Alabama’s Rebounding Woes Define a Season of Defensive Challenges

“Defensive rebounding is going to be an issue."
Nate Oats, Oct. 26, 2025

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nate Oats' preseason words have rung true this season as Alabama has gotten routinely outclassed on the boards. An inability to prevent second-chance points has been a catalyst for multiple Crimson Tide losses this year, from the first defeat back in November against Purdue to the most recent one on Tuesday against Georgia.

The issues have come to a head over the past week, as Alabama got outrebounded by 17 against Tennessee and 10 against the Bulldogs. With Oats confirming that centers Charles Bediako, Keitenn Bristow and Collins Onyejiaka will not play the rest of the season, the lack of front-court depth is proving detrimental for the team.

"None of those guys are playing. We've got who we got," Oats said. "Maybe we're not going to outrebound teams by 20, but we've got to do a better job tightening up the rebounding gap. Maybe we only lose the rebounding battle by a few. We can't continue to lose it by 17 and 10 like we've just done these last two games, and expect to be able to continue to win at a high level."

The rebounding struggles are the biggest piece of a defensive puzzle that frankly remains unsolved entering the season finale against Auburn. Much of the impetus has fallen on Aiden Sherrell, the only capable true center on the roster. Sherrell is averaging just shy of 29 minutes per game over the past six contests and has become indispensable, with opponents grabbing extra boards and successfully attacking the rim when the sophomore sits.

That isn't to say that things have been all negative on that end of the floor. Houston Mallette and Amari Allen have produced big moments while emerging as integral pieces on the glass, particularly due to their respective understandings of positioning and boxing out. Additionally, Labaron Philon Jr. has silenced Oats' critiques of his defensive leadership, taking a noticeable leap over the course of Alabama's eight-game winning streak (which just ended in Athens on Tuesday).

Beyond those individual efforts, the Crimson Tide has shown legitimate strengths as a unit. The team has consistently applied pressure on the perimeter, disrupting half-court offensive sets and generating turnovers, setting up countless transition opportunities. By forcing opponents into contested shots and capitalizing on quick switches, the team has shown the level of defensive intensity that can make up for frontcourt limitations and control the flow of a game.

"We've got to focus on what it takes to be great on defense and really lock into that on every single possession for 40 minutes," Oats said. "If we do that, we can score the ball as good as any team in the country."

Alabama has been here before, numerous times. A prolific offense in conjunction with a capable but underwhelming defense is an unofficial hallmark of an Oats roster at this point. The difference between the last two seasons (Final Four, Elite Eight) and the three years before that (Sweet 16, Round of 64, Sweet 16) largely came down to those teams' ability to string together complete defensive performances when the lights were shining the brightest.

"The last three years, when we've guarded people at a high level, we've been one of the best teams in the country," Oats said. "Go back to two years ago, our defense wasn't very good most of the year. We still got some decent wins, but we weren't consistently great, and then we decided to guard people at a high level for a few weeks and made a Final Four run.

"We are a better defensive team this year than we were then, but we are not where we would need to be to make a run in the SEC tournament or in the NCAA Tournament."

For as negative as the discourse around rebounding and defense has been, the pieces are ultimately there. Sherrell has been among the best interior players in the conference, Allen has shown an ability to take on just about any matchup, and Philon has provided the intensity needed to power a team through the second weekend of the big dance.

"We can be an elite perimeter defensive team that makes more defensive plays and can turn people over a little more," Oats said. "We've got to buy into what we've got. If we do that, we've got a chance to make a run."