We will learn a lot about this Alabama basketball team against Purdue

The Alabama basketball team has gone unscathed in their first three tests but it is a little worrisome with the wins over Arkansas State and McNeese State being a little closer than expected.

However, we will learn a lot about this team Friday night as they head to West Lafayette to face Purdue. The Tide are looking for a little revenge from last year, and the Boilermakers are going to be a lot different without longtime superstar Zach Edey. Going into a loud environment as this team continues to gel will be great for this Alabama team.

Mackey Arena gets as loud if not more so than most SEC basketball arenas so it will be interesting to see how the young guys respond in such an atmosphere. One thing for sure is the three-point shooting on the road will need to be better after shooting 19% beyond the arc against Arkansas State but did a little better Monday night when they shot in the 30s from three-point range against McNeese State. This type of game will do wonders for this team in March just as they did during the improbable Final Four run.

It would be nice to see this team win some of the big non-conference games that last year's team failed to do. Once again Nate Oats made sure that the rest of the non-conference schedule really prepares this team for SEC play and more important the NCAA tournament. After Purdue, the Tide has dates with Illinois, Houston, Rutgers, North Carolina, and Creighton before SEC play starts.

There is quite a mix of veterans and new faces and I am confident they will find chemistry much sooner than last year's team. The expectations as we know are at an all-time high and even a .500 record through this gauntlet would be impressive and show that the hype for this team is very much warranted.