Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide return to Coleman Coliseum Friday night against Arkansas State, looking to go 2-0 after taking care of Sam Houston State in Tuesday’s season opener.
Former Oats assistant Ryan Pannone begins his second season in Jonesboro after taking over the program in 2025. Like his old boss, Pannone favors an uptempo offense with an emphasis on layups, frees and threes. Alabama has played the Red Wolves four times, winning all four, most recently in 2024 when the Tide escaped 88-79.
Last season, Arkansas State finished 20-12 overall and 11-7 in Sun Belt play, averaging 83 points on 28 three point attempts per game, while allowing 77. The Red Wolves were tough on the glass, outrebounding opponents by eight, but had a tendency to get sloppy with the basketball with 14 turnovers a night.
Like most head coaches these days Pannone had to manage plenty of turnover in the offseason, losing his top three scorers from the 2025-26 squad. But, Sun Belt coaches certainly don’t believe that the cupboard is bare as the Red Wolves were picked to win the league per the preseason straw poll.
Players to Watch:
G Tameron Ferguson, 6’4″ junior
Ferguson arrives from Division II Augustana, where he averaged 20 points and 6.5 assists last season while shooting 36% from three point range. He was the clear leader of the squad in their opening win over Toledo, pouring in 20 points, including 3-4 from deep, while adding seven boards and three assists.
G Royal Blue Smith, 6’4” sophomore
Smith is the only returnee to get the start in the season opener. He appeared in 27 games last season but started only three, and this year looks to carve out a bigger role. He played 23 minutes in the opener and had a poor shooting night, but he was active with 12 shot attempts, five rebounds and four assists.
G Layne Taylor, 5’11” junior
A transfer from Murray State, Taylor averaged 8.0 points and 3.2 assists last season while shooting 34.5% from three-point range. Taylor is on the small side, but takes care of the basketball and makes smart decisions. He launched nine threes in the opener, making three, so he’s not shy on the perimeter.
F Delang Muon, 6’8″ senior
An Aussie who arrives in Jonesboro via New Mexico Junior College, Muon averaged 10.4 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 51.4% from the floor. He didn’t show much from an offensive standpoint in the first outing.
C Amadou Doumbia, 7’0” junior
Doumbia is a legit 7-footer who transferred in from North Carolina A&T, where he averaged 4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He grabbed ten boards in a loss to South Carolina last season. Doumbia isn’t much of an offensive threat, but fits well in the system. He grabbed nine boards in the opener.
F Jordan Pyke, 6’7″ senior
Pyke transferred in from Incarnate Word, where he averaged 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds last season while connecting on an impressive 40.4% of his three-point attempts. At 6’7″, he provides the Red Wolves with a versatile scoring option who dropped 11 points and added nine rebounds while serving as the sixth man against Toledo.
G Aaron McGee, 6’3” freshman
McGee was the crown jewel of Pannone’s recruiting class, ranking as a top 300 player on the 247 composite. He got 16 minutes in his college debut and impressed with 11 points on 4-7 shooting, including 2-4 from beyond the arc.
Three Keys:
1. Can Alabama continue to dominate turnover margin?
With Holloway unavailable for the second game of his suspension, the Tide will once again depend on wing players and reclassified freshman Anderson Diaz to run the point. Alabama was able to take care of the ball reasonably well in the opener, turning it over ten times while forcing 23 turnovers with relentless defense. Winning the turnover margin handily is a recipe for success in any game.
2. Can the bigger Tide dominate the glass?
Alabama is substantially bigger than Arkansas State, but the same was true in the opener and the Bearkats managed to slightly out-rebound the Tide. In particular, Alabama allowed 15 offensive boards on Tuesday night. Oats made it clear in the postgame that his squad’s rebounding was unacceptable.
3. Will Pannone’s familiarity with Oats keep this one closer than it should be?
Pannone took over the Red Wolves program from fellow former Oats assistant Bryan Hodgson. The 2024 game was too close for comfort where Alabama fans are concerned, and any team can get out in transition and shoot the basketball is capable of going on a heater.
How to Watch:
Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Coleman Coliseum
TV: None
Streaming: ESPN app/SEC Network+
Roll Tide!
