Keitenn Bristow, Aden Holloway, Latrell Wrightsell injury update: Nate Oats reveals status of Alabama trio vs. North Dakota

College basketball is back in Tuscaloosa on Monday night. Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide welcome the North Dakota Fighting Hawks to town. Last year saw an interesting matchup take place up in Grand Forks, now getting a return leg at Coleman Coliseum.

Just before tip-off, Oats provided some injury updates. Alabama will be without three players who had a chance of playing against North Dakota — Keitenn Bristow, Aden Holloway, and Latrell Wrightsell. All of them are dealing with different injuries.

Wrightsell may be the biggest name of the bunch, returning after a torn Achilles. However, it’s a finger injury keeping him out of the season opener. The issue arose during a preseason scrimmage vs. Furman before getting re-aggravated during practice.

Moving over to Holloway, who is in his second year at Alabama after transferring from Auburn. A wrist injury “flared up” for the star point guard. Oats says he is considered day-to-day, something to monitor as the Crimson Tide head to New York City to face St. John’s on Saturday.

Finally, Bristow rolled his ankle when practicing leading up to the North Dakota matchup. Thankfully, all three have a good chance of returning in the near future. The home crowd will just miss out on seeing them play.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Even with the trio of injuries, Alabama will still enter as heavy favorites. The goal remains the same — starting off the new season with a win.

Alabama looking to continue success under Nate Oats

Alabama continues to reach new heights under Oats, putting together successful season after successful season. Last year was the latest example, making the Elite Eight for the second straight NCAA Tournament. The Duke Blue Devils held them from making another Final Four in an entertaining game.

Oats is not going to lower his expectations, no matter who left the program. Alabama did more great work through high school recruiting and the NCAA transfer portal, while also retaining important pieces of the roster. Guys such as Holloway and Wrightsell are expected to be major contributors.

As usual, tough roads are ahead in the early portion of the season. North Dakota does serve as the opener before getting into a grueling stretch during nonconference. This is nothing new for Oats, looking to test his team early and often. His goal is to be prepared for what can be a brutal SEC schedule.