Nate Oats addresses Aden Holloway’s status ahead of Sweet 16
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Alabama is gearing up for yet another appearance in the Sweet 16, but other headlines surrounding the program will follow Nate Oats & Co. to Chicago when they face Michigan on Friday night.
Star guard Aden Holloway was notably arrested under charges regarding marijuana possession and intent to distribute last week, which caused the junior to miss both of the Crimson Tide’s opening-weekend games in the NCAA Tournament.
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According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Oats revealed Wednesday that Holloway did not travel with the team to Chicago as investigations and other legal actions surrounding his case are ongoing.
The loss of Holloway’s services is no small bullet point, as the former Auburn guard has averaged a career-high 16.8 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds this season while starting in 27 games.
However, with Holloway sidelined last weekend, the Crimson Tide didn’t seem too fazed. After overcoming an early push from Hostra, Oats’ squad beat the Pride and ensuing Texas Tech Red Raiders by 20+ points each, sending it to a fourth straight Sweet 16.
A native of Charlotte, Holloway began his career with the aforementioned Tigers in 2023, when he started in 26 games for Bruce Pearl’s club while emerging as one of the top freshmen in the SEC.
Alabama will again have to overcome the absence of Holloway when it battles Michigan at 7:35 p.m. ET on Friday, with the game being broadcast by TBS.
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Parker is currently the sports editor for the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
