Red-hot Alabama basketball ready for 'first real test' next week
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After devouring its early-season appetizers, No. 18 Alabama basketball is ready for the main course of its non-conference slate.
The Crimson Tide cruised past Jacksonville State, 104-62, Friday night, improving to 4-0 on the season. The Gamecocks suffered the same fate as Longwood, Liberty and South Alabama before them, getting bullied by Alabama’s length on the boards while failing to contain its athleticism. The Crimson Tide also set season highs with 21 made 3-pointers and 23 assists in what was easily its most dominating performance of the season.
“It was a flow for everybody,” Alabama guard Nimari Burnett said after the game. “Once the first one went down, everyone just started to flow. It was just a fun night.”
So far, it’s been a fun season for Alabama, too.
All four of the Crimson Tide’s wins have come by double digits as its outscored its opponents by an average of 84.75 to 57.5. That’s encouraging, but next week should offer more of a litmus test toward where the team stands.
For the season straight year, Alabama will enter an early-season showcase with an unblemished record as it travels to Portland, Ore., next week to take part in the Phil Knight Invitational. The Crimson Tide will open the tournament on Thanksgiving against a Michigan State team that took down No. 4 Kentucky this week. Other teams participating in the invitational include No. 1 North Carolina, No. 25 UConn, Villanova, Oregon, Iowa State and Portland.
“This will be our first real test against a high major,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “Michigan State’s had some real tests. They’ve played some tough teams already. We’re going to be playing a high major for the first time, so we’ve got to be really ready. We’ve got to have a great week in practice and be ready to go on Thursday.”
Alabama got off to a 4-0 start last season before suffering its first defeat to Iona in the first game of the ESPN Events Invitational. During that game, the Crimson Tide tallied just seven assists and struggled to make adjustments on the offensive end.
Through four games, Alabama doesn’t look like a team poised to experience similar breakdowns next week. Despite reshaping its roster with eight scholarship newcomers this offseaosn, the Crimson Tide looked like a team that has been playing together for years during Friday night’s win.
“I feel like our bond’s just everything,” said freshman forward Brandon Miller, who scored a season-high 28 points Friday night. “We’re in the gym together. We’re outside the gym together. It just makes it even better and fun on the court."
The winner of Thursday’s game between Alabama and Michigan State will play the winner of the matchup between UConn and Oregon. The losers of both games will play in the consolation bracket. Each team in the tournament is guaranteed to play three games over the weekend.
Alabama and Michigan State are set to tip off Thursday at 9:30 p.m. CT inside Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The game will be televised on ESPN.
“We’re very thrilled to play one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Marks Sears said. “We’ve been rebounding the ball at a high rate, and to see our offense play well the way we did today, I feel like we ended it off on a good note going into the tournament."