Alabama basketball could have another piece of the rotation back for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Wednesday.
After an 83-80 loss to undefeated Oregon (8-0) in the Players Era Festival championship, UA coach Nate Oats told media network The Field of 68 that guard Chris Youngblood might see his debut for the Crimson Tide at UNC this week.
Ahead of the season, the South Florida transfer suffered an ankle injury during practice that required surgery, leaving him out for exhibitions against Wake Forest and Memphis, as well as regular season showdowns like Alabama’s 100-54 opener against UNC-Asheville, the loss at No. 12 Purdue and UA’s first overtime appearance on Tuesday to upset a top-ranked Houston defense.
Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman noted that while Oats said a return in Chapel Hill is possible for Youngblood, it’s “more likely” he comes back on Dec. 14 when Alabama (6-2) plays Creighton at home in Coleman Coliseum.
Oats’ announcement comes after returning Final Four guard Latrell Wrightsell, Jr. exited the Oregon game, coming out of halftime with an apparent leg injury.
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The last time Alabama and UNC faced off in March, the then-No. 4 Crimson Tide edged a top-ranked UNC out of the NCAA Tournament with an 89-87 final.
With Wrightsell, Youngblood is one of six grads on Alabama’s roster and was projected to be one of the starting five before falling injured. In his final season at South Florida, Youngblood led the 25-8 Bulls to a historic regular season conference title, secured by a 16-2 record in the AAC.
He played in all 33 games on the schedule, leading USF with an average 15.3 points per game, also averaging 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists along the way. Tulane was the only game that Youngblood didn’t start, and he still showed off his sharp-shooting skills going 6-for-6 from the arc for a career-high 29 points.
Alabama and UNC will meet in Chapel Hill on Dec. 4 for a 6:15 p.m. CT tipoff. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Chris Youngblood injury: Nate Oats updates status ahead of UNC game
