Mississippi State transfer big man Jamarion Davis-Fleming sat out Monday's win over Oakland with a lower-extremity injury that was not considered serious. Nate Oats said after the game that he expected Davis-Fleming to be ready to go for Alabama's matchup on Friday at home against Seton Hall.
Three days later, Oats has changed his tune.
In his press conference on Thursday, Oats did not express much confidence that Davis-Fleming would be able to play, stating that he had not practiced at all this week and was considered "questionable."
Nate Oats says he's not optimistic Jamarion Davis-Fleming will be available tomorrow night vs. Seton Hall. Says he hasn't practiced this week.
— Blake Byler (@blakebyler45) November 12, 2026
Alabama's rebounding issues could be compounded without Jamarion Davis-Fleming vs. Seton Hall
Alabama hasn't had many weaknesses so far this year on its way to a 3-0 start, but one issue has been driving Oats crazy:
Rebounding.
Alabama currently ranks 297th in the country in offensive rebound rate allowed, giving up an O-board on 37.7% of opponent shot attempts. That's a problem. A big one. A potentially crippling one for a team with designs of making a deep run in March Madness in four months.
Davis-Fleming is one of Alabama's best rebounders, a fact that Oats contributed to some of the issues they had clearing the boards against Oakland on Monday night.
"He’s one of our best rebounders. He’s physical. He’s tough. He gets in there and mixes it up," Oats said.
Seton Hall is not an elite offensive rebounding team. They rank 218th in offensive rebound rate, per KenPom. But they are pretty good on the defensive glass, allowing offensive boards on only 22.1% of opponent shot attempts, a mark that ranks 21st in the country.
That means they frequently hold teams to one-and-done on that end of the floor. That means, especially with Davis-Fleming out, it will be imperative that Alabama has a good shooting performance on Friday night because second-chance opportunities may be hard to come by.
Alabama will need Drew Fielder and Brandon Garrison to battle hard on the glass. They'll also need Keitenn Bristow to continue his strong start to the season off the bench.
Without Davis-Fleming, Alabama will likely play some smaller lineups that put more pressure on guys like London Jemison, Cole Cloer, Jaxon Richardson, and Tarris Bouie to compete on the glass, too.
This will be the most challenging game of the season to date for Alabama. Seton Hall ranks 79th in KenPom, marking the first Top 100 game of the regular season for the Tide. KenPom projects a 13-point Alabama win, but if they struggle on the glass and have an off-shooting night, this game could get pretty dicey.
Oats has surely been preaching the importance of the glass for this game. Hopefully the message gets through.
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