Alabama has the nation’s fourth-hardest strength of schedule, per KenPom, and Nate Oats believes this stretch is tough to top. “It may be the toughest seven-game stretch of anybody in the country in non-conference,

Youngblood is a Tuscaloosa native. He first played for Kennesaw State in college before he transferred to South Florida. There, he won AAC co-player of the year during the 2023-24 season. Youngblood is a 6-4, 223-pound graduate student guard.

Up to this point in the season, the Alabama Crimson Tide have been without one of their top offseason transfer portal additions in Chris Youngblood. A transfer from South Florida, Youngblood was the 2023-24 AAC Player of the Year where he averaged a combined 15.

Mark Sears scored 27 points and number seven Alabama held off a late comeback try, beating Creighton Saturday night. Sears, a senior guard who added six rebounds and four assists, hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final six minutes and shot 8 for 15 from the field.

Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats put it simply at pressers before No. 7 Alabama's top 20 matchup against No. 20 Illinois in the C.M. Newton Classic.

This weekend won't be the first time that Alabama basketball guard Chris Youngblood, who was cleared to play on Friday, meets Creighton.

The No. 7 Alabama basketball team returns home for the first time in a month to face the final opponent in it's brutal seven-game stretch of non-conference action. The Crimson Tide will welcome Creighton after defeating North Carolina in Chapel Hill last week and will look to get the programs first win over the Bluejays after going 0-3 all time.