Alabama Crimson Tide news: CFP rankings, Keelon Russell's injury, soccer wins thriller, more

Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes:

Alabama rises to No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings

On the strength of its win over LSU on Saturday in Baton Rouge, Alabama moved up two spots to No. 3 in the second College Football Playoff rankings.

Alabama was shockingly ranked No. 5 in the initial rankings last week, a fact that led to frustration everywhere outside of Tuscaloosa. But the Crimson Tide quickly proved the committee prophetic when it went to Death Valley and emerged with a 31-13 win over the Tigers.

Alabama is up to a 95% chance to make the playoff according to ESPN, but it still needs to take care of business down the stretch. The committee has shown a willingness to course correct quickly, and a loss to either Vanderbilt or Auburn could be the data point that forces the committee to drop Alabama out of the 12-team field.

Winning in Nashville this weekend might be a little more complicated than originally believed.

Keelon Russell's injury status remains uncertain ahead of Vanderbilt game

We'll find out for sure the injury status of Keelon Russell later tonight when the SEC availability reports come out. Don't be surprised to see his name on it.

Russell injured his ankle in the third quarter of the LSU game. He went into the tent, got it taped up heavily, and then returned to the game to throw three touchdown passes to turn a 13-10 deficit into a 31-13 win.

But Kalen DeBoer called Russell "day to day" on Monday and expressed confidence in Austin Mack's ability to play if need be. Sharp bettors are certainly operating under the assumption that Russell either won't play or will be compromised. The spread opened at -19.5 and has dropped four full points since then.

Russell practiced on Tuesday, and it seems likely that he'll try to give it a go this weekend. But Mack is likely getting an uptick in reps this week with the first team, just in case.

Alabama basketball dominates Oakland in Aden Holloway's return

Senior guard Aden Holloway made his return from suspension on Monday night and Alabama immediately had its most prolific offensive game of the season to date. The Crimson Tide rolled to a 109-68 win over Oakland, knocking down an astonishing 24 three-pointers and shooting 63% from the floor.

Holloway scored 12 points on 4-of-8 from three in his season debut. London Jemison led the way, putting up a perfect game. He shot 7-of-7 from the field - 6-of-6 from three - and tied his career high with 20 points.

Alabama tied a program record with 30 assists on 39 made field goals.

Alabama returns to the court Friday night for a home game against Seton Hall.

Alabama soccer wins a thriller over LSU to advance to SEC Tournament semifinals

Wes Hart and Alabama soccer earned a thrilling win over LSU on Tuesday in Pensacola to advance to face South Carolina in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

With the game tied 1-1 with under three minutes to play, Melina Rebimbas earned a penalty in the box. Ashley Roni stepped up to take the penalty kick and put the ball in the back of the net to give the Crimson Tide a 2-1 lead they would hold.

Rebimbas scored the game's first goal in the 69th minute to give Alabama a 1-0 lead in the second half, but LSU quickly answered 10 minutes later to tie it up.

Alabama will face South Carolina on Thursday night at 6pm CT in the semifinals. You can watch the game on the SEC Network.

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