Drew takes an in-depth look at the Crimson Tide.
Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) – Ken Pom #10 – AP #2
Basic Information
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Type of School: Public
Mascot: Big Al (The Elephant)
Head Coach – Nate Oats
Seasons at Alabama: 6
Career Record: 216-97
Regular Season Conference Championships: 4 (Buffalo 2, Alabama 2)
Conference Tournament Championships: 5 (Buffalo 3, Alabama 2)
NCAA Appearances: 8
Final 4 Appearances: 1
Kenpom Style of Play
() = National Ranking per Kenpom
Offense
Adj. Efficiency: 119 (6)
Avg. Poss. Length: 14.3 (10)
Defense
Adj. Efficiency: 40.1 (17)
Avg. Poss. Length: 17.1 (196)
Tempo
Adj. Tempo: 74.9 (9)
Kenpom 4 Factors
() = National Ranking per Kenpom
Offense
Effective FG%: 56.5 (68)
Turnover %: 16.4 (123)
Off. Reb. %: 34.9 (77)
FTA/FGA: 59.7 (9)
Defense
Effective FG%: 40.1 (17)
Turnover %: 15.5 (255)
Off. Reb. %: 24.8 (76)
FTA/FGA: 31.1 (145)
Personnel
Alabama Bench
Alabama on Offense
Here’s the revised version of your text with improved punctuation:
The Crimson Tide wants to start the game running and gunning, do a little more running, and possibly gunning, in the middle of the game, and then finish the game running and gunning.
One big change from last season is how they deploy Mark Sears. Nate Oats has moved the returning All-American off the ball this season, with freshman Labaron Philon taking over more of the ball-handling and playmaking role. It’s similar to the role Carsen Edwards played as a junior. It’s harder for teams to double-team Sears when he’s off the ball, and he’ll fly around screens looking for quick 3’s. In Alabama’s first 3 games, Sears has shot less, but that’s more a product of the competition. They haven’t needed Sears to carry the scoring load yet this season, but Purdue is a little different than McNeese State.
Philon, a high 4* recruit, is still working on finding his game at the college level. He’s more of a traditional point guard than a combo guard. He looks to get downhill, get a piece of the lane, and then either finish at the rim or kick to one of Alabama’s shooters. He’s not much of a threat from deep himself, hitting only 1-7 so far this season. Look for Purdue to go under every high ball screen and challenge Philon to shoot the ball. If he struggles, Nate Oates can always move Sears back on the ball as the primary point guard. Going under against Sears is death.
Latrell Wrightsell and Grant Nelson also return from the Crimson Tide’s Final 4 run from last season. Wrightsell is another instant-offense player capable of putting up points in bunches. The good news is he hasn’t done so efficiently this season. He leads the Tide in 3-point attempts by a wide margin (7.3/game) but is only hitting 32% from deep. Word of warning, though: Wrightsell was 2-13 combined from deep in Alabama’s first two games but went 5-9 from behind the arc the last time out against McNeese State. He won’t be shy to pull the trigger.
The frontcourt is as experienced as you’ll find in college basketball, with Grant Nelson and Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi holding down the post for Nate Oates. Nelson is an interesting player. He should be the glue guy for the Tide. He came into Tuscaloosa with the reputation as a stretch 4 or 5 from North Dakota State, but the shooting hasn’t followed. He still attempts 2.3 a game, but is only hitting 0.7 a game. The Boilermakers would be well-served to let him stand in the corner and shoot if that’s what he wants to do. A Grant Nelson 3 isn’t a terrible end to a defensive possession against Alabama; he’s unlikely to hit, and if he does, it might encourage him to take more.
We all know Cliff. He’s built like a Greek god and provided Zach Edey with one of his biggest challenges in the Big 10. On offense, he’s very much a one-dimensional player, but he’s excellent at that dimension. He’s going to score 95% of his points inside of 5 feet. He’s not someone Alabama runs offense for, but that’s sort of the point of having Cliff on the team. The Crimson Tide need someone who doesn’t need shots. He’s a beast on the glass and is currently shooting 92% from the field. Purdue has to block him out because giving Alabama extra opportunities to launch 3’s tends to end in a poor outcome for the defense.
Nate Oates has used the first 3 games to get the young guys on his bench going while limiting the minutes of his experienced players. I expect Oates to lean heavily on his experience on the road at Mackey, but he has plenty of talent (albeit inexperienced talent) at his disposal. Aden Holloway was a top-20 recruit from the 2023 class who started at Auburn before shifting his allegiance to the Crimson Tide in 2024 (what a weird time to be alive). He’s another guy that starts shooting 3’s as soon as he steps on the court, and stops when he returns to the bench. Like Philon, I’m OK with Holloway shooting, and wouldn’t be surprised if Purdue goes under high ball screens until he proves he can consistently hit shots. He was good in the first two games of the season, hitting 4-7 from 3, but went 0-5 against McNeese last time out.
Jarin Stevenson is their primary big off the bench (or he might start; he did against McNeese in place of Wrightsell). He’s an athletic 6’11” who plays more like a tall wing than a true post player. Like Nelson and Omoruyi, he’s not much of a threat to hit from deep, and Purdue should encourage him to shoot. One thing that stands out is his ability to pass the ball as a big. He’s averaging 2 assists a game in 18 minutes. When Purdue doubles him in the post, they have to stick with cutters because Stevenson will find them. He’s also good at throwing the skip pass over the double team to the opposite corner for a spot-up 3 because of his length.
Alabama on Defense
It’s hard to get a read on the Tide’s defense so far this season. They’ve been good, but the competition has been lacking. In theory, they want to chase guards off the 3-point line and force them into the teeth of the defense. Omoruyi is a monster. He’s a little like Zach from last year. His 11.3 block % (43rd in the country) would be much higher if guards didn’t retreat as soon as they see him lurking in the paint. Challenge him at the rim at your own peril.
One thing I find surprising is, like Purdue in past seasons, Nate Oates values challenged shots over turnovers. Their 15.5 turnover % on defense is 255th in the nation. That’s good news for a Purdue team that likes to turn the ball over. Again, it’s tough to get a good read on them because they’ve yet to play a team capable of stressing their defense.
Last season, their defensive efficiency of 103 was good for 111th in the country. Through 3 games this season, they’re at 95, good for 20th. That could be a product of bringing in an elite shot-blocking center, but it could also be a product of a weak early season schedule. One unusual aspect of Purdue’s game is their ability and willingness to score from the mid-range with Braden Smith and now CJ Cox. Both point guards should have opportunities to get to the elbows and pull up if they use Omoruyi in drop coverage on the high pick-and-roll.
I’ll also be interested to see how Alabama matches up in the post. Do they use Omoruyi as a help-side defender on one of Purdue’s pu-pu-platter of centers, or do they put him on TKR and try to eliminate Purdue’s primary post scorer? Cliff is hyper-athletic, but TKR’s ability to pull him outside and run the offense from the free-throw line could pull him away from the goal. Purdue’s best-case scenario, in terms of offensive rebounding, is Purdue’s centers rebounding against Grant Nelson.
Overall
This is Purdue’s first true test in the Zach Edey era. They’re going to have to score, and score consistently from all 3 levels. Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn were all great as a supporting cast for the most dominant force in modern college basketball, but now they have to show they can step up and lead.
The last time we saw Smith and Loyer play against a truly elite team (UConn), they combined for 12 points, all of which were provided by Smith on 3-10 shooting. If Purdue wants to be a factor in the Big 10, their backcourt has to lead the way. This will be their first opportunity to prove they’re ready to shoulder the scoring load without Zach providing open shots simply by existing on the court. UConn played the big man straight up and overwhelmed Smith and Loyer with their athletic backcourt.
We’ll have a better idea about what to expect from the Boilermakers after this game. One thing to keep in mind: Alabama knows who they are as a team coming into this game. Over the last 2 seasons, Purdue has feasted on teams trying to “figure things out” early in the year, but now Purdue’s trying to “figure things out” against a team with an established identity. Win or lose, I’m going to try my best not to overreact to a college basketball game played in November.
More on Purdue and Alabama in Podcast Form!
If you’re interested in more Purdue vs Alabama talk, Sam and I spend the last segment of this podcast on the upcoming game.