Alabama Set to Face Former Crimson Tide Final Four Player vs. Arkansas

Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats remembers and previews Razorbacks forward Nick Pringle, who played at Alabama during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Jan 14, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Nick Pringle (23) shoots a free throw during the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nate Oats has not been a stranger to facing his former players this season.

The transfer portal is a major part of college basketball, and it's evident in Alabama's 2025-26 schedule. The Crimson Tide has gone head-to-head with the teams of seven former Alabama players this season: Kennesaw State's Davin Cosby (out for season due to car accident) UNLV's Naas Cunningham (did not play), Arizona's Jaden Bradley, Kentucky's Mouhamed Dioubate Oklahoma's Derrion Reid and Mohamed Wague and Texas A&M's Rylan Griffen.

UA is eyeing another against Arkansas and Razorbacks forward Nick Pringle on Wednesday evening. Pringle spent the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons in Tuscaloosa after his freshman campaign at Wofford and a sophomore year in JUCO.

"From what I can see in the games, it seems like he's got his energy back," Oats said of Pringle during Tuesday's press conference. "When he was here, he was great teammate. All his teammates love him. It seems like he's got that positive energy going. He's back to playing, having fun, playing athletic."

Pringle averaged 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game during his 34 contests and 16 starts during the Crimson Tide's historic 2023-24 Final Four season. He proceeded to transfer South Carolina the next season, and put up career bests in numerous stat categories, including points per game (9.5) and rebounds (6.3).

Nevertheless, while Pringle is a starter for the Razorbacks, he's only playing 20.1 minutes per game, which is 4.5 fewer than last year with the Gamecocks. That said, the 6-foot-10, 230-pounder is shooting 71.2 percent from the field, as he's yet to attempt a three-pointer this season and only has five attempts in his collegiate career.

"I think he's having a good year for them," Oats said. "He's played well for them in some of their bigger games. He's gotten a little bit better at the stuff he's great at. You know, he's a pretty similar player, though, but just a little better at the stuff that he was good at I feel like.

"It's not like they're asking him to handle the ball, score a bunch in the post. It's a somewhat similar role [to what he had at Alabama], but he's a couple years older, more mature and is playing pretty well for them."

The Crimson Tide came into this past week winning its previous two contests, and Alabama continued the streak with a 93-74 road win over Ole Miss on Feb. 11 and an 89-73 home victory over South Carolina on Feb. 14. These wins helped Alabama return to the AP Top 25 at the No. 25 spot on Monday.

Head coach Nate Oats and company aim to continue the streak against the Razorbacks, but it will be a tall task as Arkansas is led by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame head coach John Calipari.

Five of Alabama's seven losses this season have come to teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25. Ahead of the Arkansas game, the Crimson Tide is striving for a 4-6 record against ranked teams rather than a 3-7 clip.

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