Alabama Basketball downed by Purdue in tough early-season road loss

When Alabama Basketball coach Nate Oats previewed the Purdue game, he stressed the importance of being able to perform in tough road environments. Oats said, "If you want to be a competitor, it's a lot easier to be a frontrunner and look great at home when the whole crowd is behind you. The real competitors show up on the road."

After the Crimson Tide lost to Purdue 87-78 in the rabid environment of Mackey Arena, it should be admitted that the toughest competitors won. Nate Oats will not disagree. Speaking after the game, Oats said, "We schedule these games for a reason, where we like to go against the best teams in the country and figure out what we got work on. We've got plenty to work on after this game."

Purdue is accustomed to winning in Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers have lost two home games in the previous two seasons. Zach Edey, now in the NBA was the main reason for such success. On Friday night, Purdue looked like a team with a chance to be as good without Edey. Trey Kaufman-Renn didn't do much for Purdue while playing with Edey. After Friday night's game, Nate Oats admitted he didn't know how good Kaufman-Renn is. Oats and Alabama know now. Kaufman-Renn started all 39 games for Purdue last season and averaged 6.4 points. He scored 26 points against Alabama, with eight rebounds and four assists. Kaufman-Renn was too physical for every Alabama player except Cliff Omoruyi. And Omoruyi had problems with him as well.

Purdue dictated the game's pace, slowing Alabama down with solid perimeter defense for much of the game. Mark Sears making just 1-of-6 threes was one of the results. While Alabama was 9-for-29 outside the arc, Purdue made threes at a blistering 56%. In the biggest understatement of the night, Oats said, "This was not one of our better defensive performances."

An Alabama Basketball Bright Spot

A bright spot for the Crimson Tide was freshman LaBaron Philon. The tough road environment did not faze him. Philon did not start, but in 27 minutes of play, he scored 18 points to lead Alabama, adding five rebounds and four assists. He had only one turnover. Grant Nelson had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Crimson Tide.

The most amazing stat of the night came from Purdue. The Boilermakers made only three turnovers.

Next up for Alabama Basketball is Illinois in Birmingham, on Nov. 20.