Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball

Alabama star Mark Sears is withdrawing from the 2024 NBA draft pool and returning to the Crimson Tide.

"I got good feedback from the NBA," he said to ESPN's Jonathan Givony. "But I can still get better in a few areas. I want to show I am a dog on defense next season, continue to bring vocal leadership, and work on my body and get into better shape. NIL has changed basketball and NBA teams told me that age isn't a factor in today's game, so I was comfortable coming back to try and bring home a national championship to Alabama."

Sears averaged 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his second year at Alabama, helping the program reach its first-ever Final Four. During the Tide's NCAA tournament run, he put up 24.2 points per contest and shot 45.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Despite putting up nice numbers in 2023-24, the experienced guard doesn't appear to have been a sure thing in draft terms. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman omitted Sears in his newest mock draft.

Height is an obvious consideration for the 5'11" playmaker, and, despite what he told Givony, his age is probably working against him too.

The advent of the NIL era has made it much easier for players in Sears' position to stay in college rather than embarking into the unknown with the pros. During the upcoming campaign, he can further refine his game and potentially win over more NBA talent evaluators while cashing some endorsement checks.

Keeping Sears in the backcourt will boost Alabama's bid to return to the Final Four and achieve even more in 2024-25. The Crimson Tide already retained forward Grant Nelson, who was their leading rebounder (5.9 boards) while averaging 11.9 points.

Head coach Nate Oats has also assembled the No. 2 class in 247Sports' 2024 composite team rankings. Small forward Derrion Reid and power forward Aiden Sherrell are both 5-star high school recruits.

Alabama unquestionably will have the talent to make another deep run in the Big Dance.

Former Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi was one of the most coveted players remaining in the transfer portal, and he reportedly decided to take his talents to the South.

Per Joe Tipton of On3.com, Omoruyi committed to Alabama on Sunday. He reportedly chose the Crimson Tide over North Carolina, Georgetown and Kansas State.

Tipton added that Omoruyi turned down a $2 million NIL offer from an unnamed school to commit to Alabama:

Brian Fonseca of NJ.com noted that Omoruyi visited all four schools before making his decision to join the Crimson Tide.

Omoruyi was the No. 3 center in On3.com's transfer portal rankings. Coming out of Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey, 247Sports ranked him as a 4-star recruit and the No. 12 center in the class of 2020.

The 6'11", 240-pound big man developed into one of the best centers in Rutgers history, starting every game in each of the last three seasons. He ranks fourth in program history in career rebounds and field goal percentage and is tied for sixth in blocks.

Across 32 games in 2023-24, Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and a career-high 2.9 blocks, which ranked third in the nation.

Omoruyi helped lead the Scarlet Knights to two NCAA Tournament appearances in his career. The team's 2021 tournament berth was its first in 30 years and featured its first tournament victory in 38 years.

Omoruyi is joining an Alabama team that went 25-12 this past season and made a run to the NCAA Tournament Final Four. Unfortunately, the Crimson Tide fell to UConn 86-72, and the Huskies went on to defeat Purdue and win their second straight national title.

Alabama will certainly be hungry to chase a championship in 2024-25, and adding Omoruyi gives the Crimson Tide a defensive anchor who will boost their chances of achieving their goal.

After John Calipari reportedly departed Kentucky to accept a head coaching position at Arkansas, one of the most popular names floated as his potential replacement was Alabama's Nate Oats.

However, Oats quickly put an end to that chatter by announcing on social media that he is "fully committed" to the Crimson Tide:

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne released a statement echoing Oats' sentiments:

During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Monday, Seth Davis of CBS Sports named Oats as a candidate he thinks would "crush it" at Kentucky if he pursued the job. However, Davis noted that Oats' $18 million buyout would make it "a non-starter" for him to leave Alabama.

Oats has been one of the fastest-rising coaches in college basketball for the impressive job he's done with the Crimson Tide. In five seasons, he's led the team to a 117-54 record, a 62-28 record in SEC games, two SEC titles and four NCAA tournament appearances. Alabama reached the Final Four this year for the first time in program history.

In addition to Oats turning down Kentucky, former Villanova head coach Jay Wright also removed his name from the list of candidates. Before Monday's national championship game between UConn and Purdue, Wright, who is now an analyst for CBS, gave a definitive "no" when asked if he would be interested in the vacancy.

Kentucky is still one of the most high-profile programs in college basketball, and the team is hoping to find the right person to lead it back to prominence after its recent struggles under Calipari. The Wildcats haven't made it past the second round of the NCAA tournament since 2019.

Alabama reached its first Final Four in school history after taking down Clemson 89-82 Saturday night, and some former Crimson Tide football players embraced the win.

After No. 4 Alabama's win over No. 6 Clemson, several Crimson Tide legends celebrated their alma mater's big win. Mac Jones, Mark Ingram II and Jordan Battle all chimed in on social media after the game.

Ingram, Battle and Jones all helped lead Alabama to national championships in football during their playing days, and now they're looking to the basketball team to bring home a title for the first time in program history.

Alabama has a tough opponent standing in its way of the national championship game, though. The Crimson Tide will take on No. 1 UConn in the Final Four, and the Huskies have been dominant so far in the tournament.

UConn has won each of its NCAA tournament games by 20+ points, beating No. 3 Illinois 77-52 behind a 30-0 run on Saturday. The reigning champions have shown no signs of struggle so far in the tournament, but the Crimson Tide are looking to change that.

Alabama's offense is certainly capable of keeping up with UConn, posting the ninth-best offense in KenPom, but the Crimson Tide will need to post one of the team's best games of the season.

Alabama has submitted itself as one of the best football programs of all time. Now, the basketball program is looking to start a tradition of its own.

Alabama is heading to its first Final Four in program history after handling Clemson 89-82 Saturday night.

The fourth-seeded Crimson Tide went back and forth with the No. 6 Tigers for much of the game, going into a shootout late in the second half that kept things close. A late push from Alabama fueled by star guard Mark Sears helped the Tide pull away in the final minutes to advance.

Sears finished with 23 points, and freshman forward Jarin Stevenson added 19 off the bench.

After Alabama's Final Four push, fans praised the Crimson Tide on the team's outstanding March Madness run.

Alabama moves on to face No. 1 UConn, which has looked poised to become a back-to-back champion. The Crimson Tide have already defeated a No. 1 seed in North Carolina in the Sweet 16, but the Huskies were the top overall seed for a reason. If Alabama's electric offense can keep up with UConn, it could be on its way to a national championship appearance.

For the first time in three decades, Alabama is Sweet 16 bound in consecutive seasons.

It was a tight battle with 12-seed Grand Canyon, but the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide were able to lock it down at the end and emerge with a 72-61 win.

It wasn't easy, as the Antelopes took a lead in the later stages of the second half and remained close until the final minutes. A 17-3 run from the Crimson Tide at the end really put the game away.

Mark Sears led the Crimson Tide with 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Rylan Griffen had 13 points and the Alabama bench combined for 20 points.

Fans took to social media to express relief at the result and wish Alabama the best going forward.

Others immediately turned their attention towards Alabama's next opponent, No. 1 seed North Carolina.

The Crimson Tide and Tar Heels have faced each other twice in program history. Each has taken a victory, with the most recent being a 103-101 victory for Alabama in four overtimes during the 2022-23 season.

Alabama men's basketball head coach Nate Oats has agreed to a new contract with the school, athletic director Greg Byrne announced on Friday.

While the exact value of the deal is unknown, ESPN's Jeff Borzello noted that Oats will become one of the five highest-paid coaches in the nation after board approval.

The Crimson Tide have made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons and have also won two SEC regular-season titles under the former Buffalo head coach.

Oats was hired by Alabama in 2019 after four years at his prior stop. He helped lead Buffalo to three NCAA Tournament appearances during that time, while the Bulls finished with a record of 32-4 during his final season with the program.

The Crimson Tide have experienced similar levels of success following his arrival, owning a record of 113-52 in the regular season since he took over. Several players that he's coached at Alabama in the past have advanced to the NBA including Charlotte Hornets guard Brandon Miller, New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones, and Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis.

Oats previously received a six-year contract from the school worth $30 million in Feb. 2023, resulting in an average value of $5 million as well as incentives. With recent job openings at programs such as Louisville and Michigan, it seems as though Byrne is ensuring that his head coach doesn't consider leaving anytime soon.

In the present, Oats is helping Alabama attempt to win its third SEC tournament in four years. Although his team was unable to capture the conference's regular-season title, they still finished with a commendable record of 21-10.

The Crimson Tide are currently set to face off against Florida in the SEC tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The SEC has suspended Alabama forward Mohamed Wague one game for elbowing Florida's Alex Condon in the head Wednesday night, the conference announced Thursday.

The play came in the first half of Alabama's overtime win over Florida on Wednesday night during a scrum for a loose ball.

"We received the discipline for Mo from the SEC and agree with the suspension," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said in a statement. "After reviewing the film, the penalty is understandable and appropriate."

Wague, a junior transfer from West Virginia, is averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He will miss No. 13 Alabama's crucial matchup against No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday.

According to NCAA rules, a player who commits an act of fighting is required to be suspended for the next regular-season game. The NCAA defines an act of fighting as "a confrontation involving one or more players, coaches or other team personnel wherein (but not limited to) a fist, hand, arm, foot, knee or leg is used to combatively strike the other individual."

The Crimson Tide currently sit in first place in the SEC at 11-2 in conference play, one game ahead of No. 5 Tennessee at 10-3. A win on the road against Kentucky would be huge in helping Alabama secure a second straight SEC regular-season title, but the task gets more difficult without Wague.

Alabama men's basketball coach Nate Oats said former football coach Nick Saban gave the Crimson Tide players a pep talk before Saturday's 100-75 win over Texas A&M.

He said during his appearance on the Crimson Tide Sports Network that pregame show that Saban talked about keeping the focus on the present, not the end goal (h/t Mike Rodak of 247Sports):

We had Coach Saban talk to our team yesterday. Always go back to his process. Like, honestly, the more you talk about championships, the less you're focused on what you should be doing today. So they know where we're at [in the SEC]. I briefly mentioned where we're at, but I spent the majority of the conversation on focus areas on what we have to do today to get us better than we were yesterday. I think all that other stuff, the championships and all that, takes care of itself if you do that.

The Crimson Tide likely have an SEC title on the mind. At 18-7 on the year but 10-2 in SEC play, Alabama currently sits atop the conference and is in the driver's seat to win the regular season title, though tough matchups against Florida (twice), Kentucky and Tennessee still loom.

"That's a big win; we've got teams right on our tail in the SEC race," Oats told reporters after Saturday's victory. "It was a well-needed win at this point in the year."

Alabama swept both the regular season and conference titles in two of the past three seasons and is looking to continue its dominance in this year's campaign.

The team is also fighting for a high seed in the NCAA tournament. In the NCAA Selection Committee's early top-16 seeds, it had the Crimson Tide projected to finish as a No. 3 seed. Purdue, UConn, Houston and Arizona were the 1-seeds, followed by North Carolina, Tennessee, Marquette and Kansas as the twos and Alabama, Baylor, Iowa State and Duke as the threes.

The Crimson Tide earned a 2-seed in 2021 and were the top overall seed last year, though in both seasons they failed to advance past the Sweet 16. Still, Oats has steadily been turning the program into a powerhouse, and the Crimson Tide have titles on the mind.