Nick Pringle missed Alabama’s team flight for the NCAA Tournament, but is heading to Spokane, Washington before Friday’s First Round game.

Pringle was spotted by Taylor Korn, social media director for The Next Round, on a commercial flight Thursday to Spokane.

Alabama, a 4-seed, plays 13-seed College of Charleston on Friday at 7:35 p.m. ET. The winner moves on to face Saint Mary’s or Grand Canyon on Sunday.

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Pringle was suspended twice during 2023-24 season

At this time, it’s not public why Pringle missed the team flight to Spokane and is instead flying commercial. Pringle’s late arrival brings to mind his other issues this season.

On Dec. 1, Nate Oats announced an indefinite suspension for Pringle. He called it an in-house matter that did not relate to anything off the court. Pringle’s next appearance came on Dec. 9 against Purdue, in which he played 9 minutes.

In late January, Oats announced that Pringle was suspended again. He did not travel with the Crimson Tide for the Georgia game due to conduct detrimental to the team.

Oats again stated that there were no off-the-court concerns, but that it was up to Pringle whether he rejoined the team. Pringle returned to the lineup for the Feb. 7 game at Auburn, playing 14 minutes.

Most recently, Pringle had returned to the starting lineup. He started in the regular-season finale against Arkansas, logging a season-high of 36 minutes. Pringle also started the SEC Tournament game against Florida, playing 22 minutes.

In the 2023-24 campaign, Pringle has played in 29 games, making 13 starts. He averaged 17.9 minutes per contest.  The 6-10, 230-pound forward gives the Tide valuable size. Pringle has been good for 6.9 points and 5 rebounds per contest this season.

It will be interesting to hear what Oats has to say about Pringle’s late arrival and to see how the big man is used during this weekend’s games.