Nate Oats challenged his team to bring effort, particularly on the glass, in Wednesday night's matchup against South Florida. From the opening tip, the effort was there from the Crimson Tide.
Unfortunately, Alabama struggled to hit shots, connecting on just 38% from the field in the first half. The Tide took a seven-point lead into the locker room, but the Bulls cut the Alabama lead to just three early in the second half.
From there, Alabama used a 17-4 run to take a 16-point lead with just over 12-minutes to play in the game. That big run was effectively the game as the Crimson Tide maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the game on the way to a 104-93 win.
South Florida came prepare to play by head coach Bryan Hodgson, a former Oats assistant in Tuscaloosa, but in the end the Crimson Tide had too much firepower.
4 observations from Alabama basketball's 104-93 win over USF
1. Taylor Bol Bowen answered Nate Oats' challenge
Oats has been heavily critical of Florida State transfer forward Taylor Bol Bowen this season, particularly for his lack of offensive rebounding ability. Bol Bowen didn't play well in Saturday's loss to Arizona, and Oats challenged him heading into Wednesday against USF.
He gave him extra motivation by inserting freshman London Jemison into the starting lineup and bringing Bol Bowen off the bench. Bol Bowen responded with his best effort of the season on the offensive glass.
Coming into the game, he had corralled just seven offensive rebounds the entire season. Against USF alone, Bol Bowen picked up six offensive boards. He didn't have a prolific scoring night (nine points), but he provided exactly the type of effort and energy that Alabama needed. He finished with nine points, nine rebounds, and two blocked shots in just 20 minutes of action.
2. Aden Holloway looked like Aden Holloway again
Aden Holloway didn't seem to trust his wrist in Saturday's loss to Arizona. He returned to the court after missing a couple of games, but he went scoreless and only attempted two shots for the game. He passed up a couple of looks he normally takes, something that Oats pointed out in the aftermath.
Against USF, Holloway came off the bench with Latrell Wrightsell starting in his place. But Holloway made the most of his minutes off the bench, scoring 24 points and hitting 4-of-9 from three-point range.
That's the version of Holloway that the Crimson Tide consistently needs. He still looked to be favoring his wrist a bit, but he didn't play scared.
3. Houston Mallette delivered the energy
No one player encapsulated the energy and effort Oats demanded of his team more than senior wing Houston Mallette.
Mallette scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He corralled three of Alabama's 20 offensive rebounds, and played with consistent energy on both ends of the court.
Perhaps more importantly for both Mallette and Alabama collectively was that the senior knocked down some shots. He hit 3-of-5 from deep, making the USF defense pay for leaving him open.
Mallette is a proven collegiate shooter, but has only hit 31.5% from deep so far this season. If he can start consistently making shots, it's going to be tough to keep him off the court.
4. Labaron Philon continues to dominate
There may not be a better guard in the country than Labaron Philon. The sophomore continues to get anything he wants on offense. USF, like every other team before them on Alabama's schedule, had little for him.
Philon tied his career-high against the Bulls, dropping 29 points on another hyper-efficient night from the field. He hit 10-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three, and added seven assists to only one turnover.
He was completely in control the entire night when he had the ball in his hands. He's been even better than anyone expected this year, and raises both the ceiling and the floor for Oats' team.