Thursday night will be another huge opportunity for this Alabama basketball team to show the country just how good they can be. Last Saturday, the Tide put the nation on notice with the big win at the Garden over St. John's, and now they are looking to knock off the second-ranked team in the country in Coleman.
A win over the Purdue Boilermakers should allow Nate Oats' team to be ranked as the number one team before next week's matchup against Illinois. It is going to take a lot to beat this talented Purdue team, but if we see any semblance to what we saw last Saturday, there is a good chance another top-five team will drop a game to Alabama.
Labaron Philon has taken his game to the next level, and that, mixed with the energy of Aden Holloway, may be one of the best backcourt tandems in the country. Getting Latrell Wrightsell back healthy does a lot for this team on both sides of the ball, and if we keep getting Saturday's performance from Taylor Bol Bowen, this could be the beginning of a special run. It is only November, with plenty of other games and an opportunity to show they are a true title contender, but beating arguably the best team in America would definitely start that process sooner than expected.
This will be the third year in a row Alabama has faced off against Purdue, and hopefully the third time is the charm. This is also a big game for Matt Painter's team as they are looking for their first impressive win of the season. A win for the Boilermakers on the road would put them in a good position to be back as the number one team when next week's poll drops. Either way it goes, Thursday night will give basketball fans everywhere something much better to watch than another mediocre NFL Thursday night game.