During the college basketball regular season, one of the best ways to determine how good a team is is how it performs on the road during conference play. We get that on Wednesday night when the Alabama men go on the road to Nashville to face the last undefeated SEC team in Vanderbilt.
Memorial Gymnasium has historically been a tough place for the Tide to win in, and the Commodores being ranked 11 and undefeated on the season adds to that atmosphere. Nate Oats' team has faced some big-time competition, but has not faced many hostile road crowds that often this season.
The Commodores have not exactly played the most daunting schedule in America, but anytime you go into the second week of conference play undefeated, something is definitely going right. Often, the rims on the road are not as friendly, so it will be very interesting to see how this Tide team adjusts if the three-ball is not falling as frequently as it did against both Yale and Kentucky. Winning the rebound battle on both ends of the court is going to be crucial, and Alabama will need to have the same energy on the glass as they have in the last two games.
It may be an even bigger ask than normal for this team to win on the glass as of right now Aiden Sherell is a game-time decision and may not be available Wednesday night. Noah Williamson had his best game of the season against Kentucky, getting 10 points and four boards. He may have to be even better if Sherell is a no-go.
A win here would really do a lot to set the tone for Alabama in the SEC as a true contender. They will have to be strong defensively and limit second-chance opportunities to have a chance to leave Nashville a winner. The Tide will close the second week of SEC play with a home game against Texas.