'Good to See': Chris Youngblood Comes up Huge for Alabama in Second Start of Season

Alabama head coach Nate Oats said on Tuesday that he wasn't yet sure exactly which combination of five players would take the floor first and start against No, 14 Mississippi State on Wednesday night.
When it came time to make the final decision, the lineup included guard Chris Youngblood, the Tuscaloosa native who recorded 13 points in impressive minutes during his first start of the season on Jan. 25 against LSU. This was different. This was a test against a top 15 opponent in a true road game.
Under those circumstances, and with the No. 4 Crimson Tide facing a team led by one of the loaded SEC's premier guards in Josh Hubbard, Youngblood delivered a memorable performance which far eclipsed his LSU outing. He made seven out of 10 shots from beyond the arc and totaled a season-high 23 points in 30 minutes. Without him, Alabama probably would not have beaten the Bulldogs, who were right in the thick of it behind Hubbard's career-best 38 points before falling 88-84 to the visitors.
"Chris is finally getting back to where he's feeling comfortable," Oats said. "His ankle's feeling close to 100 percent... Shooting it well. We need guys that kinda complement Mark [Sears]. Mark can make plays, get guys open, get guys to knock down shots. Hopefully, this is Chris's coming-out party, because he looked pretty good on both ends of the floor... He's starting to kinda exert his will and his demeanor and his competitiveness. It's good to see."
Oats said Youngblood also volunteered to handle Hubbard late in the game, adding that perhaps the South Florida transfer was the best defensively against the Bulldogs star despite the standout performance by the latter. Youngblood's goal is to get better with each game. He said games like Wednesday night are exactly what he wanted when he decided to come to an SEC team.
"It's a war. I mean, that's why I wanted to come to the SEC," Youngblood said. "The best league in college. Your mindset is, 'It's a war.' Ain't got time to be complaining about the calls, or the refs. Just keep it going." He added that there was focus on blocking out the crowd noise at Humphrey Coliseum: "Stick to the script. Just focus on what we gotta do. We get a bucket, the crowd goes quiet, so just stick to the script."
His efforts were enough to keep pace with Mississippi State's (16-5, 4-4 SEC) offensive attack as the home squad caught fire in the second half and continued a back-and-forth affair. Sears hit three triples of his own, as did Aden Holloway. Once again, overall guard play shone through for the Crimson Tide (18-3, 7-1 SEC) in a tough game. Youngblood's overall line from the field was 7-for-11; he also overcame missing his first two free throw attempts of the night (something he deemed crazy postgame) to hit his next two with just 10 seconds left and stretch his team's lead from one to three.
The impact of Wednesday's victory is tremendous. As has been said time and time again, any SEC win holds a fair amount of weight this season, but a road win against a ranked opponent is the kind of triumph that gets recognition on Selection Sunday.
"Obviously, they've [Mississippi State] already won a lot of games this year. They're gonna win a lot more this year," Oats said. "That win's gonna go a long ways for us."
See Also: Alabama Basketball Takes Down Mississippi State in Top 15 Road Matchup