Happy Gump Day, everyone. Alabama basketball showed just what it’s capable of last night, treating a very good Mississippi State squad like a Q3 opponent. Some level of rat poison will come along with such a performance, and Nick Kelly served up a heaping helping with this headline.
The Crimson Tide allowed the Bulldogs to score only .750 points per possession in the first half with 27 total first-half points. Those are elite numbers that will win just about every basketball game. Mississippi State, before halftime, shot 12 of 33 (36.4%) overall and 2 of 12 (16.7%) from deep. Alabama also forced nine first-half turnovers.
That kind of suffocating, efficient defense has not been a constant this season. More often than not, it hasn’t shown up. Did we finally see what this group can do?
The Crimson Tide didn’t maintain that level of defense, ultimately getting comfortable with a big lead and allowing 1.278 points per possession in the second half. But the point is, the first half showed what Alabama can do in a season where there haven’t been many examples like that.
The answer is probably not, as any good team is difficult to beat when they burn up the nets from three. Nate mentioned the ball movement, and that was perhaps the most stark difference that I noticed on offense. If they’ve committed to play defense and swing the ball around the perimeter to find good shots more consistently, there is no limit to what they can do.
Nate has spoken about the team sometimes having a hard time staying locked in on defense when shots aren’t falling. It’s great to see them play well when off to a fast start on offense, but they have to be able to play with the same intensity regardless.
Chris Youngblood is hitting his stride at the right time.
Youngblood was just a couple points shy of matching a career-high 29 scored against Tulane on Mar. 6 while playing for the Bulls.
“If you don’t turn it over, you can get quality shots if you move it,” Oats said.
Alabama had 28 total assists against 11 turnovers as Mississippi State turned it over 14 times. Fielding the three-guard starting lineup with Sears and freshman Labaron Philon in the mix again helped Youngblood, too. Having sophomore Aden Holloway, who split five assists with Philon, coming off the bench doesn’t hurt, either.
“Trying to keep two of those guys in and having C.Y. play with two of those guys a lot more, I think that significantly helped the offense, helped the ball move,” Oats said.
Big, physical guards who can play three-and-D ball like Youngblood are a luxury. Alabama’s four guard rotation is as good as any in the country, and guard play is typically critical in March. Nate was also quite pleased with Philon’s defense on star guard Josh Hubbard, and Sears has been all out on defense the past two games.
Spring football practice starts next week (!), and based on these comments from Kalen DeBoer, the grand finale isn’t going to look quite the same as prior years.
“A lot of times here, the A-Day Game, it’s been more of a practice, and there’s been some scrimmaging, not necessarily much of a game,” DeBoer told On3. “Even when I was at Fresno State, we called it the spring preview. Especially this year, there’s some things we’re working through with some injuries and so forth. So it’ll definitely be modified. We want to try to have some type of event around April 12.”
DeBoer said he understands why some programs are canceling spring practice saying Alabama understands “the impact that putting things out there for the whole world to see, what that can do” in the transfer portal world.
Alabama has not released information about its A-Day game other than the date April 12.
Unfettered free agency ruins everything.
This nugget about transfer Isaiah Horton is interesting.
When Isaiah Horton transferred to Alabama after three seasons at Miami, his role seemed undeniably clear: the big-bodied, deep threat third receiver to pair with Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard.
Horton’s a receiver Simpson’s known for years having both played Tennessee high school football at the same time and played 7-on-7 together.
Alabama brought Horton in in an attempt to add something it did not have in 2024: a third receiver to make a significant impact in the passing game. Spring will be the first chance to see if a player can allow the Crimson Tide offense to branch out and include more weapons, whether it’s Horton, Rico Scott, Jalen Hale or even Jaylen Mbakwe.
This of course doesn’t mean that Simpson is The Guy, but the fact that he has some familiarity with Horton can’t hurt.
The right tackle battle will be the second most critical on the roster.
Formby is a top-100 recruit and is only entering his third year, so his development story is far from finished. That being said, there’s still a concern about depth and competition at the position.
Alabama added former Ball State player Arkel Anugwom, a sophomore who totaled 101 snaps in four games last season. Sophomore Olaus Alinen has nine appearances at guard in two years, and redshirt freshman Casey Poe spent time at tackle during bowl practice and could get a look. Alabama added Jackson Lloyd, a five-star prospect on a few of the recruiting services, as an early enrollee.
It’s a combination of former blue-chip prospects and players with mixed experience and high upside. There’s more uncertainty than answers.
There are plenty of high potential bodies on the roster here, but someone has to emerge ready to play winning football at the position.
Last, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. is claiming self defense in the lawsuit against him for allegedly punching an Oklahoma student in the head during the field storming last November.
The plaintiff, Holden Moxley, alleges that he was attempting to take a selfie photo with his phone on the field when, without provocation or warning, he was hit on the head from behind by Kirkpatrick, who was identified by his jersey number. Per the lawsuit, Moxley went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a concussion.
Kirkpatrick’s attorney, Ryan Deligans, filed response Monday, denying the allegation. That document alleges that Kirkpatrick was provoked, acted in self-defense, and “felt threatened given the totality of the circumstances he was confronted with.” The response also establishes that Moxley’s presence on the field was unlawful, making his own actions an underlying cause of the incident. The Tuscaloosa News left a message for Deligans at his office.
Don’t be on the field, and you don’t get a concussion. We’ll see if Holden is able to secure a bag.
That’s about it for now. Have a great day.
Roll Tide.
