Anyone who has spent a good amount of time watching Alabama basketball this season could tell you that sophomore forward Mo Dioubate is the quintessential "glue guy" and the unsung hero for the Crimson Tide. He does the dirty work, but has also started stuffing the stat sheet in recent games.
Across two NCAA Tournament games, Dioubate has scored 28 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 36 minutes. He is 12/15 from the floor and connected on all four of his three point attempts. At a time when Mark Sears can't find his shot, Alabama has needed someone else to step up and hit shots. Dioubate has done that.
He doesn't often get the praise in the national media, but graduate senior Chris Youngblood wasn't going to let the opportunity pass without being effusive with his praise for Dioubate in the postgame press conference:
"Mo's been the key to our winning, our success all season", said Youngblood. "You win championships with players like Mo."
Dioubate played a vital role for the Crimson Tide in the NCAA Tournament last season, particularly in the 2nd Round win over Grand Canyon. Dioubate made several clutch plays down the stretch in his limited minutes.
This year, Dioubate has taken on a much bigger role and has thrived. He's been vital in the Crimson Tide's two NCAA Tournament wins and will be vital moving forward as Alabama looks to get back to the Final Four for the second consecutive season.
The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 will be a homecoming of sorts for Dioubate as Alabama heads to Newark. Dioubate is originally from Queens, New York, just a 50-minute drive.
Chris Youngblood deserves plenty of credit for his performance against Saint Mary's
Chris Youngblood has been a key player for the Crimson Tide all season despite taking on a smaller role than he had a year ago when he was the AAC Player of the Year at South Florida. He has made some big shots and has been a vocal leader all year long, even when he was out at the beginning of the year with an injury.
Of course he would offer praise to others on the team, but he deserves plenty of praise for his game against the Gaels, too.
Youngblood got the offense going with some sharpshooting, connecting on all three of his three-point attempts and scoring all 13 of his points in the first half to help the Crimson Tide to a 13-point halftime lead.
Youngblood also played tough defense and finished the game at +9 behind only Aden Holloway (+12) and Cliff Omoruyi/Grant Nelson (+11).
Alabama will need more of that from Youngblood moving forward to reach its potential.