How Alabama Basketball's Guards See Their Roles in Round of 32 Against Saint Mary's

Against a team with a much slower pace, the Crimson Tide guards discussed how they factor into the equation.

Will Miller | Mar 22, 2025

Mar 21, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Labaron Philon (0) controls the ball defende day Robert Morris Colonials forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) in the first half during the NCAA Tournament First Round at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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Alabama Crimson Tide

CLEVELAND— The intangibles needed for a team's stay in the NCAA Tournament to be more than just a fleeting page on a scrapbook are many. One of the most important, an invaluable asset that turns millions of heads when the world picks its brackets, is guard play.

The East Region's No. 2 seed has that in spades. Even though Alabama is down multiple men at the position, the Crimson Tide (26-8) has a number of prolific, multi-level scorers and perimeter threats. That'll play anywhere, but in a stylistic matchup like Sunday against Saint Mary's, the roles can adapt.

The Gaels play at one of the slowest paces in the entire country, in stark, obvious contrast to Alabama and its pride and propensity for playing up-tempo. The Crimson Tide is tops in the nation in possessions per game. The Gaels are nowhere close: a comparably astounding 358th.

"It's gonna be a war," fifth-year senior Chris Youngblood said of the second-round game, which tips at 5:10 p.m. CT. "Saint Mary's, they're a very tough, physical team. They can crash you over the course of 40 minutes of the game. Get ready for a 40-minute war."

Rebounding, which Alabama did not excel at in Friday's nine-point win against Robert Morris, and the interior will be almost as much of crucial points in the game as the number of points on the scoreboard. The Colonials won the battle on the offensive glass 16-5.

One thing the Crimson Tide did do well was distribute. Point guard Mark Sears double-doubled in the Round of 64 with 10 assists. Freshman Labaron Philon had eight.

"When we're moving that ball like that, and everybody's eating, you know that's when we're really dangerous," Sears said. Assists are key in another way: they represent possessions with a converted basket. Sears had 22 points on Friday, most of them in the second half.

Sophomore Auburn transfer Aden Holloway, a prolific three-point shooter averaging 11.2 points per game off the bench, is in favor of a direct approach: come out and beat the slower team with quickness.

"They're really good at controlling the pace," Holloway said. "We're gonna try to match it and beat it with our pace."

Holloway, however, dismissed the notion of the Crimson Tide slowing down with the Gaels. Philon anticipates opportunities to speed up Saint Mary's (29-5), the No. 7 seed, describing Alabama's potential in transition to appear as a blur.

"We're not gonna change anything," Philon said.

Youngblood added that not giving up offensive rebounds on the other end of the floor makes playing the Crimson Tide's fast-paced style easier. Everyone on the court will need to make life in the trenches a challenge for Mitchell Saxen and company.

"We're a pretty hard team to guard when you know the ball is moving pretty fast," Youngblood said. "We've got a lot of shooters, got a lot of options, got a lot of versatile players."

Alabama will have to convert from beyond the arc and in the paint to give itself the best chance to win, though that is far from the only attribute needed to get to the Sweet 16 at the expense of another nationally-ranked squad. The rebounds matter a lot against the Gaels' inside presence, and the guards understand.

"They're a really good offensive rebounding team," Holloway said. "[We need] our physicality on the rebounds and just getting back in transition. We just gotta keep the pace going. Can't slow down, play to they level, play to their speed."

Philon, like Holloway, seems to be all about taking it to Saint Mary's. One of his goals for the game is for the guards to provide meaningful interior support, the kind which reflects in the stat sheet.

"We definitely wanna rebound," Philon said. "We want to get multiple guards in there to get multiple rebounds."

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