Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from Wednesday and Thursday, March 4th and 5th.
Alabama women's basketball gets two wins at the SEC Tournament
Kristy Curry's team limped into the SEC Tournament, losing five of their final six games in the regular season to end up as the 11-seed in Greenville. But that was more of a product of a ridiculous schedule than a downturn in play, and Alabama rebounded to earn two wins in the SEC Tournament, knocking off Missouri and Tennessee in consecutive days to advance to face Texas in the quarterfinals on Friday.
On Wednesday night, Alabama rolled to a 65-48 win over Missouri, led by a fourth-quarter fury by freshman guard Ace Austin, who hit four threes in a row as part of a 12-2 run to help the Crimson Tide put the Tigers away.
Alabama followed that up with a 76-64 win over Tennessee on Thursday, led by a combined 43 points from Jessica Timmons and Ta'Mia Scott. It was nice payback for a regular-season loss to the Vols in Tuscaloosa, and now Curry's team will look to keep that momentum - and the payback - going on Friday night against Texas in the quarterfinals.
Alabama lands surprise commitment from NBA legacy Jaxon Richardson
Nate Oats and Alabama basketball got a surprise commitment on Thursday from 4-star wing Jaxon Richardson, the son of former NBA All-Star Jason Richardson. Alabama had once been the heavy favorite for Richardson, but he had been trending away from the Crimson Tide in recent months as it felt like Oats and company had prioritized other recruits.
The elder Richardson denied that on social media, however, and praised the close relationship the family built with Oats and assistant Preston Murphy. Most did expect Richardson to end up with Creighton, and 247 even had a pre-write ready that they accidentally published stating just that.
Richardson becomes Alabama's third commitment of the 2026 recruiting class, joining fellow athletic, long wings in 5-star Qayden Samuels and 4-star Tarris Bouie. If Oats can ultimately land 5-star guard Caleb Holt, it might be the best class in program history.
Alabama softball to play doubleheader on Friday in SEC opener
Undefeated Alabama softball opens SEC play this weekend at Ole Miss, and with inclement weather projected for Saturday in Oxford, the decision was made to play a doubleheader on Friday to avoid a potential rain cancellation.
The first game will get started on Friday at 3pm CT, with the second game beginning 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first. They'll then take the day off on Saturday, and conclude the weekend series with a matchup at 1:30pm CT on Sunday.