Alabama Basketball Showcases Depth in Exhibition Win Over Furman

Alabama men's basketball had quite the offseason after becoming the only school in the country to reach the Elite Eight round in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.

Four of last season's starters exhausted their collegiate eligibility, the Crimson Tide had four outgoing transfers but also five incoming transfers, and the team also signed four recruits to its freshmen class. These newcomers have joined five returners from last year's team.

In other words, Alabama's 2025-26 roster looks a lot different. The Crimson Tide has played two exhibitions to test the waters and rotations of this team, both resulting in wins. Head coach Nate Oats and company took down Florida State on Oct. 17, and on Sunday, UA dismantled Furman 96-71 on the road.

Alabama's new-look roster got a ton of action against the Seminoles, and it led to five players finishing in double figures, plus the bench scoring an impressive 30 points. And while the Tide had four players score 10-plus points against the Paladins, the bench tallied a stellar 43 points. Depth is key to winning throughout the season, and it was truly showcased on Sunday.

"It's hard to find minutes for all of these guys," Oats said during the postgame press conference. "11 guys played double-figure minutes. And then Collins [Onyejiaka], I thought he was solid in his seven minutes and Preston [Murphy Jr.] was good when he was in. He plays hard, gets downhill and attacks.

"We're going to have to make some decisions on minutes, but it's good that our depth is there. I think we'll be able to withstand some injuries and foul trouble. Some of these guys are just going to have to understand that they're not going to get 25-30 minutes. They're going to have to be super efficient and really good in their 10-15 minutes that they get.

"Some guys tonight did that. Amari ended up with 20 minutes but he had nine rebounds, he was our leading rebounder. I think some of the guys they're going to have to be super efficient and get a lot done in the minutes they get. But the depth's there this year."

Alabama guards Aden Holloway (18 points), Labaron Philon (16) and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (12) — all returners from last year's team — led the Crimson Tide in points with fellow returners Houston Mallette and Aiden Sherrell having the fifth and sixth-most points, respectively.

But in between all of them was true freshman Amari Allen, who scored 11 points on 4 of 6 from the field. Allen has been the most surprising freshman to Oats this offseason compared to London Jemison, Davion Hannah and Collins Onyejiaka.

Allen led Alabama with nine rebounds (four offensive), and Hannah, who grabbed seven against FSU, hauled in five on Sunday. Additionally, Jemison had six boards despite playing just 11 minutes.

The Crimson Tide's incoming transfers were a bit quieter on the scoreboard compared to a couple of double-digit performances from nine days ago. Forwards Taylor Bol Bowen and Keitenn Bristow, center Noah Williamson and guard Preston Murphy Jr. combined for 12 points.

Nevertheless, Alabama had 12 of its 13 healthy players convert a field goal attempt on Sunday. Only time will tell if numbers like these will translate in the regular season, starting with North Dakota on Nov. 3 in Coleman Coliseum.

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