Alabama basketball entered the 2024-25 season with the highest expectations in program history. In the regular season opener at home at Coleman Coliseum, Alabama demolished UNC Asheville 110-54, fully living up to preseason expectations on college basketball's opening night.
Alabama scored 110 points despite hitting only eight three-pointers. The Crimson Tide dominated in the paint. The most encouraging number was giving up just 54 points and holding the Bulldogs to 27% from the floor.
Alabama had seven players finish in double figures, unsurprisingly led by a super-efficient Mark Sears, who scored 20 points on just eight shot attempts. Clifford Omoruyi put in 16 points on 6/6 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds.
Latrell Wrightsell, Aden Holloway, Mo Dioubate, Labaron Philon, and Jarin Stevenson also finished in double figures.
Alabama is 1-0 and will be back on the hardwood on Friday night in Tuscaloosa against Arkansas State.
3 Takeaways from Alabama's win
3. Alabama's roster is as deep as advertised.
Before the game, Nate Oats announced that freshman Naas Cunningham and senior Houston Mallette would be redshirting for the 2024-25 season. Cunningham comes as no surprise as a raw prospect. But Mallette is an experienced 40+% three-point shooter who could contribute at most programs in the country.
It speaks to Alabama's depth that Mallette is taking a redshirt. All 10 available scholarship players played tonight, and all 10 had scored just eight minutes into the game. And the Crimson Tide has an 11th guy - USF transfer Chris Youngblood - recovering from injury who will be a major factor when healthy.
It was the first look this year for Latrell Wrightsell, Grant Nelson, and Aiden Sherrell, who all missed the first two exhibition matchups.
2. Mark Sears looked like the National Player of the Year
At the end of the season, I'm not sure if Mark Sears is going to have the numbers to win Alabama's first National Player of the Year award. That's because the Crimson Tide is so deep that he won't be required to carry as heavy of a burden as he did for much of last season.
On the flip side, Sears should see a bump in efficiency, which is wild for a player who was ruthlessly efficient last season. Sears scored 20 points on 6/8 shooting against UNC Asheville, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.
The game looks effortless for Sears. His improved focus on defense was noticeable in the opener as well, a key point of emphasis for him this season. If he's going to defend at a high level - or at least give high-level effort on defense - then this team goes to another level.
1. Alabama might have three one-and-dones
It's pretty clear that Oats and his staff hit big on this recruiting class. Derrion Reid was the prized recruit, one of the highest ranked recruits in program history, and while his offensive game is still raw, he plays winning basketball. He scored 9 points and grabbed 6 rebounds with a blocked shot in his debut.
Labaron Philon has been the talk of the summer, and if this was your first time seeing him, then you saw why. Philon plays with maximum effort at all times and just stuffs the stat sheet when he's on the court. He had 10 points, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in his Tide debut. He looks like one of the top freshmen guards in college basketball.
Aiden Sherrell might be raw, but he's got the physical tools that will make NBA GMs salivate. He looks every bit of 6-foot-11, and honestly, he might be over 7-feet already. In just 17 minutes, Sherrell led the team with 9 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive boards. He's a perfect backup center for Omoruyi, and I think his long-term upside might send him straight to the NBA after one year in Tuscaloosa.