CLEVELAND — Clifford Omoruyi made the play of the game in No. 2 seed Alabama’s 80-66 win over No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s. It’s a play he’s been making a lot lately.

With eight minutes to go in the game, Mark Sears drove down the middle of the lane. Stopping just before the restricted circle, he lofted the ball toward the rim. It wasn’t the best lob, but Omoruyi anticipated it from the dunker’s spot. He drifted over and threw down an incredible reverse jam to put Alabama up by 14.

“It was fun," Omoruyi recalled after the game. "I knew Mark was going to throw the lob but I didn’t know so much if it was going to be in front of me [and I'd try] to trip it. I didn’t know I was going to reverse it. So it was like, I kind of did it myself on that. So I just went up and I was like, if I go like this I can dunk it. So I just went back over…

“The instincts just took over and I was high off the ground. So it was easier.”

It was one of five dunks for Omoruyi that accounted for all 10 of his points in the Tide’s victory. He posted a similar outing with six dunks for 12 points in Alabams’s first-round win over No. 16 Robert Morris.

Omoruyi’s recent offensive burst has seen him average 12.1 points over Alabama’s last six games and 13.5 in the NCAA Tournament. He told reporters during the SEC Tournament in Nashville that he had yet to play his best basketball, and he’s raised his game during the big dance.

“I hope something is clicking with him because when he's playing really well like he was tonight, we're a different team,” Oats said. “I thought he was great against Robert Morris. He's got 11 double-doubles on the year. I think he's more than capable of having a double-double every game out. He played 25 minutes and had 10 and 11 with two blocks, even had two assists tonight.”

Alabama has been more successful at getting the ball to Omoruyi for easier looks in the NCAA Tournament. It reflects an increased chemistry and trust between the Rutgers transfer and Alabama’s guards.

“It just started in practice,” Sears said of his chemistry with Omoruyi. “Just over time we got the lobs right, just keep practicing over and over and then when I see him running we just make eye contact and I know if I’m going to throw it, he’s just going to go get it.”

Sears and the rest of the Tide’s guards got the lobs right with Omoruyi at the right time. Against a smaller Robert Morris team, the Tide made a point to feed the ball into him on pick-and-roll and other actions to get him the ball inside. When Sears, Aden Holloway and guards drive to the rim with Omoruyi rolling or probing near the dunker's spot, it forces help defenders to decide between staying with Omoruyi, possibly giving up an easier layup for a guard, or helping off of him, which leads to the lobs he’s been getting.

Omoruyi’s jams aren’t only beneficial for the forward’s offensive impact, they provide a major energy boost for the entire team. An Omoruyi dunk in the first few minutes is a good Kickstarter for a team that has struggled with coming out of the gate slowly at times. Alabama even has a play drawn up for Omoruyi if he wins the opening tip that it’s deployed several times this season. It’s a way to dish out a quick punch and set the tone for the rest of the game.

Alabama ran the Omoruyi lob play after the opening tip against Robert Morris. Labaron Philon gets the ball on the left wing. Chris Youngblood curls to the top of the key like he’s going to receive a pass, meanwhile, Omoruyi lurks on the weakside and cuts to the basket while Sears seals off his defender for the wide-open dunk.

As Alabama turns its attention to No. 6 seed BYU in the Sweet 16, it’s getting the best out of its highly-touted big man at the perfect time. If Omoruyi can continue to be the lob threat he was in the first two rounds combined with added consistency on the glass that both he and the team showed against Saint Mary’s, the sky is the limit for both Omoruyi and Alabama the rest of the way.

“I tell them that every time, ‘Just throw it up there,’” Omoruyi said. ‘“When you’re in trouble throw it up, I’m going to be there to get it.’”