Michigan

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne announced Sunday he has finalized a contract extension with basketball coach Nate Oats. Byrne announced on social media Oats has signed the deal “that will make him one of the top five compensated men's basketball coaches in the country.”

The Final Four is set. Illinois will face UConn and Michigan will take on Arizona next Saturday, with the winners squaring off two nights later for the national title. The Arizona-Michigan game is a matchup of top seeds. UConn, after a 19-point comeback for a 73-72 win over Duke, is seeded second and will play No. 3 seed Illinois.

Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a dazzling all-around performance, and Michigan beat Alabama 90-77 on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau each scored 17 points as top-seeded Michigan set a school record with its 34th win of the season. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with 16 points.

An Alabama inmate convicted of murdering a woman after breaking into her apartment as she slept was put to death Thursday evening in the nation's fourth execution using nitrogen gas. Demetrius Frazier, 52, was pronounced dead at 6:36 p.m. CST at a south Alabama prison for his murder conviction in the 1991 rape and killing of 41-year-old Pauline Brown.

A year ago, Alabama’s 20-27 loss to Michigan marked the beginning of the end for legendary coach Nick Saban. The Wolverines went onto to win the national championship 34-14 by beating the Washington Huskies, coached by Kalen DeBoer. That coach led the Crimson Tide against Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa and the results were similarly disappointing for fans of Alabama.

The Crimson Tide is practicing for the New Year’s Eve ReliaQuest Bowl before heading home for Christmas. Head Coach Kalen DeBoer will be facing Michigan with fewer star players.

Alabama is out of the first ever twelve team playoffs. The Tide will play Michigan at Raymond James Stadium for the ReliaQuest Bowl. The Tampa venue is where the Tide suffered a painful loss to Clemson in 2017. It was also the Tiger's weekend performance that helped seal Alabama's fate in this year's postseason.

Oregon has become the fourth team this season to hold the number one ranking in The Associated Press college football poll. The Ducks moved into the top spot for the first time in twelve years after Texas lost at me to Georgia. Vanderbilt at number twenty five makes its first appearance since the 2013 season and defending national champion Michigan is out after a second straight loss. The news is worse for Alabama.

Georgia is number one in The Associated Press Top twenty five preseason college football poll for the second straight year as the super conference era begins with the SEC and Big Ten dominating the top ten of the rankings. Alabama is number five.

Summer is the season of sun, sports, vacations and yard sales. The 127 Yard Sale advertises itself as the “world’s longest yard sale.” This massive event stretches over 690 miles through Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan.