Basketball

The Auburn Tigers open the season with high expectations, especially with the return of All-Southeastern Conference big man Johni Broome. The Tigers rank 11th in the preseason AP Top 25 and are picked to finish second in the SEC.

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.

Kansas is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 preseason men's basketball poll ahead of Alabama and two-time defending national champion UConn. The Jayhawks got 30 of 60 first-place votes while the Crimson Tide received 14 and the Huskies got 11. Houston and Iowa State round out the top five, followed by Gonzaga, Duke, Baylor, North Carolina and Arizona.

The University of Alabama has announced the men's basketball team will host its 2024 NCAA Final Four banner reveal on Friday, Oct. 11 with the event beginning at 8:30 p.m. Public tickets are currently on sale for $10.

Touting Huntsville as a championship city with a long list of wins during his tenure, Mayor Tommy Battle delivered his 16th State of the City address on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at the Von Braun Center’s Saturn Ballroom.

The Rocket City Classic, presented by Akima, returns in 2024 with a matchup at the VBC Propst Arena for the second straight year. Alabama will face Memphis on Oct. 28 in an NCAA-approved exhibition game benefitting the Huntsville Hospital Foundation.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. will be a gametime decision for Alabama’s NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina on Thursday night. The senior guard continues to be evaluated for a head injury that he suffered during the first half of last Sunday’s 72-61 victory over Grand Canyon.

More than half of Americans say they are against college athletes unionizing, though younger respondents were more supportive than older, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey found that 55% of adults believe NCAA athletes should not be permitted to form unions that would led to collective bargaining with schools. This follows a Congressional roundtable featuring former Alabama football coach Nick Saban on legislation to regulate college sports. Texas Senator Ted Cruz doubts the measure will pass Congress.

The number two overall NBA draft pick Brandon Miller, formerly of the Alabama Crimson Tide, finally had a breakout performance in summer league play.

Basketball may be popular across the country, but what makes one city better than others for the sport? Top-performing teams, revenues and traditions are all part of the equation, but there’s simply no game without the fans.