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Alabama basketball is reportedly adding the Houston Cougars to its non-conference schedule in the 2020-2021 season, scheduling a home-and-home series with Houston of the American Athletic Conference.

The news was first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports via Twitter:

According to Rothstein's report, the Crimson Tide will host the Cougars in the first matchup slated for this fall, with Houston hosting the matchup in 2021.

The Cougars finished the 2019-2020 season ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25 with an overall record of 23-8. Much like Alabama, Houston was scheduled to take place in their first conference tournament game the weekend that the NCAA cancelled the season, leaving their conference championship goals unrealized despite a highly successful season.

The Cougars faced one SEC opponent last season, playing at South Carolina on Dec. 8. Houston walked out of Columbia with a dominating 76-56 victory.

The scheduling of another top-25 opponent is a welcome addition to Alabama's non-conference schedule. In addition to the Cougars, the Crimson Tide has also scheduled a trip to Hawaii for the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, where Alabama will compete against Davidson, Indiana, North Carolina, Providence, Stanford, Texas and UNLV.

Alabama is also scheduled to take part in the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta on Dec. 12 against Clemson.

Update: The Crimson Tide have officially announced the matchup with Houston for Dec. 19 in Tuscaloosa at Coleman Coliseum. The date for the return game in Houston will be announced at a later time. 

"We are excited to have a program of high caliber such as Houston on our schedule for the next two years," coach Nate Oats said. "This is a great opportunity for both programs because it adds a quality opponent to our schedule while at the same time creating excitement for both fanbases. Playing such quality competition is only going to make our team and our program better. Houston has proven to be a perennial NCAA Tournament team that competes for championships each season, so we are looking forward to welcoming them to Coleman Coliseum next year."