When the Alabama Crimson Tide welcomed the Oklahoma Sooners to Coleman Coliseum on Saturday, it quickly became clear which team was more prepared for the game. The Tide rolled to a 30-16 lead early and never let the Sooners back in, ultimately prevailing 107-79.
Alabama’s Offense Was Fueled By Protecting the Ball and Offensive Rebounds
Offensively, Alabama started well from three, with four players making deep treys in the first half alone. They ended the game with 9 makes. After emphasizing the necessity of limiting turnovers, head coach Nate Oates will be relieved to see his team only cough the ball up 9 times. Overall, it wasn’t a great shooting performance, but limiting turnovers and getting second-chance points helped to make up for it.
The offensive glass was what Oates felt won them the game. Alabama’s bigger guards contributed their fair share of offensive rebounds, and the frontcourt of Grant Nelson and Clifford Omoruyi were also excellent in that department. All five starters for the Tide had at least two offensive rebounds, and with bench players Chris Youngblood and Aiden Sherrell adding several more, Bama finished with 22 offensive boards for an offensive rebounding rate of 55%.
That’s Omoruyi 🤌🏼#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/YuXyu7ruEJ
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 4, 2025
The total rebounding advantage ended up being 51-26 for Alabama. Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser stated “you’re not gonna win against an elite team” when getting exposed so much on the glass. It was truly a team effort, emblematic of how deep this Alabama team is. Their depth also played a role in the scoring column, as they won that advantage 38-5. The aforementioned Youngblood, who was only 3-9 from the floor, was still a big part of it, ending with 9 points and 8 rebounds.
Alabama’s Backcourt Outplayed Oklahoma’s
Alabama’s early start was fueled by good defense, particularly on Oklahoma’s star freshman Jeremiah Fears. The mercurial guard only had 1 point in the first half and was 0-7 from the floor. Guards Jalon Moore and Kobe Elvis tried to pick up the slack, and while Fears ended with 16 points, he will be disappointed with his performance. Elvis was just 6-14 from the floor, including 1-7 from deep, and while Moore ended with 20 points, it’s clear that Oklahoma needs Fears to play better.
On the offensive end, Alabama’s star Mark Sears was phenomenal. Despite being just 1-6 from beyond the arc, Sears lived at the free throw line, making 11 of his 13 tries, and added 10 assists and 3 steals. Sears is one of the emotional leaders of the team, showing great passion and getting teammates involved throughout.
Bully Ball 😤#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/CTz85DuFs4
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 5, 2025
Sears’ brilliant night was coupled with another great game from freshman standout Labaron Philon. He scored 16 points, hitting two threes, and also contributing 4 rebounds and 5 assists. These two guards are matchup nightmares for opponents. Philon is already showing great maturity and poise for such a young player.
The contributions of freshman Derrion Reid were also notable. Reid scored 11 points in his 15 minutes of action, including catching an outstanding lob from Sears that was one of the highlights of the game.
DERRION REID WITH AUTHORITY 😤 @AlabamaMBB pic.twitter.com/fgDwhMFBOe
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 5, 2025
Oklahoma faces Texas A&M next, a team sure to give them more problems on the glass. The Aggies are the top offensive rebounding team in the country. Alabama will face a tough South Carolina team that are coming off a loss to Mississippi State.
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