TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball proved it can go blow-for-blow with the nation’s best last weekend. Now, the No. 11 Crimson Tide will look to show it can maintain the same level of play against lesser competition.

After recording a pair of top-25 wins during last week’s Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Ore., Alabama (6-1) will host South Dakota State (3-4) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT inside Coleman Coliseum.

While the Jackrabbits don’t offer the same star power as the Crimson Tide’s recent ranked opponents, head coach Nate Oats said the matchup presents a different challenge for his players.

“We told our guys, this is a maturity game,” Oats said Friday. “After a four-overtime win, you’re gonna have a letdown game. But the mature group, the mature player is going to be ready to go.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.

Who: No. 11 Alabama (6-1) vs. South Dakota State (3-4)

When: 7:30 p.m. CT, Saturday, Dec. 3

Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Watch: SEC Network+ (play-by-play: Roger Hoover; analyst: Richard Hendrix)

Listen: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink; engineer Tom Stipe)

Mark Sears: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, junior

Stats: 14.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 41.6% FG, 41.9% 3-pt

Nimari Burnett: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 7.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.7 apg, 45.2% FG, 42.1% 3-pt

Brandon Miller: 6-foot-9, 200 pounds, freshman

Stats: 19.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 40.0% FG, 48.0% 3-pt

Noah Clowney: 6-foot-10, 210 pounds, freshman

Stats: 6.7 ppg, 7.9, rpg, 0.7 apg, 44.7% FG, 12.5% 3-pt

Charles Bediako: 7-foot, 225 pounds, freshman

Stats: 6.0 ppg, 7.4, rpg, 0.9 apg, 63.3% FG

Alex Arians: 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, senior

Stats: 8.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 39.0% FG, 31.3% 3-pt

Charlie Easley: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, junior

Stats: 9.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 apg, 44.9% FG, 42.3% 3-pt

Zeke Mayo: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 12.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 42.0% FG, 28.2% 3-pt

Matt Dentlinger: 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, senior

Stats: 9.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.3 apg, 63.9% FG, 33.3% 3-pt

William Kyle III: 6-foot-9, 215 pounds, freshman

Stats: 10.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.7 apg, 66.7% FG

A tired smile crept over Charles Bediako’s face before he could answer the question.

Yes, the 44 minutes he logged during Alabama’s four-overtime victory over North Carolina over the weekend were the most he’s ever played a game over his career. By a long shot. In fact, the sophomore center still hasn’t completely recovered five days later.

“I still feel tired, I’m not gonna lie,” Bediako said Friday. “After that game, I just kinda knocked out on the plane.”

Alabama’s overtime thriller was its third game over a four-game span during the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Ore. While Alabama didn’t come away with any hardware, the trip out West was a success as the Crimson Tide recorded a pair of top-25 wins against Michigan State and North Carolina while suffering its only defeat in a top-25 loss to eventual tournament champion UConn.

Still, Bediako, a Brampton, Ontario native, has never been this happy to return to his new home in Tuscaloosa.

“I’m glad to be back, for sure,” he said. “Portland’s nice, but it was raining a lot. It got dark faster. The time zone. So, it’s good to be back on our home court, our facilities. I’m happy to be back.”

Bediako isn’t the only player to log extended floor time during Sunday’s win. Starting point guard Mark Sears played a team-high 55 minutes against North Carolina while Brandon Miller (48 minutes), Jahvon Quinerly (44 minutes) and Noah Gurley (42 minutes) all saw the court for more than a full regulation game.

Oats gave his players Monday and Tuesday off before returning to practice Wednesday. Even then, this week has been a bit of a balancing act as the head coach has worked with team trainer Clarke Holter and strength and conditioning coach Henry Barrera in order to come up with a practice schedule that would prepare the team without taxing it too much on the court.

“I hope we’ve pushed them hard enough to keep them on top of playing well but been smart with it to where they can get their legs back under them,” Oats said. “We’re just trying to get proper sleep, get back on the sleep schedule… We were up late in some of those games. Let’s get on a proper sleep schedule, getting our bodies back rested like we need to. Get in the gym to shoot, but let’s be smart with it. Let’s not be spending two hours outside of practice in here. Let’s get in, get 30-45 minutes of shooting in the evening and get yourself back off your feet, get yourself rested. We’ll see tomorrow night how well we’ve done with it.”

Alabama’s freshman class is off to a flying start. Brandon Miller leads the team with 19.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while fellow starting forward Noah Clowney was averaging a respectable 7.67 points and 8.67 boards before having to leave Sunday’s game early in the first half due to injury.

Off the bench, guards Jaden Bradley and Rylan Griffin are tied for the team lead with six steals. Bradley is averaging 8.4 points on 57.1% shooting and is third on the team with 3.0 assists per game. Griffin is averaging 7.1 points on 31.8% shooting.

While the early production is encouraging, Oats is equally impressed with the class’ mental maturity. Friday the head coach singled out each one of his freshman individually, praising them for their approach both on and off the court.

On Clowney: “It’s like you’re talking to a 23-year-old, not an 18-year-old. He’s very mature, asks great questions.”

On Miller: “I think he’s got a really good way about him. He’s got the confidence, which he should have because he’s that good of a player, but he’s not arrogant and conceded. He knows he’s good he handles himself. He treats people the right way.”

On Bradley: “He’s one of those guys, he talks frequently about learning from Quinerly and Sears. Those guys have been in basketball a lot longer. He’s a highly-touted freshman, but he understands he has a lot to learn.”

On Griffen: “I don’t think the moment gets to big for him at all. He’s a kid who’s really coachable who just understands.”

— Freshman forward Noah Clowney is a game-time decision after leaving last weekend’s game against North Carolina with a lower-body injury.

"He had a pretty bad contusion and had tingling all down his leg for most of the North Carolina game,” Oats said. “He definitely couldn't play in that game and we've held him out for most of the week, trying to see if he can go."

— Graduate guard Dom Welch is still day-to-day with a calf injury. The St. Bonaventure transfer has yet to make his Alabama debut after joining the team this offseason. Thursday, Oats described Welch’s setback as a “long-healing injury.”

— Darius Miles (foot) returned to practice this week after playing in just four minutes during last weekend’s Phil Knight Invitational.

“Part of coming back from injuries is that you have to have your mental side of it too,” Oats said. “He wasn't able to practice and we kind of threw him in there hoping that he could give us something, but he just wasn't comfortable playing for us."

— Alabama is one of five Division I schools that have two wins over top-25 opponents. Arizona, Creighton, Purdue and Virginia are the other four. Alabama now has multiple top-25 wins in non-conference play for the second straight season. Last year, the Crimson Tide recorded wins over No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 4 Baylor and No. 14 Houston.

— Brandon Miller leads the nation’s freshmen with 19.6 points per game. He ranks No. 37 overall nationally. Miller is averaging 3.43 three-pointers per game, which ranks No. 15 nationally.

— Alabama leads the nation in rebounds per game (49.8), rebound margin (16.2), defensive rebounds per game (34.0) and offensive rebounds per game (17.0). The Crimson Tide ranks second nationally with a +14.7 rebound margin.

— South Dakota State has won six Summit League Tournaments since 2011-12 and at least a share of eight of the last nine regular-season crowns, including six straight. The Jackrabbits have won 20 or more games in four of the last five seasons and eight of the last 11 campaigns.

— South Dakota State was picked to finish second behind Oral Roberts in this year’s Summit League Preseason Poll. Luke Appel and Zeke Mayo each received first-team All-Summit League Preseason recognition. Appel was the league’s Sixth Man of the Year last year, while Mayo was selected to the Summit’s All-Newcomer Team.