Alabama’s men’s basketball team played two exhibition games in October and looked dominant in both outings despite being without key contributors Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
The first game was a 98-77 rout of Wake Forest at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, on Oct. 18. Leading the Crimson Tide in points was newcomer and Auburn transfer Aden Holloway with 20, including five 3s. Guard Mark Sears was second in scoring with 19 points.
The 21-point win was fueled by a defensive effort that was stronger than what was seen last season, and the ability to knock down shots beyond the arc. The Crimson Tide made 41% of its shots from 3-point land, good for 19 total 3s throughout the contest.
After the game, head coach Nate Oats talked about the players’ lack of availability and his thoughts about the team’s overall performance.
“It was good to get this group out together for the first time,” he said. “We didn’t have four of our guys, but I thought we had enough of them to kind of see how we want to play. I thought the defensive intensity was better than what we had seen at points last year.”
The second exhibition game took place on Monday night versus Memphis inside Propst Arena at the 2024 Rocket City Classic.
Sears’ 20-point effort helped lead Alabama to a 96-88 victory. He finished the game shooting 3/5 from beyond the arc. He also picked up three steals and dished out four assists.
Although the Crimson Tide led for the entirety of the game, this was certainly the uglier of Alabama’s two contests this preseason; there were many fouls on both sides, and the teams shot 62 free throws in the second half. Additionally, Oats said that turnovers were a noticeable issue for the Crimson Tide.
“There’s a reason we play these exhibitions: so we can get exposed a little bit on what we have to work on,” Oats said. “We were definitely exposed tonight a little bit. Our turnovers were not where we needed to be, and we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball.”
The Crimson Tide will return to action on Nov. 4 to tip off the 2024-25 regular season versus UNC Asheville in Coleman Coliseum at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
