Nate Oats made a change to his starting lineup for Wednesday night's game against Missouri. It was a change that many Alabama basketball fans, including myself, had been clamoring for. In an effort to get an additional playmaker on the court, freshman guard Labaron Philon entered the starting five in place of sophomore forward Jarin Stevenson.
It gave Mark Sears help in the backcourt without sacrificing shooting as Chris Youngblood remained in the starting group as well, giving Alabama a three-guard lineup alongside Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi.
Unfortunately, that starting group got off to a disastrous start as Alabama fell behind 12-0, the concerning trend of slow starts continuing despite the lineup change. The Tide was sloppy on offense and downright abysmal defensively to open. The offense ultimately got right as the game wore on. The defense did not, however.
A quick trigger on the three-guard starting five would not be wise by Oats. He should give them another shot on Saturday against Kentucky in Tuscaloosa. But there is one more change that needs to be made, and one that will be much more difficult for Oats to actually go through with.
On Saturday, and perhaps moving forward, sophomore Mo Dioubate should start in place of graduate senior Grant Nelson.
This would be a bold move. But Oats is no stranger to bold moves. He benched All-American guard Mark Sears for the entire second half against LSU a few weeks ago. It was a move intended to get Sears' attention and to raise his effort level, especially on defense.
For the most part, Nelson has played with pretty good effort this season. He's just limited in what he can do defensively. Cliff Omoruyi at the five hasn't protected Nelson like Oats hoped. Missouri bullied Nelson in the paint. So did Auburn. He didn't add enough offensively to offset it and his effort waned against the Tigers at times.
Nelson has been a team-worst in plus-minus two games in a row. Against Missouri, he was -20. He only played 18 minutes as a result, which was his second-lowest total of the season next to a season-opening 15 minutes when he came off the bench as he recovered from a preseason injury.
Alabama being 20 points worse than Missouri in 18 minutes with Nelson on the floor is jarring.
Nelson has meant a lot to this program. Alabama doesn't make the Final Four for the first time in program history if it's not for him putting the team on his back in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina. He more than held his own against UConn in the Final Four, too.
He can still have a role on this team. And perhaps a one-game bench role might be enough to get his attention that more is needed from him moving forward for the Crimson Tide to have any shot of getting to San Antonio.
Mo Dioubate's play demands more minutes
More so than Nelson's poor play demands a reduced role for the time being, it's Mo Dioubate's play on the court that continues to demand an increased role. Dioubate was a team-best +8 against Missouri in a game Alabama lost by 12. Dioubate's 28 minutes tied a season-high for the sophomore. He also played 28 minutes in Alabama's overtime win over Houston in November.
Dioubate had a double-double against Missouri before fouling out. He scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also dished out four assists to only one turnover. He worked his tail off on the defensive end despite a significant physical disadvantage going against Missou's Mark Mitchell.
Dioubate has been far and away Alabama's most impactful defender this year. He leads the team with a 97.7 defensive rating, meaning the Tide gives up an estimated 97.7 points per 100 possessions when Dioubate is on the floor. No other rotation player is under 103.
Dioubate is an impactful rebounder, too. Pound-for-pound he might be the best rebounder in the country. His 14.7% offensive rebounding percentage is in the Top 35 nationally. He's also probably Alabama's best at going into the post and getting a bucket. When the offense is struggling, they can run things through Dioubate who tends to make the right decision with the ball in his hands.
Dioubate plays with a contagious effort. He's constantly at 100 mph when he is on the court, which is why it's not always possible to add extra minutes to his load. But it's crunch time for the Crimson Tide and Oats has no choice but to take the restrictor plates off and let Dioubate play. He should play as many minutes as he can stomach.
Keep him on the court until he pukes or fouls out. Whichever comes first.
Alabama's season might depend on it.