The Extra Point: Sam Walters, Alabama Perform Well in Secret Scrimmage

Freshman Sam Walters scored 29 in a secret scrimmage against TCU on Sunday.

College basketball season is tantalizingly close to officially being back. Fewer than 14 days remain until Nov. 6, when the Alabama men's basketball team returns to action against Morehead State in the regular season opener. On Sunday, the Crimson Tide, sitting at No. 24 in the preseason rankings, participated in a secret scrimmage opposite TCU.

Alabama dropped an 85-81 result to Jamie Dixon's group, which entered last season as one of the most hyped teams in the sport. However, there were a number of standout performances from Crimson Tide players, notably from freshman Sam Walters.

Walters put up 29 points against the Horned Frogs and went 7-for-12 from beyond the arc. That was good enough to lead all scorers, and the Florida native outpaced his next-closest teammate (Hofstra transfer Aaron Estrada) by 10 points. Grant Nelson and Jarin Stevenson also scored in double figures.

These marks are encouraging for a roster which lost a sizable amount of production from last season's historic group. Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney were both first-round draft picks in the NBA draft this past summer, and Charles Bediako also moved on to the next level. It could be a positive sign of things to come that the new faces on the team produced against a high-major opponent multiple weeks before the regular season begins.

The Crimson Tide was also without established veteran Mark Sears, who returned to his home state last year after a stint at Ohio. Freshman Kris Parker also only played five minutes. Alabama still led the secret scrimmage in the second half, coming within a couple possessions of taking the win.

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