Alabama Men's Basketball to Miss Two Key Players in 'The Feud' Exhibition: Cloer Out With Lower-Leg Injury, Onyejiaka With Back Injury
The University of Alabama men's basketball team took on Auburn in the preseason exhibition dubbed 'The Feud' at Legacy Arena in Birmingham on the evening of October 22, but word came before the game that the Crimson Tide would be without two important rotation players.
According to The Tuscaloosa News on October 22, freshman Cole Cloer was ruled out of the exhibition with a 'lower leg injury,' and the university's NIL collective said in a statement that the injury was 'not expected to be long term.' Cloer had broken out just a week earlier: in Alabama's 92-84 exhibition win over Ole Miss on October 15, he scored 18 points on 4-of-8 three-point shooting, with 4 assists, 2 rebounds and no turnovers, the team's second-highest scorer. The freshman, who transferred from NC State in April, missed all of last season after injuring his knee in practice, and injuries have found him again.
Also absent was sophomore center Collins Onyejiaka, who appeared on the bench in street clothes before the game. Citing sources, the paper reported that Onyejiaka left an October 19 practice with a suspected back injury after completing an alley-oop dunk and had not returned to the team; the school had not confirmed the severity of the injury. The 6-foot-11 center's freshman season was cut short by a heart condition, and he was medically cleared to return only this summer.
The exhibition, dubbed 'The Feud,' was Alabama's final preseason game; the Crimson Tide open the 2026-27 regular season against Sam Houston on November 3.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 阿拉巴马大学 Coleman Coliseum 球馆 / Coleman Coliseum, home of Alabama basketball — Benhen1997, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
