2024 a year of defensive discovery for Alabama

Don’t be deceived by Alabama’s 6-5 record.

Head coach Nate Oats is guiding the Crimson Tide through one of the toughest non-conference schedules, including three consecutive December games against a top-10 opponent.

Alabama kicked off the gauntlet with a six-point loss to top-ranked Purdue in Zach Edey’s homecoming game in Toronto. A week later, Alabama traveled to Omaha and was one fortunate bounce away from forcing overtime against then-No. 8 Creighton.

A showdown versus No. 4 Arizona on Dec. 20 didn’t go in the Crimson Tide’s favor either; they squandered a second-half lead for the third straight contest, falling 87-74 in Phoenix.

Alabama’s other defeats were to No. 18 Clemson and a 10-2 Ohio State squad on the fringe of the AP Top 25.

Despite recent results, the Tide received multiple votes in the latest AP Poll. And the early tests should prove beneficial when SEC play begins next month.

“We like scheduling hard,” Oats told reporters, including theScore, in Toronto ahead of his group’s challenging slate. “I think we get our guys up for the games. We get deficiencies exposed that we can work on.

“Purdue’s arguably the best team in the country, and if they’re not, it’s probably Arizona, who we also play in this three-game stretch. It’s gonna be good for our guys. It’s going to be something a little different than anybody else we’ve faced all year.”

Purdue, Creighton, and Arizona all rank in KenPom’s top 20 for adjusted offensive efficiency, with each boasting a talented big man surrounded by sharpshooters. And Oats’ squad didn’t have an answer for the trio of balanced attacks: Alabama allowed 88 points per game on 48.6% shooting and 94 free-throw attempts across the three-game spell away from Tuscaloosa.

The offseason departures of Noah Clowney and Charles Bediako to the NBA were especially noticeable, and centers Edey, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Oumar Ballo overmatched Alabama’s frontcourt. The Boilermakers, Bluejays, and Wildcats each exceeded 32 points in the paint with no true rim-protector opposing them.

Nick Pringle and Mohamed Wague have split most of Alabama’s minutes at the five. Both have shown to be effective two-way players at times, bringing some toughness in the post as well as high motor. Pringle had 15 points and seven boards versus Creighton, while Wague tallied 11 points, three assists, and three steals against Purdue. However, they’ve fouled out in each of the last three contests, limiting their on-court contributions and placing the Crimson Tide in some tough spots.

The Boilermakers and Bluejays each got into the bonus early and were able to set up their half-court defense after cashing in at the stripe. Pringle’s and Wague’s lack of discipline also disrupted the flow of Alabama’s up-tempo offense and forced Oats to play power forwards Grant Nelson, Jarin Stevenson, and Sam Walters out of their natural positions.

“(Wague) plays really hard. He gives us some effort. We gotta keep him out of foul trouble,” Oats told theScore following Alabama’s defeat to Purdue. “He and Nick are both a little foul-prone. He gives us a little bit of rim protection. I thought him and Nick did a decent job at times. Edey’s a handful to handle. We gotta continue to get better (defensively). But Mo’s gonna help us.

Oats added: “Especially playing against Zach Edey and some bigs like that, we’re gonna need him to play some minutes.”

As Alabama tries to rediscover the defensive form that helped it claim the No. 1 overall seed in last season’s NCAA Tournament, the Crimson Tide’s high-octane offense is keeping it competitive against some of the country’s stingiest units.

Oats’ pace-and-space offense has been a staple of his program dating back to his time in charge at Buffalo. The style of play remains very much at the core of the 2023-24 Alabama squad, and it hasn’t missed a beat, even after losing Brandon Miller (this year’s No. 2 pick) and all three assistant coaches from last season.

The Crimson Tide lead KenPom’s rankings for adjusted offensive efficiency (123.2 points per 100 possessions) and sit fifth nationally with 90.5 points per game. They average 10.5 made triples and 14.9 fast-break points, which rank 11th and 42nd in the NCAA.

Alabama cracked the 80-point mark in losses to Purdue and Creighton, and both rank in KenPom’s top 25 for adjusted defensive efficiency.

Clemson kept Alabama in check during their encounter last month, holding the Tide’s scorching attack to 77 points on 34.3% shooting.

“You’re just trying to manage the game and the tempo. You certainly need to get a few easy baskets when you play teams like this,” Tigers head coach Brad Brownell told theScore. “You don’t want to play your half-court offense all the time. But at the same time, we don’t practice trying to score 95 (points) every day.

“And so we don’t want to get into a track meet with them. We want to execute. So finding the mix is really important.”

What makes Alabama’s offense so difficult to contain is its amount of weapons.

Hofstra transfer Aaron Estrada can score from all three levels and his shiftiness allows him to create separation from defenders in one-on-one situations. Nelson, who tested the NBA draft waters last year, is a big man with guard-like skills. The 6-11 forward can finish with authority at the rim, push the ball in transition, and knock down some threes.

Sophomore guard Rylan Griffen has thrived in an expanded role as a floor-spacer and secondary playmaker. Pringle, Wague, and Stevenson are exceptional finishers around the rim. And Walters and Cal State Fullerton transfer Latrell Wrightsell Jr. are providing efficient 3-point shooting when called upon.

But Mark Sears is the head of the snake. The senior guard’s taken over for Miller, averaging a conference-leading 20.4 points on 54.5% shooting – and a 45.8% clip from deep – to go along with 3.6 assists per game.

When opponents run Sears off the 3-point line, he attacks downhill, converting tough buckets from close range or setting up teammates on the perimeter off the drive-and-kick.

Sears nearly willed the Crimson Tide to an upset win over Purdue, draining eight of the team’s 19 triples and tying a career high with 35 points. He had no trouble manufacturing his own offense, but Oats also threw in some curveballs, using some seldom-used flare screens to free up his star:

“We had a lot of breakdowns with Sears,” Boilermakers coach Matt Painter told reporters after his squad rallied past Alabama. “They went to some flare actions that we looked at like a UFO. Like we’ve never seen it before.

“(Sears) just kept getting shot after shot. Credit their coaching staff for going to something that they don’t do much. When they found a weakness of ours, they really went to it and stayed with it.”

Sears’ shotmaking ability – particularly in key situations – is one of many ways he’s leading by example.

The upperclassman sets the tone with his unselfish play and defensive attitude: he leads all Tide players in assist percentage (22.6%) and steals (17).

Oats singled out Sears’ defensive play against Oregon in a bounce-back win, and his 0.68 defensive-leverage rating against Purdue. The 6-1 floor general tied a career high with six steals versus Arizona and drew an offensive foul on Wildcats forward Keshad Johnson.

Sears’ defensive intensity embodies the blue-collar approach Oats is constantly preaching. At the end of every game, a hard hat’s awarded to the player who accumulates the most blue-collar points, which are obtained through various hustle plays. Taking a charge is worth four points. A floor dive’s worth two. An offensive board counts for 1.5 points. Every deflection, steal, block, rebound, and loose ball secures a single point.

Sears was fourth on the team with 94 blue-collar points entering Wednesday’s tilt against Arizona.

“We’ve been on him to be a leader,” Oats told theScore. “He’s been opening his mouth a little more. We’ve gotta get him to play hard on defense all the time. That leadership comes by showing everybody else defense is important, moving the ball.”

Oats added: “Mark’s the guy that played a lot of minutes last year, that was in all of those big games, that knows what it takes. And he’s been pretty vocal. I’m pretty happy with his leadership this year.”

There’s no doubt Alabama has the firepower to go shot-for-shot with any team in the country. But at the end of the day, Oats knows his squad’s chances for a third SEC crown in four years and maiden national championship ultimately hinges on how much it can improve at the opposite end.

“We really need to know how good we can be on defense,” Oats said. “Are we gonna step up to the challenge when things go wrong? Do we have the fortitude about us to still get stops? One of our signature wins that carried us a long way last year was the road win at Houston.

“We’re down 15 in the second half. A lot of things weren’t going well. That team was mentally tough enough to hang in there and keep fighting. Our defense kept us in there and we came back and won the game on the road against one of the best teams in the country. So we haven’t seen that yet out of this group. I think it’s in there.”

We’ll find out in 2024.