Alabama basketball announces TV details for non-conference clash with Gonzaga

Alabama basketball will get a chance to showcase its 2022 roster on a national stage early this season when Gonzaga travels to Birmingham, Alabama for the CM Newton Classic on Dec. 17. The non-conference clash will be shown on CBS, with tip-off scheduled for 12 pm CT, according to a post by the school.

The neutral site game located near Alabama’s campus is a return of a pseudo home-and-home series which started with the Battle in Seattle last season. The Crimson Tide got the best of Gonzaga with a 91-82 win in a hostile environment, making the 2022 showdown even more intriguing.

Both teams promise to enter the matchup as Top 25 teams given their preseason pedigree and year-over-year results. Under Mark Few Gonzaga has become a perineal Final Four contender and often finds itself as a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Nate Oats has taken Alabama to another level since taken over with high-level recruiting and multiple NCAA Tournament appearances which have built big expectations.

The Crimson Tide brings back contributing forwards Darius Miles, Noah Gurley and Charles Bediako – in addition to guard Jahvon Quinerly who could miss the game while recovering from injury – but is headlined by a group of new players. Freshman Brandon Miller has caught many scouts’ eyes in the preseason and he is joined by guards Jaden Bradley and Rylan Griffen in the 2022 class. Alabama also adds Ohio transfer and Alabama native Mark Sears at guard, as well as getting former Texas Tech transfer Nimari Burnett on the court for the first time after an injury setback in 2021.