Rarely have more neutral college sports fans pulled for Tennessee athletics then they did Saturday night when Vol basketball knocked off Alabama 79-73 in Tuscaloosa. That was due to Alabama center Charles Bediako returning the court after over two years in professional basketball.
Bediako was playing in his first college game since the 2023 Sweet 16 when one-seed Alabama fell to San Diego State. After the season, the sophomore center declared for the NBA Draft and played 2.5 years in the G League before deciding to return to Alabama.
A move the NCAA deems illegal, a Tuscaloosa County judge granted Bediako’s request for a temporary restraining order which allowed Bediako to return to college and play against Tennessee on Saturday night.
The move sparked anger throughout the sport. Meeting with the media at the Senior Bowl Thursday, a reporter asked new Auburn football coach Alex Golesh his thoughts on the situation. Golesh did not miss the opportunity to poke at his new rival.
“Certainly fascinating from a legal side,” Golesh said. “Fascinating. How did it work out for them last weekend?”
Bediako came off the bench and played 25 minutes against Tennessee, totaling 13 points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals. The inclement weather in the southeast led to the NCAA requesting a delay in the Bediako hearing with the courts extending Bediako’s temporary restraining order by 10 days.
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Alabama inserted Bediako into the starting lineup on Tuesday night against Missouri and the sophomore center totaled 14 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes of action in the blowout win over the Tigers.
The new Auburn head coach has ties to Tennessee athletics too. Golesh spent two seasons as Josh Heupel’s offensive coordinator from 2021-22, helping re-build the Vols’ program and one of the nation’s best offenses. He was previously on Heupel’s staff at UCF before coming to Tennessee.
Before landing at Auburn, Golesh spent three season as head coach at USF where he’s helped lead the Bulls to a 23-15 record. The offensive minded coach inherited a terrible situation in Tampa with the Bulls posting a 1-11 record the year before his arrival. But Golesh got USF back to a bowl game in his first year as head coach.
Tennessee basketball faces Alabama again next month with the Crimson Tide traveling to Knoxville on Saturday, Feb. 28. Vol football hosts Alex Golesh and Auburn at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 3.
