Alabama Basketball: Crimson Tide defeats SIU in exhibition
Alabama basketball concluded the preseason portion of its schedule with a 73-64 charity exhibition victory over Southern Illinois.
Freshman wing Brandon Miller led the Tide in scoring despite an off day shooting. Miller went 5-13 from the field and missed all five of his three-point attempts, but still managed 14 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Ohio transfer Mark Sears and St. Bonaventure transfer Dominick Welch got the start at the guard positions for Alabama basketball. Sears played well, with 13 points on 6-11 shooting. He had four turnovers, but was otherwise efficient. Welch had a rough game, shooting just 1-5 from the field and finishing with three points and four fouls.
Freshman Rylan Griffen provided a spark off the bench, hitting a pair of threes and scoring eight points. Freshman Jaden Bradley (four points) and sophomore Nimari Burnett (three points) saw time as well.
Junior wing Darius Miles and senior point guard Jahvon Quinerly, who is still recovering from a knee injury, did not participate.
Graduate student Noah Gurley and freshman Noah Clowney started in the frontcourt. Gurley gave the Tide 12 points and six rebounds. Clowney contributed six points and eight rebounds. JUCO transfer Nick Pringle was impressive off the bench with 10 points and eight boards. Sophomore center Charles Bediako was inactive.
On the surface, a 73-64 win against Southern Illinois doesn’t look impressive. Still, the Tide were able to grit out a short-handed victory, which isn’t always easy in college basketball. Alabama was missing its star point guard in Quinerly and its best post player and rim protector in Bediako.
It also shot very poorly from the perimeter, making just three three-point shots and shooting at a 14 percent clip. Three point shooting is a staple of Coach Nate Oats’ philosophy, and this particular Alabama basketball team has the potential to be a good three point shooting team. It’s a positive sign to see that it can find ways to win when shots aren’t falling.
Next. Bama hoops season on the horizon. dark
Alabama basketball opens up its regular season schedule next Monday, November 7th at home against Longwood.