Nobody lives and breathes college basketball quite like CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. Perhaps to a fault, Rothstein has no other real hobbies outside of watching basketball.
He was obviously impressed, like so many others, with Alabama's 103-96 win over St. John's on Saturday afternoon in Madison Square Garden. So impressed, in fact, that he moved them up to No. 3 in his daily "Rothstein 45," where he ranks the 45 best teams in college basketball every single day.
Rothstein promises that if Alabama beats Purdue at home on Thursday, Nate Oats' team will jump to No. 1.
Predictably, Alabama's guard play received the majority of the praise for the Crimson Tide's win over St. John's. The trio of Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway, and Latrell Wrightsell combined for 63 points, completely overwhelming the Red Storm.
But just like Oats would tell you, Rothstein identified Alabama's X-Factor as Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen, who took the hard coaching he received from his head coach following the season-opener and delivered a terrific performance against St. John's with 17 points and nine rebounds.
"(Oats) used Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen as a small-ball five, and it worked beautifully down the stretch," Rothstein said in a video posted to X. "He made a big three late in the game. ...A four-guard look is really on the table here for Alabama, whose going to again be one of the most difficult teams to guard in college basketball."
Alabama's small-ball lineup with Taylor Bol Bowen at the 5 will be a nightmare to defend
Aiden Sherrell and Noah Williamson are quality bigs, but TBB at the 5 opens up a world of possibilities for the Crimson Tide. It can be lethal on offense, and Bol Bowen showed he could more than hold up against a physical St. John's front line.
A five of Philon, Holloway, Wrightsell, freshman Amari Allen, and Bol Bowen will be difficult for anyone to defend, particularly when Bol Bowen gives the kind of effort he did at MSG.
Allen plays with relentless effort the entire time he's on the court. He won the hard hat in his first game with Alabama, and then finished runner-up to TBB on Saturday in New York. While a guard, his 6-foot-8 frame makes him incredibly versatile. He can easily play the two through four. He's an active rebounder and strong enough not to get bullied by the bigger fours on the Tide's schedule.
Alabama may have the best guard play in the country. But Bol Bowen is likely going to be the team's ultimate X-factor this season. If he plays with the energy, effort, and activity he did against St. John's, this is going to be a difficult team to beat.