After the loss of so many half-court grinders, half-court creators, and blue collar scrappers, one of the big questions entering the season was how a new-look Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball team would fare if the perimeter shots weren’t falling.
Friday night, the Tide got to answer that question with one word: Unsteady…at first
‘Bama’s opponent, the defending Summit League champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits proved a far more formidable test than did the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The most veteran team in the nation looked every bit the part, knocking down open looks, hustling on both ends, and killing the Tide with dribble-drive penetration. But where SDSU was the most impressive was in cutting off Alabama’s transition game. The Jacks were falling back into the half-court almost as soon as a shot was released, denying the Tide run-n-gun gimmes, easy looks from the perimeter, and monstrous runs we’ve come to expect under Nate Oats.
Instead, ‘Bama had to rely upon a half-court game, make extra passes, use the post, lean on bigs, drive the lane – work for their points, in short. And SDSU did not make that easy with some good defensive rebounding and aggressive man-defense. Making the Tide’s job more difficult was the loss of Juwan Gary on a non-contact play, where he came down funny and immediately went to the locker room, unable to place any weight on his ankle.
The moment was not too large for SDSU, though the talent advantage was. ‘Bama went into the locker room up by just 3 points, 41-38, after falling behind by as many as 5 late in the half.
The second half was a very different story, however, as a different Alabama team exited the locker room. It was one intent on crashing the glass, working the two-man give-and-go-game, making the extra pass, and especially one that challenged shots in the paint.
At one stretch, midway through the second half, with Alabama looking sluggish and after SDSU’s Mayo knocked down 9 quick points to cut it to 8, Alabama’s defense came to life – three straight blocks in the paint keyed an unreal sequence that saw JD Davison school his defender with a Eurostep; a behind-the-back pass culminate in a big three from the corner; and a pick-and-roll to Charles Bediako on a touch-pass alley oop.
That was, for all practical purposes, the end of what had been a competitive game. Alabama went up by as many as 17, and though the Jacks never stopped scrapping and competing, at one point cutting it to 10, ‘Bama was never in serious danger after its second possession of the half.
One thing is certain – as deep and talented as this team is, every night is going to feature a different player who’s the best on the floor. Jaden Shackelford had 19; Jelly had 26, and they still weren’t the most active players on the floor — Darius Miles was everywhere; Ellis had the world’s quietest 13 rebounds, and angry Chuck Bediako was an absolute difference-maker.
We’ll have a more detailed breakdown coming for you later, including complete stats and analysis. But for now, celebrate the W: This was the second straight victory over a likely Tourney team to start ‘Bama’s obscenely-tough nonconference schedule.
No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide — 104
South Dakota State Jackrabbits — 88
Comments
Jesus that was fast.
Airwreck had this up before the guys were in the locker room.
By DarthSaban on 11.12.21 9:06pm
#PBAHBC
By Soggy_Oats on 11.12.21 9:07pm
RBR has an insider
(stole that from Josh)
By CB969 on 11.12.21 9:13pm
A fantastic win against a very good team!
5 (nearly 6) players in double digit scoring with 2 over 20 points.
This team has a chance to be really special!
By Soggy_Oats on 11.12.21 9:09pm
This
We can get by with great team D and one guy feeling it.
twss
But more than 1?
Unstoppable
By PiperTJ on 11.12.21 9:16pm
Two aces?
By Ricky Muncie on 11.13.21 6:15am
We’re already doing this? Ok!
By .Bluto on 11.13.21 6:38am
ATM going to second OT with Abilene Christian.
Hope the days of losing to no-names are behind us!
By CarrotTop4 on 11.12.21 9:18pm
hard to do in college basketball
By Ma Deuce on 11.13.21 7:24am
Holy halftime adjustments.
I would take a bullet for Erik taking a bullet for Nate Oats.
(Probably not really. Maybe.)
So excited I just up and decided to buy tickets for tomorrow. Roll Ass Whippin Weekend!
By .Bluto on 11.12.21 9:27pm
Thought you were stuck in Mobile??
By CarrotTop4 on 11.12.21 9:34pm
Well, I’m leaving.
It’s a little bit chaotic – so I’m taking the (almost) three year old to his first game tomorrow. Clears him out of the house – which was my excuse.
Which begs a question. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a non A-day game. Is it worth perusing stubhub for a parking pass, or should it be easy enough to just find a spot? (Note – there’s a reasonable chance I have to carry him part of the way. Just an important factor in considering what kind of walk I might be signing up for.)
I figured maybe you got good insider info with your trust fund.
By .Bluto on 11.12.21 10:00pm
$20 got me a block or two away at the scouts' lot or somebody's yard
a couple of years ago
By PiperTJ on 11.12.21 10:02pm
You get a BBQ plate with that?
#LegionField
By .Bluto on 11.12.21 10:07pm
At the moment...
…there’s nothing on StubHub near the stadium that isn’t highly overpriced. I would prolly take Hackberry to around 11th or 12th, then pay some college kids to park as close to the Supe Store as possible (which can be a good pit stop along the way). Have fun. RTR!
By NiceLittleSaturday on 11.12.21 11:01pm
See? THIS is why I always defend the FCS game.
Great for kids or first-timers. Not much investment lost if you’ve got to leave early. One-day swing for most people. Etc.
By Erik Evans on 11.13.21 1:35am
I agree with you.
I just hate that these guys are THIS bad. Kansas may be the only team in the country worse than the guys. I realize nobody knew they would be this bad when the schedule was made a few years ago so I’m not blaming anybody.
By bamafan1972 on 11.13.21 5:37am
Weirdly
When this game was scheduled, NMSU was coming off a bowl appearance.
Admittedly, it was the worst bowl team, but picking up someone you think is Vandy-level is very different from this kind of bad. I’d rather play a bad team that’s at least competitive. Maybe UNLV or Colorado State.
By Erik Evans on 11.13.21 6:57am
check discord
Sent you my thoughts
By Ma Deuce on 11.13.21 7:31am
If you can park by the HS, it's about 0.8-1 mi to the stadium.
Think there’s shuttles from there, too…? Daughter lives right across from HS in Parkview (no one charging for parking in there, but space is very limited; ie you could still get towed). Depending on which gate you’re going in, you’re pretty close. She called Joyride and we felt like big shots riding right up next the gate on the way in…
By Jeff Jones on 11.13.21 6:20pm
This is filed for next time, thanks!!!
By .Bluto on 11.14.21 8:44pm
"Ellis had the world’s quietest 9 rebounds"
Ellis actually had 13 rebounds (according to my CBS Sports app).
By Flynn314 on 11.12.21 9:37pm
But they were so quiet you woulda thought it was only 9!
By CarrotTop4 on 11.12.21 9:44pm
Ellis
Keon had nine rebounds at halftime finished with 13
By Roger_RBR on 11.12.21 11:32pm
It was 9 at 3:38 when I was typing it in Coleman.
Forgot to update when I was copying / pasting.
By Erik Evans on 11.13.21 1:36am