Alabama Basketball's Bench Brigade Stays Ready
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— Thursday afternoon wasn't the first time Alabama basketball's reserves had a good night, but the bench couldn't have played much better offensively in the Crimson Tide's 96-75 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The bench scored 49 of the 96 points against the Islanders, led by Nick Pringle's second double-double of the season with 19 points and 15 rebounds ,and Nimari Burnett's 11 points and 3-for-6 shooting on 3-pointers.
Both players have faced their challenges before strong opening-round performances.
For Burnett, it was finding his rhythm from the perimeter.
Before the Round of 64, the 6-foot-4 sophomore made only one 3-pointer in his last six games. The game he did make a perimeter shot, against Auburn in the regular season finale, was also the last time he made a field goal before Thursday's game.
Still, Burnett never lost confidence and continued to stay ready for his moment.
"Feels great," Burnett said after the game. "That's what work does. Staying with it throughout the course of the season. Staying positive, and mentally ready at all times. Good first game, and can't wait for the next one."
Head coach Nate Oats supported that statement, saying "Nimari's shot the ball really well in practice the last couple days. He studied a lot of videos. I thought he got himself really ready."
For Pringle, the challenge was knowing when and how much he would play. As the third center, his minutes and opportunities have been up and down throughout the season. But early foul trouble by Charles Bediako and Noah Clowney gave him a chance to play more, and the rest is history.
"This is something great to be a part of," Pringle said. "You never know when you're number is going to be called, so stick around and wait your turn."
Pringle also talked about how All-American forward Brandon Miller, who was held scoreless for the first time this season, continued to encourage him and support him from the bench. Even Bediako praised Pringle and others for how he stepped up when he and Clowney were in foul trouble.
“My brothers had my back today," Bediako said. "Nick Pringle stepped up to the table for both me and Noah Clowney. Just everybody else on the bench helped each other out, and that’s really what I like about this team so much. We just help each other out when it may not be one of our ‘on’ games.”
Even with Pringle and Burnett's performances, the bench brigade wouldn't be complete without Noah Gurley, who finished with eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes.
"He's been great. He's been one of our leaders," Oats said. “Two out of the four last regular season games, he didn't play in. He was still the guy talking to everybody every timeout. Leading the locker room.
"His leadership has been great all year, and it's a big reason why we're as tight, and chemistry is as good, and guys are pulling for each other as much as they are."
Gurley also talked about how well the bench players are and that the team is only focused on the end goal.
"It just shows the selflessness of this team, everybody is ready to go," Gurley said. "Nobody cares about minutes, we just know that when we get out there and play we got to give our all."
With Miller dealing with a groin injury, it is unclear how that will impact him as Alabama advances through the tournament. Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, there's plenty of players who can rise to the occasion.
See also: Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball in First Round of NCAA Tournament
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