Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball at Missouri
A House of Horrors no more.
For the first time in the Nate Oats era, the Alabama Crimson Tide walked into Mizzou Arena and left with a win. No. 4 Alabama defeated Missouri Saturday night by a final score of 85-64.
Here are my takeaways from the game:
1. Noah Clowney had one of his best games yet.
Brandon Miller gets all the attention from NBA Draft analysts and college basketball analysts alike as Alabama's best freshman. This has caused Noah Clowney, who is having an incredible season in his own right, to fly under the radar.
On Saturday, Clowney dominated the glass and the interior to the tune of a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double — the second double-double of his career.
It seemed like wherever a loose ball went, Clowney was there to clean it up and put it in the goal.
While his shooting has dropped off in recent games — he hasn't hit a three since the Arkansas game — his effort has never deteriorated and his rebounding ability is sensational.
Clowney is currently tied for second in the SEC with 8.6 rebounds per game to go along with his scoring average of nearly 10 points per game as well. His stellar season has earned him NBA Draft looks, and he has been projected as a first round pick in several recent mock drafts.
Alabama fans, enjoy Clowney while he's here, because it may not be for very long.
2. Rylan Griffen is making the most of his role.
Griffen is the one Alabama freshman that doesn't get the same spotlight as the starting trio of Miller, Clowney and Bradley. Despite this, Griffen has continued to work and has begun to settle into his role in recent games.
Against Missouri, Griffen scored nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc in just 12 minutes of action.
After a shaky start, Griffen has made multiple threes in four of his last five games, and has brought his 3-point percentage on the season up to nearly 30 percent.
The special part about the depth of this Alabama team is how so many talented players are finding their roles and playing them well, and Griffen is no different. His improved shooting and unwavering confidence are going to continue to help Alabama this season, and there's no doubt he is going to be a major contributor in the Alabama program in the near future.
3. Alabama's defense showed up against a high-powered offense.
One of the biggest talking points of Alabama's start to SEC play has been the fact that Alabama has yet to allow an SEC opponent to score 70 points.
That trend continued against Missouri, which is considerably impressive given the metrics behind the Tigers' offense.
Entering Saturday's game, Missouri ranked ninth in all of college basketball in offensive efficiency, according to the analytics service KenPom. Missouri also led the SEC in points per game entering Saturday, scoring over 84 per contest.
Alabama held Missouri to just 64 points on .877 points per possession. The Tigers shot just 32.9 percent from the floor and just over 10 percent from 3-point range.
The offense typically gets the praise with Oats-coached teams, but this defense is one of the nation's best. As of Sunday morning KenPom ranks Alabama's defense in the top-5 in defensive efficiency.
4. A few more things...
- Alabama overcame bad efficiency nights from its two leading scorers — Sears and Miller — who both shot just 33 percent from the floor. Plenty of other players helped pick up the slack and propel Alabama to a 20-point win.
- Alabama is now an impressive 6-0 in true road games this year.
- Jahvon Quinerly has now scored in double figures in four out of six games. His 3-point percentage is up to 35 percent on the year, the third-best on Alabama's team.
- Nimari Burnett saw a few minutes of action after retuning earlier than expected from wrist surgery. Oats will likely ease him back into a consistent role over the next few games before he gets back to playing the minutes he did before his injury.
See also:
Nimari Burnett's Early Return Adds to an Already-Deep Alabama Roster
No. 4 Alabama Doesn’t Have to Rely on Brandon Miller Every Night
