He may not be the best player on the team, but Mo Dioubate might be the most important. The sophomore forward makes winning play after winning play, consistently coming up big in huge moments for the Crimson Tide down the stretch of close games.
Last night's 88-84 win over Mississippi State was no exception.
Dioubate came up with seven offensive rebounds against the Bulldogs, none more important than the one he pulled down following two missed free throws by Grant Nelson and Alabama clinging to a one-point lead with under 30 seconds to play.
He also forced the Josh Hubbard turnover late in the game with Alabama up three because he refused to be screened and stayed in Hubbard's hip pocket. That forced a difficult handoff that Hubbard fumbled off of his leg and out of bounds. Hubbard had torched the Tide for 38 points to that point. With the game on the line, Dioubate refused to let him get off a shot.
"He’s a winner," said Oats about Dioubate. "He ended up being second on the team in +/- but led us in blue-collar. The timely offensive rebounds, that one at the free-throw line was huge, but he had other ones other than that.
"He’s just the winner. He finds his way on the floor, and he makes us play him."
Many fans and pundits wondered what role Dioubate would have on this basketball team. He was the popular pick to be squeezed out of the rotation due to the sheer depth in Tuscaloosa, but Dioubate gives Oats no choice but to put him on the floor.
When he's on the floor, good things happen for Alabama. In retrospect, his clutch play in Alabama's second round NCAA Tournament win over Grand Canyon last season was a sign of things to come.
He's the perfect sparkplug off the bench and when it's winning time and Alabama has its back against the wall, you can count on Oats putting Dioubate in there to go make a winning play. He won't always light up the scoreboard with his offense. Last night he only scored four points. But Alabama doesn't escape Starkville with a win without him.
Pound for pound there's not a better rebounder in the country. He's averaging an insane 15.5 rebounds per-40 minutes.
Every great team needs a guy who is willing to do the little things it takes to win basketball games. In this league, there's going to be plenty of games that come down to the wire. If Alabama wants to win the SEC and make a run in the NCAA Tournament, it'll need more of the same for Dioubate.