Alabama basketball completely dominated the previously unbeaten Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday night in Coleman Coliseum to open SEC play. Alabama used a great effort on both ends of the floor to win 107-79 and in the process show the potential that made the Crimson Tide one of the preseason favorites to win the national championship.
It was probably one of the most complete performances for Nate Oats' team all year, and the Tide took a jump in advanced statistics as a result of the dominant effort against Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, the NET rankings didn't like the Sooners nearly as much as the human polls. While Oklahoma was undefeated and ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll coming into the game, it's currently only a Quad 2 win for Alabama with the Sooners ranking just 45th in the NET.
Regardless, it's always good to start 1-0 in SEC play, especially with what lies ahead.
The statistical strengths of Alabama basketball
Alabama moved up to No. 9 in KenPom's rankings after the rout of Oklahoma, up one spot from No. 10. Alabama now holds the No. 4 offense in KenPom's offensive efficiency rankings, scoring 124 points per 100 possessions. Alabama entered the game ranked sixth.
Alabama's defensive efficiency has moved up to 44th in the country, giving up 98 points per 100 possessions. It's not where the Crimson Tide wants to be, but it's still trending in the right direction. If that continues, with the offensive firepower this team has, then Alabama is a legitimate contender to win the whole thing.
Alabama leads the nation in two-point field goal percentage, connecting on 63% of its attempts inside the three-point arch. Only Mark Sears, Aiden Sherrell, Aden Holloway, and Mo Dioubate are shooting under 60% on at-the-rim twos. Grant Nelson, Cliff Omoruyi, Jarin Stevenson, and Chris Youngblood are all shooting above 70%, and most impressively is guard Labaron Philon right underneath at 69% at the rim.
One of Alabama's greatest strengths offensively this season has been its ability on the offensive glass. Alabama has an offensive rebounding percentage of 38.1%, which ranks 15th in the country.
Dioubate, Sherrell, and Houston Mallette all have double-digit offensive rebounding rates. Omoruyi isn't far behind at 9.1, and both Nelson and Youngblood are just under 8.
Alabama's ability to rebound its own misses is a big part of why it ranks as a Top 5 offense in the country despite poor three point shooting.
Where Alabama needs to improve
Alabama will need to keep getting better on defense, but it is trending in the right direction. Forcing more turnovers would help in that department as the Crimson Tide is just 333rd in the country in forcing 14.4 turnovers per game.
The biggest statistical weakness at the moment is three-point shooting.
Alabama is shooting 31.6% from three so far this season, a number that ranks 247th in the country. Its ability to hit the offensive glass and convert such a high percentage of its twos has made that a mere footnote so far, but adding a few more percentage points to that three-point percentage will allow Alabama to reach its immense full offensive potential.
Alabama put up 107 points on Oklahoma despite only hitting 9-of-29 (31%) from three.
One other spot holding the offense back from being what it has the potential to be is free throw shooting. Alabama gets to the free throw line at a high rate, ranking 31st in the country in that metric. But once there, the Tide is only shooting 70.7%, which ranks 212th in the country. They're leaving too much money on the table as is.
SEC play will be the great decider of what this team is. It will separate the true contenders away from the pretenders. The good news is Alabama is battle tested and ready to face the top competition in conference play, and should be one of the prime contenders to walk away with the league title.