Just days before tipping off in the NCAA Tournament, the Alabama Crimson Tide, which earned the No. 4 seed on Selection Sunday, is grappling with an unexpected crisis that could derail its championship ambitions. Star player Aden Holloway was arrested by Tuscaloosa police on Monday, and it isn’t looking good for a team facing a side that has lost only one game since January 29.

“Alabama basketball player Aden Holloway was arrested this morning on a first-degree possession of m*******a charge after a search of a residence by the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force, according to a Tuscaloosa police spokesperson,” basketball insider Mike Rodak reported on X.

According to Bama247, agents conducted a search of a residence in the 400 block of 30th Avenue East.

The Tuscaloosa police spokesperson, Stephanie Taylor, said they “recovered more than a pound of m*******a, p***********a and cash.”

Holloway, 21, is facing a first-degree possession charge and failure to affix a tax stamp, both felonies. He posted a $5,000 bond and was released from jail Monday morning. This incident happened right after Holloway was involved in a traffic stop last week, according to the police spokesperson.

In the state of Alabama, a first-degree drug possession charge can carry a penalty of up to 10 years in jail or a $15,000 fine.

The situation presents a tough challenge for Alabama coach Nate Oats, who also shed light on the situation ahead of the NCAA tournament.

Nate Oats has already made up his mind

Aden Holloway was “removed from campus.” He is not with the team four days before an NCAA tournament matchup against Hofstra on Friday, a team spokesperson told ESPN.

“We got standards in our program, and we’ve got ways we’ve held our guys accountable, and we try to keep everything in-house, obviously some of the situations you can’t, and this is one of those,” Oats said on his radio show Monday evening. “We’re certainly disappointed in his behavior. But that being said, we still love him, he’s still our guy. We’re helping him get the help that he needs and we’re going to continue to help him whatever way we can. But as far as our team goes, I thought we had a great practice, we’re preparing to play without him this weekend.”

Holloway was one of the Crimson Tide’s most productive players this season and was set to be an integral part of the roster heading into the NCAA Tournament. He is averaging 16.8 points per game across 28 appearances, shooting 48.1% from the field and 43.8% from the three-point line. With Holloway on the court, Alabama has been 9.7 points per 100 possessions better on offense, according to EvanMiya.

Without Holloway, who possesses the highest offensive rating (KenPom), pressure mounts on Labaron Philon Jr. to carry the load. He leads the team in scoring this season, averaging 21.7 points per game. He scored 28 points, four rebounds, and four assists in the loss to Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC tournament.

“While at the same time, Aden is one of our guys and everybody wants to wrap their arms around and love him,” Oats said. “Everybody makes mistakes in life, but they also understand, we’ve got to move on, and we’ve got a whole other group of guys, and the team’s got to go play Friday.”