It was clear from the opening tip no basket would come easy inside MGM Grand Arena. That mantra went all the way down to the wire in No. 9 Alabama's 85-80 overtime win over No. 6 Houston.

The Tide’s offense wasn’t able to generate too many of its significant scoring spurts against Houston’s stalwart defense. Alabama also played excellent defense to limit Houston and prevented the Cougars from earning second-chance opportunities.

The game was a physical war for 45 minutes, leading to a feisty finish between two of college basketball’s best teams. Alabama looked like it could pull away before Houston went on a 10-0 run late in the second half to snatch back the lead. That run ultimately paved the way for overtime.

Alabama was able to rip the momentum right back. The Tide won the extra period 7-2. Alabama’s star guard Mark Sears hit a huge 3 at the start of the period in a performance that saw Sears emerge from his offensive slump over the last few games. After scoring just eight points in the last three halves of basketball, Sears led all Alabama scorers with 24 points and added four rebounds and three assists.

Here are three takeaways from the Tide’s first game of the Players Era Festival.

It was a back-and-forth defensive battle inside MGM Grand Arnea.

Houston looked like it had a chance to separate from Alabama in the opening few minutes. The Tide turned the ball over four times on its opening five possessions. Houston’s infamous intense defense looked like it would give Alabama fits. Labaron Philon learned quickly the physical nature of Houston, getting knocked to the ground twice in the early stages and being replaced by Derrion Reid.

The Cougars sent double teams anytime an Alabama guard drove to the lane or if a player posted up on the block. That made it difficult for the Tide to get its offense going without great ball movement around the perimeter. Houston forward Joseph Tugler was particularly menacing in the lane, finishing with eight blocks.

Alabama found its footing in the game thanks to a strong effort on its own defensive end. The Tide held Houston to just 6 of 19 from 3-point range and was willing to give up plenty of midrange shots in exchange for making things difficult in the lane and preventing Houston guards L.J. Cryer and Emmanuel Sharp from hitting 3-pointers.

"Non-rim 2s they took 36 shots there so over half their shots, we got 55% of their shots were non-rim 2s and they shot at 39%. I know some of them went in, everybody's gonna refer to the ones that went in but they missed almost 2/3 of them. So that was the game plan."

As the Tide got more comfortable, the turnovers started to get cleaned up. Alabama had a few giveaways to start the second half but cleaned things up on the offensive end while continuing to sustain a high level of defensive intensity. The Tide held Houston to just 1.01 points per possession, playing full defensive sequences even when Houston slowed down the tempo.

The game of defensive runs continued as Alabama attempted to pull away in the middle portion of the game. The Tide’s defense held Houston without a field goal for a 5:29 stretch and Houston finished the game with 10 turnovers. However, the Cougars countered by holding Alabama to a 5:28 drought without a field goal as Cryer finally got going offensively. After Alabama held the outstanding guard without a field goal for an 11-minute stretch, Cryer took over late and finished with 30 points, which helped send the game into overtime.

Alabama was able to flip the defensive script once again in the extra period. Alabama's depth proved to be too much for Houston to overcome as the Tide held the Cougars to just a single bucket in overtime to secure its biggest win of the season.

"I feel like it really showed when it went into overtime," Sears said of the Tide's effort. "We had so much depth in the game we were able to push the pace and they really kind of couldn't handle it because they were so fatigued. But the depth on this team what's going to make it special."

When speaking to reporters Monday, Alabama coach Nate Oats emphasized that Alabama would have to be active on the glass to prevent Houston from getting second-chance opportunities and control the tempo with its slower-paced offense.

There wasn’t much between the two teams in the first half and rebounding became a huge factor in either team gaining and advantage. Houston went on a 9-0 run in the first half that included three straight offensive rebounds on one possession. Alabama answered with a 6-0 run, all of which came on second-chance points.

Rebounds continued to be the difference maker for the Crimson Tide, as both teams continued to play excellent defense and not allow any type of consistent scoring. When Houston wasn’t scoring from midrange opportunities, it was taking advantage of its own offensive boards. Alabama was doing the same to counter Houston’s aggressive defense. The Crimson Tide won the offensive rebounding battle 20-16 and bested Houston on the boards 48-39 overall.

If there was one player who set the tone for Alabama’s strong performance on the glass and defensive end, it was the sophomore nicknamed “Mo-Dita.”

Alabama sophomore forward Mouhamed Dioubate absolutely relished the physical nature of Tuesday night’s game. After playing just two minutes against Illinois, Dioubate was Alabama’s best performer on the glass against one of the nation's most elite interior teams.

Dioubate finished with 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. He also made three outstanding blocks defensively in one of his best performances in an Alabama uniform. Dioubate very nearly pulled off a miracle to put the cherry on top of his performance, hitting the front of the rim on a buzzer-beater attempt halfcourt after Alabama got a final stop of regulation.

The 6-foot-7 forward didn't slow down in the extra period. He had two points, 3 rebounds and a block in OT and made a crucial save after Reid blocked a Houston shot in the final seconds.

"I just play my game, honestly," Dioubate said. "Even if it was any other team I would have brought the same intensity in the game. I know what I do good on the court. So — coach told me before the game, 'This is a Mo Dioubate game.' So I was prepared for it. Even if it we played any other team I was going to bring the same intensity and I brought it tonight and we got the win."

With how deep Alabama’s rotation is, Oats has emphasized that he worries less about who starts games and more about who finishes them. Dioubate was a closer for Alabama against one of the best teams in the country and showed just how important of a role he plays as an energizer and a bully in the lane for Alabama’s opponents.

After a hard-fought battle against Houston, Alabama has a quick turnaround before its next matchup in the Players Ear Festival against Rutgers. The Tide and Scarlet Knights will face off at 9 p.m. CT Wednesday in Las Vegas. The game will be broadcast on TBS.