ESPN insider details Alabama’s plan for Charles Bediako against Tennessee
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We know Alabama head coach Nate Oats is going to play Charles Bediako on Saturday versus the Tennessee Volunteers. We also know the NCAA has declared Bediako ineligible for college competition (a temporary restraining order is allowing him to suit up). On College GameDay, we learned how Oats plans to utilize Bediako in his first game for the Crimson Tide since 2023.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Bediako will come off the bench for Oats when Alabama battles Tennessee.
“Nate Oats told me Charles Bediako will definitely play for Alabama. He will not start,” Thamel said. “He has gone through one walkthrough and one practice… Oats said, ‘look, if he plays well, we’re going to play [him] more minutes.'”
Thamel added that the Crimson Tide’s injury report — where Aden Holloway and Amari Allen, the team’s 2nd and 3rd-leading scorers, are listed as questionable — could also dictate Bediako’s usage. If either Holloway or Allen is unable to play, there may be a greater need for Bediako’s services.
Alabama (13-5, 3-2 SEC) and Tennessee (12-6, 2-3 SEC) are projected as 5 and 7 seeds, respectively, in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology. The Volunteers and Crimson Tide tip off at 8:30 p.m. E.T. tonight (ESPN).
