You can't overreact to an exhibition game in either direction, but it's going to be hard not to allow excitement to smash through the roof after Alabama routed Wake Forest 98-77 in Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham.
Especially because Wake Forest was ranked as preseason No. 3 in the ACC behind Duke and North Carolina, widely thought to be an NCAA Tournament team. And especially especially because Alabama was without three projected starters (Latrell Wrightsell, Chris Youngblood, and Grant Nelson) as well as backup center Aiden Sherrell.
Alabama led 46-38 at halftime, but exploded in the second half and outscored the Demon Deacons 52-39 in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated with the Tide relaxing a little in the final couple of minutes.
Alabama connected on 19-of-46 (41%) from three. Mark Sears and Aden Holloway hit nine of the 19 for the Crimson Tide and combined for 39 points. True freshmen Labaron Philon and Derrion Reid, Mo Dioubate, and Jarin Stevenson also finished in double figures.
Three Takeaways from Alabama's win
3. Mo Dioubate is going to be in the rotation
I don't know where the minutes are going to come from when the team is fully healthy, but somebody is going to lose minutes because sophomore forward Mo Dioubate is going to take them. Good things happen when he is on the court and he gives full effort every second he is out there.
Dioubate hit the offensive glass hard and keyed the Crimson Tide's 14-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. He blocked a couple of shots and showed his defensive versatility, guarding bigs and guards. He functioned as Alabama's backup center with Nelson and Sherrell out, and more than held his own against a big Wake Forest frontcourt.
Dioubate also hit a three-pointer and hit three of his four attempts from the free throw line. If his shot is as improved as it looked, he's a geninue player. Regardless, you can't leave that kind of effort on the bench. He's a difference maker and Nate Oats is going to figure out a way to make sure he gets minutes.
2. The freshmen were as advertised
It's too bad we didn't get to see Aiden Sherrell, but both Derrion Reid and Labaron Philon were as advertised.
Philon showed his defensive prowess, picking up Wake Forest guards full court early in the game to set the tone. He broke down the defense and got the rim like we knew he could do, but he also showed a better three-point shot than many anticipated, connecting on three of his six attempts. Philon finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and five assists with only one turnover.
Philon started in the backcourt next to Sears, something we might see early in the regular season until Youngblood is back. With Nelson and Omoruyi in the frontcourt, their length will allow the Crimson Tide to play three guards in Sears, Wrightsell, and Philon without losing anything defensively.
Reid got off to a bit of a slow start, but showed his first round NBA potential. He's just a winning basketball player. He knocked down a three and hit all five of his free throws while also grabbing six rebounds. He also was part of the highlight of the night when he blocked a shot and saved it from going out of bounds, which led to a Sears to Omoruyi alley-oop. It brought the house down:
— Bradley Ellis (@bradley2ellis) October 19, 2024
1. Mark Sears is Mark Sears
Mark Sears has the opportunity to leave Tuscaloosa as the best player in the history of the program. He's the preseason National Player of the Year and a consensus preseason All-American. If he has that type of season and leads the Crimson Tide back to the Final Four, it'll be hard to argue that he isn't the Bama Hoops GOAT.
Alabama knows what it's getting from Sears, but it was still a joy to see him play basketball again. He scored 19 points and dished six assists, hitting four of his seven three-point attempts.
The good news for Alabama and for Sears is that he shouldn't have to play 35-minutes this year for the Tide to be successful, especially with Youngblood and Wrightsell back healthy.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of Sears' night was how much more competitive and dialed in he was defensively. If your best player is willing to defend like that, it rubs off on the whole team. If he and the Crimson Tide play defense like that, then this team is going to be tough to beat.