Nate Oats addresses whether Aden Holloway’s absence will affect Alabama’s pace
By David Wasson
Published:
The Alabama basketball team begins its 2026 March Madness journey as a No. 4 seed on Friday when the Crimson Tide takes on No. 13 Hofstra (3:15 pm ET, TruTV) – but will do so without second-leading scorer Aden Holloway, who was arrested earlier this week after over two pounds of marijuana were allegedly found in his apartment.
Alabama coach Nate Oats addressed Holloway’s absence Thursday during a pregame media availability in Tampa and said his team’s frenetic pace of play should not be affected.
“We had all the injuries all year and not one time did we walk into a game and say ‘We’re going to play a little slower.’ … We play the way we play,” Oats said. “We’re not changing the way we play based on who we have or don’t have. We’ll change things only based on what the other team is doing.”
Alabama (23-9) leads the nation in scoring at 91.7 points per game, with Holloway delivering 16.8 of those per outing. Labaron Philon Jr. leads the Crimson Tide, who have six players averaging in double figures, at 21.7 points per game.
Hofstra (24-10), which captured the Colonial Athletic Conference tournament title and automatic bid, allows just 66.1 points per outing – ranking 18th in America.
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An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
