A substantial reason No. 3 Alabama men’s basketball is one of the top-ranked teams in the country and could potentially earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is its ability to perform on the road.
The Crimson Tide is 7-1 in away games — excluding neutral-site games — including three wins over Top 25 opponents. The only road loss came against then-No. 13 and now-No. 7 Purdue, but Alabama has won seven road games in a row since then, which head coach Nate Oats attributed to the team’s right mindset away from Tuscaloosa.
“Part of me almost thinks some of these guys like going on the road,” Oats said after Alabama beat Kentucky. “Some guys, like real competitors, sometimes like going into a little bit more hostile environment and coming out with a big win.”
Another factor in the Crimson Tide’s success away from home is the team’s many veterans who have played in hostile environments. In all seven wins on the road, the leading scorer has been a fifth-year player.
One of those fifth-year players who seems to elevate his performance on the road is guard Mark Sears, as he averages 21.1 points and 6.5 assists per game on the road compared to just 17.3 points and 4.6 assists per game at home. Other fifth-years like forward Grant Nelson, center Clifford Omoruyi and guard Chris Youngblood also average more points on the road than away from home.
The road success has been crucial in SEC play, as the Crimson Tide are 5-0 on the road en route to competing for an SEC regular season championship.
“We put together a really tough non-conference schedule to prepare us,” Oats said. “It’ll get us ready to go.”
With four more road games on the horizon, all against currently top-15 opponents, the Crimson Tide will look to continue its success away from Coleman Coliseum. The team’s experience will give it an added advantage.