Houston Mallette was not emotionally ready on Friday to see his Alabama career officially come to an end.
A second-half collapse doomed 4-seed Alabama against 1-seed Michigan in their Sweet 16 showdown at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. The Crimson Tide led 49-47 at halftime, but got outscored by 15 after the break in the 90-77 loss to the Wolverines.
Mallette, a 5-year senior who transferred to Tuscaloosa after three seasons at Pepperdine, remained a sullen figure long after the final buzzer sounded. He was spotted leaving the arena still wearing the jersey he put on for the contest.
>p>This is how Houston Mallette walked out of the arena tonight. The uniform meant so much to him that he wasn’t ready to take it off after the game. We will miss this guy for sure. God has big plans for his life. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/esGBjqeMf0
— Garrett Walker (@GarrettWalkr) March 28, 2026
Judging by Mallette’s words throughout the tournament, the move was clearly intentional. He expressed his passion for putting on the Alabama uniform after the team’s second-round win over Texas Tech last week.
“I don’t want to leave Alabama,” Mallette said. “I will die for this school. I love this place, and these guys love it as well. That’s kind of been our whole motto this year.”
It’s a sentiment Mallette has carried throughout the season. He said in October that he would come back “every single year” had he still held any remaining years of eligibility. Despite going from a high-usage starter at Pepperdine to a sixth man role at Alabama, Mallette clearly connected with his Crimson Tide family.
Mallette finished with 2 points on 1/6 shooting across 25 minutes in his final game in an Alabama uniform.
