Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from Wednesday and Thursday, October 15th and 16th.
Jam Miller upgraded to 'Probable' for Alabama vs. Tennessee
Alabama RB Jam Miller took a major step toward being able to play against Tennessee on Saturday. After initially being listed as 'Questionable' on the Crimson Tide's availability report on Wednesday, Miller's status was upgraded to 'Probable' on Thursday.
Miller suffered a concussion during the 4th quarter of Alabama's 27-24 win over Missouri last weekend. His status has been up in the air since, but he's trending toward being able to play.
Miller's recovery is a huge bonus for the Crimson Tide. Despite missing three games, Miller is Alabama's leading rusher and could play a pivotal role against a struggling Tennessee run defense. The Vols rank 114th in the country in rushing defense success rate.
Two other injury report updates for Alabama
Along with Miller, sophomore WR Jaylen Mbakwe was also upgraded to 'Probable' from his 'Questionable' designation earlier in the week. Mbakwe missed last week's game against Missouri with a hand injury. The sophomore has been a depth option at WR, but with freshman Derek Meadows out with a concussion, Mbakwe could see some playing time this weekend.
On the other end of the spectrum, junior TE Danny Lewis Jr. was added to the injury report on Thursday and officially listed as 'Questionable.' Lewis has dealt with a nagging injury all season, but finally made an impact a week ago in CoMo. He caught his first two passes of the season, the second of which set up what ultimately proved to be the game-winning touchdown.
Men's basketball beats Florida State in exhibition
We got our first look at Alabama men's basketball on Thursday night in the now annual "Ballin in Boutwell" exhibition in Birmingham. Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide survived a test from Florida State, defeating the Seminoles in a sloppy foul-fest, 109-105.
Sophomore guard Labaron Philon looked like a superstar. He was in complete control of the game, finishing with 28 points on a hyper-efficient 8-of-12 from the floor. He showed off his improved three-point shot, connecting on 3-of-4 from downtown.
Alabama's defense was concerning, but it was mostly the second-shot defense that struggled as Alabama allowed 23 offensive rebounds. Alabama played the exhibition without center Noah Williamson and guards Latrell Wrightsell and Jalil Bethea. Williamson and Wrightsell are both expected to play in the next scrimmage, while Bethea is expected to miss the first month of the season.
Nate Oats was less than pleased with the performance overall, commenting that if Alabama played the beginning of the regular season like they played against Florida State, they would start 1-4.
Women's basketball also beats Florida State in exhibition
Earlier in the day on Thursday, the women's team faced off against Florida State in an exhibition at Boutwell. Kristy Curry's team had a much more comfortable result. Alabama beat Florida State 91-71 in the exhibition.
Junior forward Essence Cody and senior guard Jessica Timmons led the way with 16 points each.
Star freshman Ace Austin made her Crimson Tide debut, adding 10 points, two rebounds, and two assists.