Bama Central

Takeaways from Alabama Basketball's Win Over Morehead State

Blake Byler's thoughts and takeaways from the Crimson Tide's season-opening win.

Blake Byler

Takeaways from Alabama Basketball's Win Over Morehead State
Takeaways from Alabama Basketball's Win Over Morehead State /
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The college basketball season is officially underway, and the 24th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide started it off strong with a 105-73 win over Morehead State. 

Here are a few thoughts and takeaways from the Crimson Tide's win.

1. Grant Nelson looked the part.

North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson was billed by many to be one of, if not the best overall player to enter the transfer portal in the offseason, and he looked like it tonight.

Nelson led all scorers in the game with 24 points, and did so on efficient 7-for-12 shooting. He was utilized all over the floor, just like head coach Nate Oats said he would.

He made shots from outside — draining two of his four 3-point attempts in the game. That opened up driving lanes, where he was able to put the ball on the deck with his ball handling skills and get to the rack for a few tough finishes.

Oh, and he's also an explosive leaper, as seen in his two monstrous dunks that got the Coleman Coliseum crowd on its feet:

Nelson also was utilized as a point guard, bringing the ball up the floor a number of times to create mismatches, which he was able to handle with ease.

As expected, his combination of size, skill and strength make him a mismatch nightmare for nearly all opponents, and he's only going to continue as the season goes on.

"He's a hard matchup, because he does have size, he's extremely athletic, he reads close outs well, knows which ones he should shoot, which ones he should drive," Morehead State head coach Preston Spradlin said.

Spradlin said Nelson shot the ball "better than anticipated" compared to what the numbers said from last year, and Oats cited Nelson's shooting improvements as a major key to his game.

Last season, Nelson shot just 27 percent from beyond the arc, but Oats said that in practice since this summer, he's made nearly 40 percent of his threes in live scenario tracking.

If his shot maintains to be as much of a threat as it was tonight, there are very few players in not only the SEC, but all of college basketball that can slow him down.

2. The offensive attack was extremely versatile.

Yes, Nelson was the star, but that didn't stop a multitude of Crimson Tide players from being able to contribute throughout the game.

Hofstra transfer Aaron Estrada scored 16 points on 70 percent shooting from the field, while Mark Sears scored 13 and freshman Jarin Stevenson added 12.

To go along with it, every single scholarship player that played for Alabama scored at least two points.

But it wasn't just the fact that Alabama was able to score 100 points, or the fact that seemingly everyone was scoring, but rather how the Crimson Tide was able to get everyone involved.

Alabama started a lot of its offensive sets with a ball screen at the top of the key, with either Sears or Estrada as the guard, and Nelson or Pringle as the screener. Both Sears and Estrada are excellent downhill drivers and finishers, and Nelson and Pringle are both lob threats, giving plenty of options for scoring based on the ball screen alone.

Additionally, there are always 3-point shooters spread out along the perimeter, whether it be Davin Cosby or Sam Walters or Rylan Griffen or someone else, providing the ball handler the option for a spray-out 3-ball if the defense collapses.

Because of the skillsets of the Crimson Tide's personnel, all of these options are available just on the basic execution of one simple action. Fans will surely see more complex actions and sets as the season goes on and the competition improves, but it's scary for the opposition to think about how many different ways Alabama can hurt you on the offensive end.

3. The defense is a work in progress, but still some positive signs.

We all knew this was going to be a good offensive team, and tonight proved that, but the defense is where the season will make or break.

It wasn't the best showing on the defensive end against the Eagles. Alabama allowed 44 percent shooting from the floor, including over one point per possession.

Oats said after the game that if they want to be holding SEC teams to around 0.9 points per possession, which is their goal, they have to be doing better against mid-majors. 

But it wasn't all negative. The Crimson Tide garnered 13 steals, many of which came from active hands causing deflections in the paint. Defense leads to offense, and Alabama scored a total of 23 fast break points.

A few players had some solid individual defensive games, with Rylan Griffen specifically standing out to me as a very solid on-ball defender. 

A new wrinkle that the Crimson Tide implemented was a full-court man press, designed to put more pressure on opposing ball handlers and force steals in the backcourt, which can lead to quick points.

The defense is going to be a work-in-progress as the season goes on, and Oats knows that. He also knows that as the competition gets stiffer and the rotation starts to shrink, the guys he chooses to play on the floor are going to be the ones that can defend consistently.

"If some of these guys don't figure out how to guard, they're not going to be playing when we start playing high-major teams," Oats said.

4. A few more things...

  • Alabama's 105 points in the season opener was the first time the Crimson Tide has broken 100 in the first game of the season since 2001-02, when it beat Mississippi Valley State 107-67. 
  • Alabama shot 31-of-38 from the free throw line, coming in at 82 percent. Freshman Mouhamed Dioubate missed three of his eight attempts, and stayed after the game to get some shots up. 
  • Crimson Chaos, the Alabama student section, showed out with a massive turnout, but Nelson wants to see a few more fans in the stands in the future: 

Alabama Basketball Has a Plethora of Depth Again, But Defense is the Emphasis

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Blake Byler
BLAKE BYLER

Blake Byler is a staff writer for BamaCentral and primarily covers Alabama basketball and football. He has covered a wide variety of Crimson Tide sports since 2021, and began writing full-time for BamaCentral in 2023. You can find him on Twitter/X @blakebyler45.

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