A couple of days ago, when Todd Golden complained about Alabama Basketball adding Charles Bediako, he cited that having professional players return to the college game is bad for the game. Specifically, Golden said, "They were able to finagle the situation where they got a judge in Alabama that is actually a donor at Alabama to write a temporary restraining order to let this guy play games at Alabama. I think there’s a lot of people that aren’t necessarily happy about it and don’t necessarily agree with it."
Golden also expressed concern for the impact on college basketball fans, "I think we will lose support if we continue down this path in terms of fans. They want to see guys grow a program. Golden may have missed that in college football, growing a program has given way to large roster rebuilds every season. At the same time, college football's popularity has grown.
The often brash Golden, once a Bruce Pearl acolyte, also said that whether Bediako plays or not, his Gators will beat the Crimson Tide either way. Latrell Wrightsell responded for his teammates, saying, "They called us out, so we’re gonna be ready for them on Sunday. Not much else to talk about."
Alabama Basketball and something to prove
Nate Oats will not lack a roster ready for a tussle in Gainesville. The Gators are rightfully favored. They have a front line that combines skill and brawn. Before Oats added Bediako, there was reason for doubt that 6'9" Thomas Haugh, 6'11" Alex Condon, and 6'10" Rueben Chinyelu would be too much for Alabama.
Bediako and Aiden Sherrell playing at the same time changes much for the Crimson Tide. Bediako has been an inside scoring threat, but more importantly, he provides a level of rim protection Alabama does not have without him.
Ken Pomeroy's model fairly rates Alabama at No. 59 in Defensive Efficiency. When Bediako is in the lineup, that rating becomes irrelevant. The Crimson Tide can beat Florida now, and that must be what sticks in Golden's craw most of all - not the good of the game, or the perception of fans - the prospect of losing.