Winning on the road in the SEC is tough enough, but nearly impossible when your only productive big man is out with a leg injury. Aiden Sherrell being the only big man on the roster who consistently has productive minutes is very frustrating. The announcers on Wednesday night pointed out at one point that Alabama had five guards on the court, utilizing freshman Amari Allen as the five-man. Being undersized and living off good guard play is nothing new for a Nate Oats team, but for there not being any real solutions when Sherrell is unable to go is unfortunate.
We saw Noah Williamson have his best performance since coming to Tuscaloosa against Kentucky, putting up 10 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes. I was hopeful maybe that is what would get him going, but we see that not being the case as he only played four minutes against the Commodores, only grabbing one rebound with four fouls.
Struggling from beyond the arc is more common on the road for most teams, but tonight, not having Sherrell available at all was the difference in tonight's game. London Jemison and Amari Allen both led the team with 11 rebounds, but being that he is only 6-foot-8, he can't be considered a true big man. At this point of the season Alabama's roster is who they are, but something has to be figured out. Why does Williamson play so few minutes? I know he has not been very productive on either end of the court, but it would seem the lack of playing time might be why he cannot find a rhythm or gain confidence.
Aiden Sherrell being a game time decision and the fact he did warm up some may be a good sign overall and it would be great if he is available on Saturday against Texas. On a positive note, Allen showed how good he can be offensively putting up a big 25 points, and his ability to consistently score will be very important without knowing the immediate injury status of Labaron Philon.