Alabama Basketball Sweet 16 Practice Report

Observations from the media viewing period of the Crimson Tide's final practice before the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — Alabama basketball held its final practice before the Sweet 16 on Wednesday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena, and the first 15 minutes of practice were open to media viewing.

Here are some notes and obeservations from the viewing period:

1. Wrightsell not present

Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell was not seen at the open practice after suffering a head injury against Grand Canyon causing him to miss the remainder of the game. There's a chance he was held out simply for precaution or extra rest, but we will get the answer from Nate Oats later today.

2. Longer practice

Back in Spokane, Alabama's open practice only went for around 45 minutes. This practice is much longer, lasting nearly two hours with the first 15 minutes being open for viewing. This means Alabama used this practice to work on a lot more than just a shootaround. During the viewing period we saw skill work with guards and bigs separately, team shooting drills, and the beginning of some work on screen actions with guards and bigs together.

3. Scout team available, starters working together

Alabama's walk-ons wore blue jerseys, signaling the use of a scout team at some point during practice to emulate North Carolina. Additionally, players were divided into red and white jerseys which each took their own side of the floor. Alabama's typical starters, minus Wrightsell and with the addition of Pringle, all worked on one side. That may indicate that Pringle would take Wrightsell's spot in the lineup if he can't go.

4. Energy guys

Once again, Alabama assistant coaches Preston Murphy and Austin Claunch were full of energy the entire viewing period. Lots of high-fives, lots of yelling and encourgament every time a player made a shot. The two of them kept the energy up and the vibes high throughout.