Alabama News

General

Alabama cold snap: Which night will be the coldest?

It was chilly in Alabama on Thursday morning as cold air settled in across the state.

Here were some of the overnight temperatures from the National Weather Service (not the official lows):

* Alexander City: 38 degrees

* Anniston: 36 degrees

* Birmingham: 39 degrees

* Decatur: 43 degrees

* Demopolis: 37 degrees

* Dothan: 42 degrees

* Eufaula: 38 degrees

* Evergreen: 38 degrees

* Gadsden: 32 degrees

* Greenville: 40 degrees

* Haleyville: 37 degrees

* Huntsville: 40 degrees

* Mobile: 42 degrees

* Montgomery: 41 degrees

* Muscle Shoals: 40 degrees

* Ozark: 42 degrees

* Prattville: 41 degrees

* Sylacauga: 34 degrees

* Talladega: 33 degrees

* Troy: 37 degrees

* Tuscaloosa: 37 degrees

Temperatures during the day won’t warm up all that much. Highs today will only make it into the 50s for north and much of central Alabama, according to the weather service. South Alabama will top out in the 60s. (Today’s forecast highs are at the top of this post.)

It is expected to be even colder tonight, according to the weather service.

Low temperatures are expected to fall into the 30s across a wide area. Here is the low temperature forecast for tonight:

Another cold day is in store for Friday as cold air continues to flow into the state from the northwest. High temperatures on Friday could be a degree or two colder than today in many areas. Here is the forecast for Friday:

Friday night could be the coldest of the week, with temperatures dipping below freezing across a large part of the state by early Saturday morning. Even many areas in south Alabama will experience temperatures in the 30s:

The weather service said the cold from Friday night into Saturday morning will likely end the growing season for north and central Alabama.

Saturday temperatures will still be chilly, but Saturday could begin a slow warming trend that will go into next week. Many areas will make it into the 60s for highs.

Here are Saturday’s forecast highs:

Saturday night will again be chilly, but it will be the last of the really cold nights. Here are the forecast lows for Saturday night into Sunday morning:

A warmup really gets going on Sunday, with highs expected to rise into the 60s and 70s statewide:

Warmer temperatures are expected to continue into next week, according to forecasters.

Looking a bit further into the future, it appears that warmer-than-average temperatures could return to Alabama through the end of the month.

Here is the six- to 10-day temperature outlook from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. It shows that warmer-than-normal temperatures are favored for the state through Nov. 30:

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‘Be quiet’: LGBTQ people at Auburn search for community after campus spaces close

Whenever Eric Burkholder, an assistant professor at Auburn University’s physics department, feels “out of sorts,” as he says, a student will point to a pillow in his office that reads, “The horrors persist but so do I.”

For the past few months, Burkholder has been the faculty adviser for the Sexuality and Gender Alliance Group. Many of his LGBTQ students and fellow faculty members have displaced from community spots and say they feel unwanted because of the anti-DEI legislation that began in October.

The law prohibits state institutions from using public funding for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives focusing on gender, race, and sexual orientation. Now, those topics are considered “divisive concepts.”

Auburn’s DEI office closed in July. The Pride Center, a casual and colorful space housed in the centrally-located Haley Center, never reopened for the fall semester.

The University of Alabama also closed its DEI office and safe zone this year as a result of the law. Nationally, 28 state legislatures have introduced 86 anti-DEI bills. So far, 14 have become law, according to the DEI legislation tracker at the Chronicle of Education.

Burkholder hoped that Auburn’s space would stay open because it is available to allies of the LGBTQ community and wasn’t designated only for LGBTQ people.

“I feel like we were given false hope,” Burkholder said. He said he thinks the space itself didn’t violate the law, but the name of the space “drew heightened attention,” so “out of an abundance of caution,” it was closed.

Dakota Grimes, a chemistry graduate student, is president of the student organization. and said all the resources LGBTQ students have come to rely on now are scattered.

“While those resources still exist, now they’re decentralized,” Grimes said. She said the Pride space was lovely, and she enjoyed going there when she had time. Now students like her feel displaced.

“It was a safe space for LGBTQ students to hang out in between classes where they could be with others like them,” Grimes said. “They could relax, not have to worry about any judgment or feeling unwelcome on campus.”

She said there’s no space to “just exist on campus as queer students.” LGBTQ students must find room in the student center or the library to study, but “there’s no designated place for us to really gather as a community.”

Grimes said Auburn has improved when it comes to LGBTQ inclusivity, such as allowing pronoun selection when students enroll in online activities. But it’s still tough to make sure people feel accepted.

“It’s a very red school in a red city in a red state,” Grimes said. “There are a lot of people that make homophobic jokes, transphobic jokes, even around people that they know are queer, because they just don’t care.”

Burkholder said some faculty and staff aren’t comfortable being out as LGBTQ and are frustrated. He worries that other areas of university life, such as research, could be affected.

“I think a lot of the message that I’m getting is, ‘We don’t really want you here. If we do, you should be quiet,’” Burkholder said.

Burkholder said LGBTQ people now need to go off-campus or work with organizations such as Pride on the Plains, which hosts Pride events and drag shows regularly at local parks and bars, to find public celebration and community.

One off-campus hangout is Coffee Mafia, now run by Auburn native Ian Oriol. He said the space has always felt LGBTQ-friendly, even growing up, when it was under different ownership and called Mama Mocha’s.

“We’ve always attracted unconventional people, people that are looking for a sort of alternative space in the area,” Oriol said. “I’ve leaned more into that. When I took over, as a queer person from the Bible belt, I think it’s important to kind of curate that sort of space, make that space available. Especially because there aren’t many spaces like that in this area.”

Oriol, who’s performed drag for a decade, said he’s recently seen an uptick in newer and younger faces at the shop and at drag performances. These students are grateful for the space.

“I’ve had many a freshly queer person in their first semester at Auburn cry and hug me in full drag after a show,” Oriol said.

Burkholder said students are resilient and will find ways to connect with each other.

“We queer people have always found spaces,” Burkholder said. “I think ultimately the students will find a way to carve out a place for themselves where they feel safe.”

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Asking Eric: Uncles fail to acknowledge niece’s birthday, but want presents for their kids

Dear Eric: I have two brothers that have recently failed to send a birthday gift or even a card to my 12-year-old daughter. My wife and I on the other hand always send birthday gifts or money and a card to their kids, our nieces and nephews.

My daughter took note of not getting a gift from them this past year in a sad kind of manner. She enjoys her aunts and uncles and cousins otherwise.

One of my brothers just sent a request for a video game birthday gift to his 9-year-old son. I am happy to give a gift to my nephew but also a bit annoyed that this is not reciprocated. Welcome your advice.

– No Gift Back

Dear No Gift Back: Send the gift but have a separate conversation with your brothers about what gifts mean to your daughter and how the lack of acknowledgment has made her, and you feel.

The niece/nephew gift exchange need not be tit for tat, but it’s important that your brothers know that you’re not feeling the kind of family connection that you want. Offer to send them reminders or gift request lists, if you want, for your daughter’s sake. This may not be an intentional slight; they may simply not be great at keeping up with birthdays.

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.

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From Parisian to Zesto: Take a nostalgic journey through Alabama’s most missed businesses

From department stores to restaurants and more, a lot of great Alabama businesses have come and gone over the years.

So when our friends at This is Alabama asked its Facebook followers to tell them what Alabama stores and eateries they used to love, we knew we were in for a trip down memory lane and would quickly be reminded of many great businesses that have closed over the years.

From Parisian to Catfish Cabin, The Lamplight, Red Bird Inn and more, you can take a look at nine of the businesses readers used to love below, and you can read all of the responses — and add your own — on the This is Alabama Facebook page.

Catfish Cabin

Catfish Cabin, which had several locations in Alabama, came up often as a restaurant folks used to love. Most notably, the Albertville location of the beloved eatery announced on Facebook that it would be closing its doors after more than four decades in business in 2021. The restaurant was known for serving everything from catfish filets to ribeye steaks, seafood gumbo, homemade desserts and much more. That said, Catfish Cabin II remains open in Athens.

Read more: Albertville’s Catfish Cabin closing after four decades

The Lamplighter

The Lamplighter in Tuscaloosa may have shuttered its doors more than 30 years ago, but that didn’t keep it from garnering a spot on this list. Known for its wide menu offering affordable steaks, fresh seafood and more, The Lamplighter closed its doors sometime in the 1980s. Even with so much time passing, many folks still have fond memories of eating there, including Linda Smelley of The Waysider Restaurant.

“That’s been so long ago that I can’t even remember when that was,” Smelley told AL.com “But it was always good.”

Read more: Ask an Alabama chef: What old restaurant do you miss the most?

Parisian Department Store

Many residents from all over the state have fond memories of shopping at Parisian department stores, which got their start in Birmingham in 1877 and opened multiple locations in Alabama before ultimately going out of business in 2006. While these days online shopping is the go-to, many readers said they missed visiting the old department store and the experience of shopping there.

Read more: Comeback Town: Soft-spot in my heart for an old Birmingham department store

Red Bird Inn

Another restaurant that closed nearly 40 years ago but is still missed by readers is The Red Bird Inn. Located on Seibels Road in Montgomery when it opened in the 1920s, the eatery was known for its fried chicken and onion rings, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. It closed it’s doors for good in 1983, but the memory of its signature dishes lives on.

Pizitz Department Store

Like Parisian, Pizitz department store was once a shopping destination for families all over the state before its closure in 1988. Louis Pizitz opened his first store in the late 1800s, which grew into several locations throughout the Birmingham and Huntsville area. Today, the Pizitz building where the department store was founded is now home to The Pizitz Food Hall, offices, apartments and the Sidewalk Film Center.

Read more: BBQ restaurants we miss

Britling’s Cafeteria

Britling’s Cafeteria once had locations all over Birmingham after the first restaurant was opened in 1919 by W.B. Johnson. At one time, there were three downtown and several more in the suburbs, but during the 1970s and 1980s, each Britling’s location eventually closed due to the competition of other eateries. Still, readers said they missed the popular cafeteria, and we like to think some of them still have that signature mug kids who finished their milk were awarded.

Read more: Britling Cafeterias were part of Birmingham’s dining landscape for years

Zesto

Zesto first got its start in Huntsville in 1947 as an ice cream shop franchise before being converted into a diner-style eatery in 1951 that became known for its “dip dogs” and “dip burgers.” While it closed in the early 2000s, anybody craving a “dip dog” can still score one and much more at the ZestoAF food truck run by Amelia Mathison, the daughter of former owners Earl and Virgina Noe.

Read more: The spirit of classic Huntsville restaurant Zesto rides again

McCollum’s Catfish

In 2016, McCollum’s Catfish in Decatur served dinner for the last time, and fans of the seafood spot have been missing it ever since. Open since 1961, the family-owned restaurant developed a strong following of loyal customers thanks to its menu of fresh seafood, hamburger steaks and more, but ultimately rising food costs and competition for business led to its demise, according to WHNT.

Bonus: Quincy’s Restaurant

Quincy’s, a popular steakhouse and buffet in the early ‘90s, might not have got its start in Alabama, but many readers still brought it up as the restaurant they miss the most (and yes, those yeast rolls were a big part of why). The restaurant chain once had more than 200 locations throughout our state and the rest of the South, but today, there ARE only two Quincy’s still open and neither are in Alabama.

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General

AL.com college football staff picks for Week 13 of 2024

There’s still chaos atop the college football rankings, but not so in AL.com’s staff picks.

With three weeks left for our panel, our own Mark Inabinett has opened up a three-game lead on the field. However, we do have a tie for last place (including yours truly).

In the real college football world, there are a couple of massive battles involving unbeaten teams this week. In the SEC, some playoff contenders trying to hold serve. Across the state, three of our teams — Alabama, Jacksonville State and South Alabama — are trying to stay in contention for conference titles. The others — Auburn, UAB and Troy — are mostly playing for pride.

Scroll along below to find out how various AL.com sports staffers see this week’s games playing out. We’ve also given predicted scores for this week’s Alabama and Auburn games.

A reminder that these picks are AGAINST THE SPREAD. That means that each person’s selection doesn’t necessarily mean he or she thinks that team will win outright, just that it will cover the point spread.

On with this week’s picks (all times Central and all games Saturday unless noted):

Ole Miss (-9.5) at Florida, 11 a.m., ABC

Thomas Ashworth: Ole Miss

Michael Casagrande: Ole Miss

Patrick Greenfield: Florida

Andrew Hammond: Ole Miss

Mark Inabinett: Ole Miss

Nick Kelly: Florida

Peter Rauterkus: Ole Miss

Creg Stephenson: Florida

Indiana (+11.5) at Ohio State, 11 a.m., Fox

Thomas Ashworth: Ohio State

Michael Casagrande: Ohio State

Patrick Greenfield: Ohio State

Andrew Hammond: Ohio State

Mark Inabinett: Ohio State

Nick Kelly: Ohio State

Peter Rauterkus: Ohio State

Creg Stephenson: Ohio State

Army (+16.5) vs. Notre Dame (Bronx, N.Y.), 6 p.m., NBC

Thomas Ashworth: Army

Michael Casagrande: Notre Dame

Patrick Greenfield: Notre Dame

Andrew Hammond: Army

Mark Inabinett: Army

Nick Kelly: Notre Dame

Peter Rauterkus: Army

Creg Stephenson: Notre Dame

Vanderbilt (+8.5) at LSU, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network

Thomas Ashworth: LSU

Michael Casagrande: Vanderbilt

Patrick Greenfield: LSU

Andrew Hammond: Vanderbilt

Mark Inabinett: Vanderbilt

Nick Kelly: Vanderbilt

Peter Rauterkus: Vanderbilt

Creg Stephenson: Vanderbilt

Sam Houston (+6) at Jacksonville State, 11 a.m., CBS Sports Network

Thomas Ashworth: Jacksonville State

Michael Casagrande: Jacksonville State

Patrick Greenfield: Jacksonville State

Andrew Hammond: Jacksonville State

Mark Inabinett: Sam Houston

Nick Kelly: Jacksonville State

Peter Rauterkus: Jacksonville State

Creg Stephenson: Jacksonville State

Rice (-6.5) at UAB, 1 p.m., ESPN+

Thomas Ashworth: Rice

Michael Casagrande: UAB

Patrick Greenfield: UAB

Andrew Hammond: Rice

Mark Inabinett: Rice

Nick Kelly: Rice

Peter Rauterkus: UAB

Creg Stephenson: UAB

South Alabama (-22.5) at Southern Miss, 2 p.m., ESPN+

Thomas Ashworth: South Alabama

Michael Casagrande: South Alabama

Patrick Greenfield: Southern Miss

Andrew Hammond: South Alabama

Mark Inabinett: Southern Miss

Nick Kelly: Southern Miss

Peter Rauterkus: South Alabama

Creg Stephenson: South Alabama

Troy (+11.5) at Louisiana, 4 p.m., ESPN+

Thomas Ashworth: Louisiana

Michael Casagrande: Louisiana

Patrick Greenfield: Louisiana

Andrew Hammond: Louisiana

Mark Inabinett: Troy

Nick Kelly: Louisiana

Peter Rauterkus: Louisiana

Creg Stephenson: Troy

Texas A&M (-2.5) at Auburn, 6:30 p.m., ESPN

Thomas Ashworth: Texas A&M 30, Auburn 24

Michael Casagrande: Texas A&M 28, Auburn 24

Patrick Greenfield: Texas A&M 28, Auburn 17

Andrew Hammond: Texas A&M 28, Auburn 14

Mark Inabinett: Texas A&M 24, Auburn 23

Nick Kelly: Texas A&M 23, Auburn 17

Peter Rauterkus: Auburn 20, Texas A&M 17

Creg Stephenson: Texas A&M 16, Auburn 14

Alabama (-14) at Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m., ABC

Thomas Ashworth: Alabama 34, Oklahoma 17

Michael Casagrande: Alabama 38, Oklahoma 14

Patrick Greenfield: Alabama 34, Oklahoma 17

Andrew Hammond: Alabama 45, Oklahoma 17

Mark Inabinett: Alabama 31, Oklahoma 18

Nick Kelly: Alabama 31, Oklahoma 13

Peter Rauterkus: Alabama 31, Oklahoma 14

Creg Stephenson: Alabama 21, Oklahoma 0

Standings after Week 12

Mark Inabinett 65-55 (5-5 last week)

Nick Kelly 62-58 (4-6 last week)

Michael Casagrande 59-61 (3-7 last week)

Andrew Hammond 58-62 (4-6 last week)

Peter Rauterkus 58-62 (3-7 last week)

Patrick Greenfield 56-64 (2-8 last week)

Thomas Ashworth 55-65 (5-5 last week)

Creg Stephenson 55-65 (3-7 last week)

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General

Country music singer sentenced to prison for fatal DUI crash

Country music singer Caleb Kennedy was sentenced Monday to prison for his role in a 2022 DUI crash that left one man dead.

Taste of Country reports Kennedy spend the next two years and three months in prison.

The former “American Idol” star actually got 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine for the crash, which left Larry Duane Parris, 54, dead.

The sentence, according to Taste of Country, was suspended to eight years and the fine was lowered to $15,100. Three years will be served in home detention, per the report. Kennedy also is receiving credit for two years and nine months served.

In February, Kennedy was arrested in Spartanburg, South Carolina on felony driving-under-the-influence charges back after he crashed into a workshop. Parris, who was in the shop, died from the injuries he sustained in the crash.

Taste of Country reported that Kennedy’s toxicology report showed traces of THC and Prozac, which he had a prescription for.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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Why Oklahoma game is emotional for Alabama football’s special teams coach

Alabama football special teams coordinator Jay Nunez used to get in the car with his high school friends in Alva, Okla. on Saturdays to make a three-hour drive to Norman. The youngsters would pull into town, watch Oklahoma play, then turn around and drive home.

Starting with the 2022 season, Nunez found himself coaching special teams for the Sooners, back in his home state.

“Coach (Brent) Venables, I owe him the world,” Nunez said Wednesday. “He pulled me out of Eastern Michigan to go home and coach at a school like that.”

Then, after two seasons in Norman, Nunez left home again. He took a job coaching special teams for new Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer.

It wasn’t easy for the Sooner State native.

“I’m a big believer in, God tells you where he wants you to be if you just shut up and listen,” Nunez said. “Which is very, very hard to do most of the time.”

DeBoer and Nunez had never worked together before this season. However, they had mutual friends, as Nunez had followed behind his new boss at Southern Illinois and Eastern Michigan.

“The name kept following kind of where I was at,” DeBoer said Monday. “Not necessarily, obviously, in my position, but just seemed to be a guy that, really, the staff related to well. Heard nothing but great things, and then when it came to production, just the variety of things that he did mostly with special teams, but also coaching positions, just a really, really great football coach.”

On Saturday, Nunez and the Crimson Tide are returning to Norman. Alabama and Oklahoma will face off for the first time since 2018.

It’s a huge game for the Tide. UA will be expected to win easily against a team that has only won one SEC matchup this season, and a loss would effectively knock DeBoer and company out of College Football Playoff contention.

It’s been an emotional week for Nunez, who said he hadn’t slept at all.

“There’s a lot of positional guys that played special teams that I never got to say goodbye to.” Nunez said. “Excited to give some of those guys a hug if they want to. If not, I’ll put my head down and cry. But there’s some bittersweetness to it, for sure.”

In the meantime, DeBoer praised his contributions to Alabama’s 2024 efforts.

“He touches pretty much every player (while) coaching the special teams,” DeBoer said. “Every player is in those meetings at some point throughout the week. He does a good job of just relating to them. He keeps them excited about special teams and understanding the significance, not just to our team now but the value it can bring them as they continue their careers well beyond their days here at Alabama.”

Alabama and Oklahoma are scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday in Norman. The game will be aired on ABC.

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Woman told police Pete Hegseth took her phone, wouldn’t let her leave, sexually assaulted her

A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late Wednesday.

Hegseth, a Fox News personality and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be defense secretary, told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said.

News of the allegations surfaced last week when local officials released a brief statement confirming that a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017 after he had spoken at a Republican women’s event in Monterey.

Hegseth’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Thursday. He has said Hegseth paid the woman in 2023 to head off the threat of a baseless lawsuit.

The 22-page police report was released in response to a public records request and offers the first detailed account of what the woman alleged to have transpired — one that is at odds with Hegseth’s version of events. The report cited police interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who treated her, a hotel staffer, another woman at the event and Hegseth.

The woman’s name was not released, and The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually assaulted.

A spokeswoman for the Trump transition said early Thursday that the “report corroborates what Mr. Hegseth’s attorneys have said all along: the incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false.”

The report does not say that police found the allegations were false. Police recommended the case report be forwarded to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for review.

Investigators were first alerted to the alleged assault, the report said, by a nurse who called them after a patient requested a sexual assault exam. The patient told medical personnel she believed she was assaulted five days earlier but couldn’t remember much about what had happened. She reported something may have been slipped into her drink before ending up in the hotel room where she said the assault occurred.

Police collected the unwashed dress and underwear she had worn that night, the report said.

The woman’s partner, who was staying at the hotel with her, told police that he was worried about her that night after she didn’t come back to their room. At 2 a.m., he went to the hotel bar, but she wasn’t there. She made it back a few hours later, apologizing that she “must have fallen asleep.” A few days later, she told him she had been sexually assaulted.

The woman, who helped organize the California Federation of Republican women gathering at which Hegseth spoke, told police that she had witnessed the TV anchor acting inappropriately throughout the night and saw him stroking multiple women’s thighs. She texted a friend that Hegseth was giving off a “creeper” vibe, according to the report.

After the event, the woman and others attended an afterparty in a hotel suite where she said she confronted Hegseth, telling him that she “did not appreciate how he treated women,” the report states.

A group of people, including Hegseth and the woman, decamped for the hotel’s bar. That’s when “things got fuzzy,” the woman told police.

She remembered having a drink at the bar with Hegseth and others, the police report states. She also told police that she argued with Hegseth near the hotel pool, an account that is supported by a hotel staffer who was sent to handle the disturbance and spoke to police, according to the report.

Soon, she told police, she was inside a hotel room with Hegseth, who took her phone and blocked the door with his body so that she could not leave, according to the report. She also told police she remembered “saying ‘no’ a lot,” the report said.

Her next memory was laying on a couch or bed with Hegseth hovering over her bare-chested, his dog tags dangling over her, the report states. Hegseth served in the National Guard, rising to the rank of major.

After Hegseth finished, she recalled him asking if she was “OK,” the report states. She told police she did not recall how she got back to her own hotel room and had since suffered from nightmares and memory loss.

At the time of the alleged assault in 2017, Hegseth, now 44, was going through a divorce with his second wife, with whom he has three children. She filed for divorce after he had a child with a Fox News producer who is now his wife, according to court records and social media posts by Hegseth. His first marriage ended in 2009, also after infidelity by Hegseth, according to court records.

Hegseth said he attended an after party and drank beer but did not consume liquor, and acknowledged being “buzzed” but not drunk.

He said he met the woman at the hotel bar, and she led him by the arm back to his hotel room, which surprised him because he initially had no intention of having sex with her, the report said.

Hegseth told investigators that the sexual encounter that followed was consensual, adding that he explicitly asked more than once if she was comfortable. Hegseth said in the morning the woman “showed early signs of regret,” and he assured her that he wouldn’t tell anyone about the encounter.

Hegseth’s attorney said a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidential settlement a few years after the police investigation because Hegseth was concerned that she was prepared to file a lawsuit that he feared could have resulted in him being fired from Fox News, where he was a popular host. The attorney would not reveal the amount of the payment.

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Can UMS-Wright crack Vigor’s stingy defense in Region 1 rematch?

The closest win in Vigor’s dominant season came on Aug. 13, when the Wolves beat UMS-Wright 30-14. Ironically, that game was also the most lopsided loss of the season for UMS-Wright.

Now, the Region 1 rivals get another shot at each other with a place in the Class 5A semifinals on the line. Kickoff from Vigor on Friday night is at 7 p.m.

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Can Auburn men’s basketball reach No. 1 in rankings? Maui Invitational will be the test

Bruce Pearl opened his Wednesday afternoon press conference with a puzzling stat as Auburn basketball prepares for the Maui Invitational next week.

The SEC’s success in Maui, for as long as the tournament has been in existence, is minimal. In fact, it’s been a while since an SEC team has won the tournament. Vanderbilt won it in 1986, and Kentucky did it in 1993.

In Auburn’s first Maui experience back in 2018, they went 2-1 defeating Xavier in the first round and Arizona in the third-place game.

The Tigers fell to Duke in the semifinal round that year and Bruce Pearl spoke on how dominant ACC programs are in that tournament.

“That tells you how hard it is to win. The ACC’s won it 11 times, or something like that. The Big Ten won it eight times,” Pearl said. But our teams have not had a ton of success out there.”

“The way I look at it is we have a chance to play three great teams on a neutral site, and really find out where we’re at, but also, potentially, help our NCAA Tournament resume, if we can be competitive.”

Ironically, the last time Auburn played in this tournament they made it all the way to the Final 4 in 2019.

Auburn starts this year’s tournament with No. 5 Iowa State and a victory will see them play No. 10 North Carolina or Dayton in the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, back-to-back national champions No. 3 UConn will matchup against Memphis and faces the winner of Colorado and Michigan State.

“It sort of reminds me a little bit about the road to the Final Four in 2019, and we looked at that as, ‘Man, somebody’s got to beat Kansas, or North Carolina, or Kentucky along the way,’” Pearl said. “You know, somebody’s got to beat Iowa State, or North Carolina, or Dayton, or UConn, somebody along the way. That’s just how we approach it. So, I’m kind of looking at it as one game at a time.”

Peal compared tournaments like this to the NCAA Tournament in March with the scheduling of all the games. However, the depth of his roster and rotations will look different with the return of Ja’Heim Hudson and Jahki Howard in the lineup after serving team suspensions.

“Because we have three games in three days, it’s a little bit like an NCAA Tournament weekend. Two games in three days in the tournament,” Pearl said.

“I think one thing that should serve us well is our depth. The fact that we’re playing, the first few games we played 11, the last couple games we played nine. I think that that helps you on the back-to-back-to-backs. I know our coaches will have great preparations.”

Senior Chad Baker-Mazara voiced how excited this opportunity is for the team. Already averaging 10.5 points per game shooting 52% from the floor, he wants to use the Maui stage as a place to show the world who the best team in the country is.

“We’re really looking forward to this. It might help us become No. 1 in the nation,” Baker-Mazara said. “That’s a goal that I personally want for us as a team, to reach No. 1 and be at the point where it’s like, OK, we’re the best. Hopefully we can hold that throughout the season.”

The Tigers open the Maui Invitational Monday, Nov. 25. with its matchup against the Cyclones and the game will be televised on ESPN U. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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