Last year, the Alabama basketball team was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, they lost early to the San Diego State Aztecs as Brian Dutcher's team went on a Final Four run. This time around, the Crimson Tide are a 4-seed and begin play with a clash against 13-seed Charleston on Friday in Spokane.
On Wednesday, Alabama fans were extremely concerned when reports surfaced that Nick Pringle did not travel with the team to Spokane. However, those worries subsided on Thursday when another report stated that Pringle was headed to Spokane to join the team, per The Next Round.
‘Alabama forward Nick Pringle is on @TaylorKornTNR’s flight to Spokane to join the Crimson Tide for the #NCAATournament.'
That's incredibly good news for the Crimson Tide, and it is only a matter of time before everyone finds out whether or not Pringle will play on Friday.
Inside the Nick Pringle situation
The senior forward is a big piece to Nate Oats' team and has back-to-back double-doubles entering the NCAA Tournament. Against Florida, he had 12 points and 10 rebounds and had 10 and 10 against Arkansas. On the year, Pringle is averaging 6.8 PPG with 4.8 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per contest.
Pringle raised plenty of eyebrows with an interesting (and timely) social media post. On Tuesday, Pringle posted on X: ‘this too shall pass' with a praying hands emoji, and nobody had any idea what it meant.
Then, the next day, Pringle did not travel with the Alabama basketball team to Spokane, so even more rumors began to swirl.
Pringle was suspended during the season but was able to return, so this situation sure was a bit worrisome to Alabam fans.
It will be worth monitoring to see what Nate Oats says about Pringle's situation, but for now, it sure looks like he will be suiting up for the Crimson Tide with him leaving for Spokane on Thursday.
Alabama basketball team faces Charleston in tough opener
Last year, Charleston was a sensation but fell to San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament. this year, Pat Kelsey's team is back in the Big Dance, and the Charleston head coach even has emerged for a number of head coach openings.
Charleston is 25-7 on the year and has 12 straight wins entering this game, so momentum is all the way on their side. Alabama is the exact opposite. They have dropped four of the last six and suffered a double-digit loss to Florida in the SEC Tournament, so there is a big cause for concern for the Alabama basketball team.
The winner of Alabama-Charleston will take on the winner of Saint Mary's and grand Canyon in perhaps the biggest upset bracket of the entire tournament.
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