Two very motivated teams will take the floor on Wednesday when Alabama travels to Oxford, Miss. to take on Ole Miss in a Southeastern Conference match-up.
For the Crimson Tide (16-7, 6-4 SEC) and coach Nate Oaks, it’s about moving forward with the roster they started the season with and not the one that included big man Charles Bediako, who was shelved by Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pruet on Monday.
Pruet denied Bediako’s motion for a preliminary injunction to allow the former G League player to continue his season at Alabama. Bediako, who averaged 10.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in five outings with the Tide, was playing via a restraining order issued by judge James H. Roberts, after the NCAA denied his request to return to college basketball.
“Super disappointed,” Oats said on his Monday night radio show. He referenced many former professionals being eligible to play at the college level.
“I thought it was kind of a no-brainer with the NCAA. Then I didn’t think it would be that big of an issue.”
Bediako originally played two seasons at Alabama before declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft. He didn’t withdraw from the draft — a move that typically means a player has forfeited his remaining college eligibility — and went undrafted.
But the cupboard is hardly bare for the Tide, which have won five of seven. On Saturday, Alabama rallied to defeat Auburn, 96-92, led by Labaron Philon Jr.’s 25-point effort.
Philon averages 21.5 points per game to lead the SEC and rank 10th nationally entering play on Tuesday. He has hit 21 of his last 48 3-point attempts (43.8%).
“For our whole team, we’ve got to turn our focus back to the guys who are going to be on the floor,” Oats said. “We’ve got some very capable players (who) won some big games before Charles got here.”
For the Rebels (11-12, 3-7), the season has been a major letdown after a run to the Sweet 16 last year. They have dropped five straight, their longest losing streak since the 2022-23 season. But coach Chris Beard is confident the team turned a corner in their 79-68 loss at Texas on Saturday.
The Rebels rallied from an 18-point first half deficit to take a 68-65 lead with 3:35 remaining, but Texas finished the game on a 14-0 run.
Eduardo Klafke scored a career-high 16 points, his second consecutive game in double figures.
“We fought like we never fought before,” Klafke said. “We’re just trying to win this for Coach, but unfortunately, we ran out of time.”
Beard noted that the Rebels had just completed a weather-related four-game SEC road swing.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to the best college town in the country, Oxford, Miss.,” said Beard. “We’ve got a lot of basketball left. We’ve got some home games coming up and I still believe in this team, period.”
Ole Miss stunned then-No. 4 Alabama, 74-64, in Tuscaloosa last season, snapping a seven-game slide to the Tide. Malik Dia scored 23 points and added 19 rebounds for the Rebels.
