Alabama Crimson Tide

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.

Alabama is set to host FCS Mercer after a big win over LSU. The ninth-ranked Crimson Tide are fresh from a 42-13 win at LSU and face a lower-division opponent before closing the regular season against fellow Southeastern Conference teams Oklahoma and Auburn.

The last time a Kalen DeBoer team lost two games by mid-October, his Washington Huskies suddenly went on a tear. DeBoer and No. 9 Alabama would love a repeat after a dominant road win over then-No. 14 LSU. The Crimson Tide get a reprieve from Southeastern Conference play Saturday against FCS team Mercer before resuming the chase for league championship and playoff shots.

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.

Alabama’s defense suffered a major blow heading into the final games of the regular season with edge rusher Que Robinson out for the rest of the season with a left arm injury. Robinson was injured in the second half of No. 9 Alabama’s 42-13 victory over then-No. 14 LSU on Saturday night.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is The Associated Press national player of the week in college football. Milroe ran 12 times for career highs of 185 yards and four touchdowns and completed 12 of 18 passes for 109 yards in a 42-13 win at LSU. Milroe set the school season record with 16 rushing touchdowns. His 72-yard rushing touchdown against LSU was the longest TD run of his career.

The annual Alabama-LSU rivalry is Exhibit A this weekend for how the expanded College Football Playoff has changed what constitutes a high-stakes game in November. Both teams have two losses and neither has a top 10 ranking.

The first College Football Playoff rankings are out and now the jockeying for position begins. Two SEC teams just outside the top 12 can enhance their chances of appearing on the bracket. LSU hosts Alabama in a rivalry that heated up over their time together in the old SEC West. LSU is No. 14 in the AP poll and No. 15 in the CFP. Alabama is No. 11 in both.

Alabama wide receiver and return man Cole Adams will miss the rest of the season with a lower body injury. The 11th-ranked Crimson Tide’s coach, Kalen DeBoer, made the announcement ahead of Saturday’s game at No. 14 LSU.

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.