Men's 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.

The University of Mobile community is honoring one of its basketball players who collapsed and died on campus. A spokesperson for the private institution says 18-year-old Kaiden Francis was found unresponsive this week. This happened shortly after he finished a workout with the university’s coaching staff and trainers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Alabama is the favorite to win the Southeastern Conference men’s basketball championship, led by preseason player of the year Mark Sears. The Crimson Tide, ranked second in the AP’s preseason Top 25, are coming off the program’s first Final Four run.