TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — That grueling non-conference slate sure looks like it paid off for Alabama basketball. The No. 5 Crimson Tide opened up SEC play by cruising to a 107-79 win over No. 12 Oklahoma on Saturday.
The two teams entered conference play with contrasting résumés. According to KenPom, Alabama (12-2) navigated the No. 13 ranked non-conference slate — the highest among any SEC team. Oklahoma (13-1) entered the opener with its best start since 1987-88, but that came as the Sooners cake walked through a schedule that ranks 332rd nationally.
Saturday was Oklahoma’s first true road game of the season, and it showed. The shell-shocked Sooners made just seven of their first 26 shots and allowed Alabama to jump out to a 37-19 lead. The Tide never looked back from there, outmuscling an overmatched Oklahoma inside of a raucous Coleman Coliseum.
“Their fans were great,” Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser said. “They were loud. They were into it. But it shouldn’t affect your defensive rebounding like it did.”
It’s hard to judge how much playing in front of a road crowd for the first time affected the Sooners. However, they certainly didn’t seem ready for the challenge Alabama presented. The Tide outrebounded Oklahoma 51-26 on the night and held a 56-42 advantage in the paint. Alabama shot 50% (38 of 76) from the floor and had six players in double-figure scoring to go with a pair of 9-point performances.
Unlike Oklahoma, Alabama enters SEC play battle-tested. The Tide learned from an early-season loss at Purdue as well as a defeat to Oregon in the championship game of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Along the way, the Tide picked up wins over then-ranked No. 6 Houston and Rutgers, before blowing out then-ranked No. 20 North Carolina inside the Dean Smith Center.
Alabama was far from perfect during that stretch, but the early tests paved the way for improvement.
“I feel like we’re clicking in the right direction,” said starting guard Mark Sears, who recorded 22 points and a career-high 10 assists against Oklahoma. “That non-conference schedule, it really showed us our weaknesses, and we were able to capitalize on them in practice. And when we got a chance in the games, it felt like we’re still working on getting better at them.
“I definitely feel like that non-conference schedule has helped us out.”
Sears is already familiar with the rigors of SEC play, entering his third season in the conference. However, Alabama’s early-season challenges played a role in preparing the Tide’s youngsters for the slog they’ll be facing over the next few months.
Freshman Labaron Philon chipped in 16 points, four rebounds and five assists against Oklahoma, shooting 5 of 10 from the floor, including 2 of 5 from beyond the arc. The Mobile native has now recorded double-figure points in all but one of the Tide’s five games against ranked opposition, previously completing the feat at Purdue (18 points) and North Carolina (15 points) as well as a neutral sight matchup against Illinois (16 points).
“He’s been great,” Oats said of Philon. “I think he’s proven himself since he got here. He walked in this summer with an edge about him. He competed in practice, wanted to guard Sears … I think he’s got a mature side about him in his preparation and his competitiveness on both sides of the floor.”
Conversely, Oklahoma star freshman Jeremiah Fears was unable to play up to his typical standard in his first biggest test of the season. The Rivals100 guard came away with 16 points and five rebounds but had just 1 point at the half, missing his first eight shots before finally getting one to drop with 11:40 remaining in the game. At that point, Oklahoma was down by 22 points and well out of reach of a comeback.
On top of his offensive struggles, Fears was no match for Sears and Philon on the other end of the court, allowing Alabama’s starting guards to combine for 38 points without a turnover.
"He's really good in so many other ways, but he's got to play that way," Moser said. "We can't wait for the first shot to fall for him to play great defense and get other guys involved. He learns that. He's an unbelievable kid in terms of trying to learn it. It's his first experience with this. He went up against an elite, one of the best, most experienced, All-American point guards in the country... who understands, 'I can impact the game other than the ball going through the hoop.'"
Fears might learn those lessons as Oklahoma progresses through SEC play. Fortunately for Alabama, Philon and the rest of its stars are already hitting their stride ahead of what figures to be one of the most challenging conference slates in recent years.
After starting SEC play on the right foot, Alabama will look to continue its momentum Wednesday as it travels to South Carolina for a 6 p.m. CT tipoff.
The Gamecocks (10-4, 0-1 in the SEC) are no slouch either, and SEC road wins can never be taken for granted. However, this Alabama team should be ready for the challenge.
“We’re in SEC play. Lot of stuff to clean up, but lot of positives on our first game,” Oats said. “I think our non-conference schedule prepared us for these games. Now, we got to go on the road where we’ve been a little inconsistent. We lost at Purdue and didn’t play well in North Dakota. We had a big road win at North Carolina. But we got to go on a road to South Carolina, who’s going to be really amped up and ready to go.”
