Alabama Basketball's 'Battle-Tested' Players Prepared for Postseason

The Crimson Tide has played the No. 1 strength of schedule this season, and the veterans have played in tough matchups on the biggest stages the last few years.

Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson (15) and Alabama forward Grant Nelson (4) blocks a shot against Auburn at Neville Arena in Auburn, AL on Saturday, Mar 8, 2025. | Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— At one point in the second half ofSaturday's win over No. 1 Auburn, the Tigers had built up a five-point lead in the second half, and the Neville Arena crowd was really starting to get into the game after having to sit on their hands for most of the first half.

In an environment like that, Alabama could've easily folded into the momentum of the crowd and let Auburn start to run away with the game. Instead the Crimson Tide kept calm and responded with a 15-2 run of its own to keep the Tigers and the crowd at bay before winning in overtime on Mark Sears' buzzer beater.

It's been a theme for Alabama this season: maintaining composure when things start to go awry. Back in early February at Arkansas, Alabama had built up a huge lead in the second half before the Razorbacks cut it to a single-possession game by the final minute. The Crimson Tide was able to make enough clutch plays to hang on for the win in another hostile environment.

Overall, Alabama has had a lot of success on the road this season, and as the Crimson Tide enters SEC Tournament play this weekend, there will be no more games at home in the friendly confines of Coleman Coliseum.

"We love playing at home, but we just look forward to the next few games we’ve got that are away," Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate said Wednesday.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats attributes some of the poise on his team to the veteran players but also likes the toughness he's seen out of the young guys as the Crimson Tide has played the No. 1 strength of schedule this season.

" I mean, Labaron [Philon] stepped up in some big moments," Oats said. "He’s a freshman that’s young, but he’s got that kind of ‘it factor’ if you will, in big moments or big games. I don’t think Jarin [Stevenson] gets too rattled. I mean, he’s pretty straight, even-keeled. Mo Dioubate is a pretty tough kid that's been in some tough environments his career."

But Alabama's lineup is also stocked with guys like Grant Nelson and Mark Sears that have played on the biggest stages in the biggest moments. Oats mentioned last season's game at Georgia where Nelson hit two clutch 3-pointers late in the game to steal a road victory.

Or how Sears has played in and won games against No. 1 teams like the 2022 road victory at Houston when Alabama trailed by as much as 15 in the second half and then came back to win by six, and the four-overtime victory over North Carolina in 2022.

"He never quit," Oats said. "Even through lows, he kept fighting. So, we’ve got some guys that have been battle-tested. We’ve got some guys that just have some savvy about them to stay in those games and make plays, and we’re going to need that to make runs here in March."