.

No. 23 Alabama is looking to extend its eight-game win streak with a victory against Georgia State. The teams match up on Monday afternoon for the first time this season. The game will take place at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is 4-0 at home, and Georgia State is 1-2 on the road.

Mark Sears scored 24 points and No. 9 Alabama beat No. 6 Houston 85-80 in overtime in the opener of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. After squandering an eight-point lead with 8:53 left in the game, and allowing Houston to force overtime, Alabama outscored the Cougars 7-2 in the extra frame for the win.

Zaay Green had 17 points and six assists, Essence Cody added 15 points and nine rebounds, and No. 23 Alabama beat Clemson 73-39 to claim the Emerald Coast Classic’s Bay Bracket. Alabama scored the opening four points against Clemson and led throughout.

The traditional Thanksgiving Week college basketball tournament lineup is getting a twist this year. Entering the fray is the Players Era Festival. The event in Las Vegas, which tips off Tuesday, includes the likes of sixth-ranked Houston, No. 9 Alabama and No. 15 Texas A&M.

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.