How Alabama Will Adjust in March Madness without Aden Holloway

TAMPA, Fla. –– March Madness is about survival, and for at least Alabama’s opening game against No. 13 seed Hofstra, the Crimson Tide will have to survive without one of its key players.

Aden Holloway’s status remains uncertain, but Alabama is preparing as if he won’t be available. That shifts the focus immediately to how the Crimson Tide maintains its identity without one of its most important offensive pieces.

“We’ll prepare to play without him,” head coach Nate Oats said.

Holloway’s impact goes beyond scoring. He leads Alabama in made 3-pointers and serves as a key spacer in an offense built on pace and analytical efficiency. His presence forces defenses to stretch both vertically and horizontally, opening driving lanes and creating cleaner looks across the floor.

Still, Oats has made it clear that the response will not involve adjusting the system.

“We don’t really have to change the way we play,” Oats said. “We’re going to play the way we play and attack the way we attack.”

That identity starts with tempo. Alabama ranks among the fastest teams in the country, and even without Holloway, the plan is to continue pushing the pace and creating offense early in possessions. Labaron Philon said Alabama will stick to its usual script.

“We have to get guys to step up, guys gotta be aggressive and we just gotta play like we shot out of a cannon,” Philon said. “Our style is just to run and gun, push it as fast as we can and just get buckets early in the shot clock.”

The question is not whether Alabama will change how it plays, but whether it can execute that style at the same level. Without Holloway, the Crimson Tide loses one of its most efficient shooters and a player that defenses must constantly account for. That places more responsibility on the rest of the rotation to recreate spacing and production.

Oats pointed to several players who could absorb those minutes, including Jalil Bethea, Houston Mallette and Amari Allen, while also highlighting the recent play of Taylor Bol Bowen and Noah Williamson.

Bethea may offer the highest upside in terms of replacing Holloway’s production in the backcourt. The Miami (FL) transfer and former five-star is not the same level of knockdown shooter, but he has shown the ability to score in bunches. He shot 50 percent from three on 10 attempts in a win over UTSA in December, a glimpse of the offensive ceiling Alabama hopes to tap into.

In a smaller role this season, Bethea has averaged 4.4 points per game while shooting 33.3 percent from deep across 23 games off the bench. Increased minutes could give him more rhythm and a chance to expand that role in a meaningful way.

Mallette is likely to see a bump in minutes as well, though his impact comes differently. Rather than creating offense, he brings stability. His value shows up in spacing, effort and leadership, both on and off the floor.

The fifth-year guard, whom Oats has described as a “future coach,” has already delivered in key moments this season, including a late three-pointer that proved to be the game-winner against Arkansas in February.

Amari Allen will also take on an expanded role. The freshman wing, an NBA first-round hopeful, is shooting 36.5 percent from three, provides Alabama with versatility on both ends and could see more time on the perimeter rather than at power forward.

“I change it positionally a little bit, but I mean, at the same time, I'm comfortable playing wherever,” Allen said. “At times we have four guards out there at once, one big. Sometimes we even have five wings.”

Allen emphasized that the adjustment is less about replacing Holloway’s scoring and more about a collective effort.

“I'm not really too worried about the scoring,” Allen said. “We have a bunch of guys who could step up and go for a big amount of points any single day.”

Williamson and Bol Bowen will also see increased minutes. Neither replicates Holloway’s style, but Alabama could go bigger, pushing Allen to small forward.

That collective approach will be tested immediately against Hofstra. The Pride prefers a slower, half-court style, one that can limit possessions and force opponents out of rhythm. That creates a natural contrast with Alabama’s up-tempo identity and puts added pressure on the Crimson Tide to dictate the pace.

If Alabama can keep the game pace up, its depth and athleticism should take over. If it can’t, every possession becomes more valuable, and the absence of Holloway becomes more noticeable.

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