Alabama's Aden Holloway expected to miss NCAA Tournament opener

Alabama will likely be without one of its top scorers when the Crimson Tide open the NCAA Tournament this week.

Aden Holloway is expected to miss Alabama’s first round game after being arrested Monday morning on drug-related charges, creating an unexpected off-court distraction for the program just days before March Madness begins.

Authorities said the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force recovered more than a pound of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and cash during the incident. Holloway was taken into custody, according to a report by ESPN. 

Alabama coach Nate Oats confirmed the sophomore guard has been suspended while the situation is reviewed by the university.

“We’ve got standards in our program,” Oats said. “We’ve got ways we hold our guys accountable and we try to keep everything in-house. Obviously, some of the situations you can’t, and this is one of those.” He added, "We're preparing to play without him this weekend."

Despite the disciplinary action, Oats made it clear the program will continue to support Holloway during the process.

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“That being said, we still love him,” Oats said. “He’s still our guy. We’re helping him get the help he needs. We’re going to continue to help him in whatever way we can.”

The absence could be significant for Alabama heading into the tournament. Holloway has been one of the Tide’s most productive players this season, averaging 16.8 points per game across 28 appearances while shooting 48.1% from the field. He has also been a key piece of Alabama’s perimeter attack, attempting about six 3-pointers per game and converting 43.8 percent. 

Alabama earned a No. 4 seed on Selection Sunday and will face Hofstra in the opening round Friday. If the Crimson Tide advance, they would meet the winner of the game between Texas Tech and Akron in the Round of 32 on Sunday.

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