# SEC Morning Report: Alabama Hangs 111 on Furman in Exhibition Opener **Published:** 2026-10-09 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield **Category:** daily-roundup — **Type:** daily-roundup **Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-morning-report-alabama-hangs-111-on-furman-in-exhibition-opener **Teams:** [Alabama](https://secscouts.com/alabama/), [Arkansas](https://secscouts.com/arkansas/), [Auburn](https://secscouts.com/auburn/), [Kentucky](https://secscouts.com/kentucky/), [LSU](https://secscouts.com/lsu/), [Ole Miss](https://secscouts.com/ole-miss/), [Tennessee](https://secscouts.com/tennessee/), [Texas A&M](https://secscouts.com/texas-am/) --- ## LEAD STORY: Alabama Opens Exhibition Slate With 111-93 Win Over Furman Alabama tipped off its three-game exhibition schedule Thursday night at Coleman Coliseum by beating Furman 111-93. Defense was optional on both ends. The Crimson Tide played without Aden Holloway, Anderson Diaz, Jaxon Richardson and Preston Murphy Jr. Richardson was out with an illness, and the Alabama staff expects Diaz to miss "a month or so." Even so, Alabama put six players in double figures and topped 100 points on an Amari Allen three late in the second half. Alabama started Allen, freshman Qayden Samuels, London Jemison, Keitenn Bristow and Boise State transfer Drew Fielder. The game stayed close early until Allen scored six straight to make it 31-25. Back-to-back threes from Samuels and Bristow, then two straight from Jemison, gave the Tide a 60-49 halftime lead. Alabama shot 22-of-39 (56%) and 11-of-23 from deep (48%) in the first half, with 13 assists against five turnovers. Kentucky transfer Brandon Garrison led all first-half scorers with 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Allen finished with 19 points, six assists and five rebounds, though he also had four turnovers. Freshman Tarris Bouie added 18 points on 8-of-8 free throws, with eight rebounds and a highlight steal-and-dunk to close the scoring. Samuels had 17 points and seven rebounds and played point guard in stretches. Garrison went a perfect 7-of-7 for 15 points. NC State transfer Cole Cloer hit 4-of-10 from three for 14, and Jemison added 10 points and six rebounds. With two lead guards out, Allen and Samuels will play big minutes at the point. The defense needs work, though. Furman shot 42% overall, made 18 threes and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. Abijah Franklin scored 18 first-half points for the Paladins. ## QUICK HITS - **Florida soccer stuns No. 5 Alabama:** Bailey's 89th-minute goal gave the Gators a 1-0 road win. Florida is now the only team in the country with two top-five wins this season. - **Missouri's rise and an A&M test:** The Tigers moved up 11 spots to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 after their 45-17 rout of then-No. 8 Florida. Rock M Nation pointed to Jason Dowell's breakout: a career-high 34 defensive snaps, 25 of them in pass-rush situations per PFF, with a sack and three pressures. Next up is Texas A&M dual-threat QB Marcel Reed. "He could beat us with his arm and his legs," Missouri linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez said. - **Missouri hoops eligibility push:** Per Rock M Nation, DePaul transfer CJ Gunn has filed in Boone County to gain eligibility to play for Missouri this season. The outlet called him a potential starter-level addition if he is cleared. - **Ole Miss volleyball on the road:** The Rebels open a pair of top-10 road matchups Friday at No. 10 Tennessee (5:30 p.m. CT). - **SEC Tipoff '27 lineup:** Ole Miss will send Talaysia Cooper, Lauren Jacobs and Jada Richard to SEC Tipoff '27 in Birmingham on Tuesday, Oct. 13. **Around the league:** Missouri cross country is getting ready for the SEC Championships, led by Wanjiku. As a freshman in 2025 she was first-team All-SEC and an All-American after finishing 35th at the NCAA Championships. Oklahoma's cross country teams run Friday at Wisconsin's Nuttycombe Invitational. Ole Miss men's tennis sends three doubles pairs to the ITA Southern Regional at Auburn's Yarbrough Tennis Center. Tennessee softball hosts Northeast Alabama, Northwest Florida State and Roane State in Week 3 of fall ball. Arkansas has put 2027 gymnastics season tickets on sale and announced its theme nights. ## PORTAL WATCH No new transfer portal activity involving SEC programs was reported in the last 12 hours. The portal story to watch is Gunn's eligibility case at Missouri. If he is cleared, the Tigers add an experienced guard right before the season. ## RECRUITING BUZZ No new commitments came in overnight. Recruiting attention shifts to official and unofficial visits around this weekend's SEC football games, where several conference matchups carry ranking and Playoff implications. ## GAMES TO WATCH Seven SEC matchups are on the slate: - **Georgia at Alabama** - **Tennessee at Arkansas** - **South Carolina at Florida** - **LSU at Kentucky** - **Texas A&M at Missouri:** No. 14 Missouri tries to build on the Florida win against Reed and an Aggies offensive line that has improved after breaking in four new starters. - **Texas at Oklahoma** - **Ole Miss at Vanderbilt** Vanderbilt also hosts Auburn on Friday night, and Ole Miss volleyball faces No. 10 Tennessee in Knoxville. --- *Original article: [SEC Morning Report: Alabama Hangs 111 on Furman in Exhibition Opener](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-morning-report-alabama-hangs-111-on-furman-in-exhibition-opener) — SEC Scouts*