Perhaps it's overselling it to call a game in late January a "must win", but with Alabama basketball at just 3-3 in SEC play and its Top 25 ranking hanging by a thread, the Crimson Tide cannot afford to drop a third consecutive game on its home floor.
That sense of urgency is ramped up because of who looms after. Alabama travels to Gainesville to face Florida on Sunday, and even with the Gators' recent loss to Auburn, Todd Golden might still have the best team in the SEC again this season.
Charles Bediako made a big impact in his Alabama re-debut during Saturday night's loss to Tennessee. He came off the bench to score 13 points with three rebounds, two blocks, and two steals in 25 minutes. His impact in the middle will be of even more importance against Missouri tonight at Coleman.
The Tigers will try to dominate the paint. It's what they do. Led by Mark Mitchell, Missouri ranks in the 96th percentile in points per game in the paint at 39.7 per game.
Alabama will need Charles Bediako against a dominant Missouri front line
A year ago in CoMo, Nate Oats and Alabama got punked by Missouri. The Tigers scored 40 points in the paint, shot 60% overall from the field, and racked up a whopping 110 points in a 12-point win over the Crimson Tide.
That performance has to be on Oats' mind.
Bediako's eligibility for the remainder of the season remains up in the air. The clarity was supposed to come on Tuesday with his preliminary injunction hearing, but the weather threw a curveball and prevented the NCAA's attorney from making the trip to Tuscaloosa. That injunction hearing will be rescheduled, and Tuscaloosa County Judge James Roberts extended the temporary restraining order for Bediako for another 10 days, making him eligible to play on Tuesday against Missouri and Sunday against Florida.
Against two of the better paint teams in the country, Bediako will be key.
Three years ago, Bediako anchored an Alabama defense that ranked No. 3 in defensive efficiency in KenPom. Alabama has not come close to putting that level of defense on the court since.
The former-turned-current Tide center made a large impact in his first game back for Alabama despite only having time to participate in a single practice. His impact should continue to grow the more comfortable he gets with his new teammates.