Alabama basketball is off to a 2-0 start, building off a 22-point season-opening win over Sam Houston on Tuesday to knock off the preseason Sun Belt favorites, Arkansas State, 101-86 in Coleman Coliseum on Friday night.
The Crimson Tide shook off an ugly shooting start and still finished just 36% from the field and 30% from three to earn the win. The big difference was rebounding, particularly on the offensive glass in the first half. Alabama corralled 20 offensive boards in the first 20 minutes, and finished he game +12. It was a big step forward after a disappointing effort in the opener.
This was the final game of Aden Holloway's suspension, too, and the offense still managed a triple-digit scoring night. Imagine what things might look like with one of the best shooters and most efficient offensive players in the country back in the fold.
Let's take a look at the best (buckets) and worst (bricks) from Alabama's win over Arkansas State:
Buckets:
Amari Allen
Where else can you start but with the guy who recorded just the fifth triple-double in Alabama basketball history?
Allen finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists in the 15-point win. He controlled the game with his playmaking and didn't force anything on the offensive end. With Holloway out, Allen showed he was more than capable of leading the Crimson Tide from the point.
He joins Roy Rogers, Kira Lewis Jr., and Aaron Estrada as the only Tide players to record triple-doubles. Rogers recorded two in a span of a week in 1996, both of which were with blocked shots instead of assists. Oats believes more triple-doubles could be in Allen's future.
"I wouldn’t be shocked if this isn’t his last," Oats said. "I mean, he may have more triple-doubles this year, as hard as he’s playing, and the pace that we play at and everything.”
Brandon Garrison
Garrison's effort through two regular-season games has been exceptional. His ability to maintain consistency from an effort standpoint was the biggest knock on him during his two seasons at Kentucky. It's a long season yet, but early returns have been positive.
Garrison is now 2-for-2 on collecting hard hats, leading Alabama in blue-collar points in both games so far. He finished with a double-double against Arkansas State, recording 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes.
Garrison was a big piece of the puzzle for Oats' offseason frontcourt revamping, and he - and the others - are off to a fantastic start to the season.
Keitenn Bristow's rim protection
It was a lost season for Bristow a year ago. He ended up only playing 10 games due to various injury issues. But he looks healthy and impactful to start the season. He's played well in both games so far, and one of the more surprising things he's doing exceptionally well is protecting the rim.
We saw his ability as a shot blocker in the exhibition slate, and that has carried over into the regular season. Bristow has blocked seven shots in two games, logging three of them against the Red Wolves.
He's got great length and a preternatural rim awareness that helps him get a hand on the ball despite not being your traditional rim protector.
Qayden Samuels
A look at the traditional box score might make you wonder why Samuels is included here. Sure, he scored a team-leading 17 points, but he was just 3-of-13 from the floor. He's a volume scorer who has not been efficient in the preseason or to open the regular season.
But he's still making an impact. His ability to get to the rim and get to the free-throw line provided a lift to the offense, and he knocked down all eight attempts. Despite the poor shooting, the freshman guard led the team in plus-minus at +24.
His role will be interesting going forward, with Holloway set to return on Monday. He's still going to play a lot, but he'll be off the ball a good bit more.
Bricks:
Cole Cloer
It has been a rough start to the season for Cole Cloer, who was one of the standout performers of the exhibition games. But he missed the last one with an injury, and it slowed the momentum he was building.
He followed up a poor performance against Sam Houston with another poor one against Arkansas State. He's scored just five points in two games, shooting 2-of-16 from the field and 1-of-12 from three. Even worse, he's letting his poor offensive performances influence the rest of his game, and he's failing to make an impact any other way.
Cloer was a team-worst -14 in his 20 minutes against Arkansas State.
He's going to play better moving forward. He's too talented not to. But it's rough right now for the NC State transfer.
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