Well, well, well.... Everyone (including myself) wanted to see what this team looked like against an elite-caliber team... and they got that last night. Alabama defeated Michigan State 81-70 in a high level basketball game that highlighted elite athleticism, incredible length, and steady pace to it. What was most surprising to me, was that the athleticism and length was dominated by Alabama. You could just tell watching the game that Alabama looked different from Michigan State. They were bouncier, faster, and just more athletic.
The first half was dominated by Brandon Miller scoring 20 points and having some highlight plays to go with it. I will go on record and say he is the best freshman to ever play at Alabama. Some people were ready to say he's the best player Alabama has ever had, but I'm not ready to go there. Regardless, he is a supremely talented player who has incredible length and shot making ability for his size. You love to watch him play on offense, but if you want to be entertained further, just watch him on defense. He attacks the offensive player, he fights through screens, and he can get up and protect the rim as well. Enjoy the next 30+ games you have to watch him in a Crimson Tide uniform. He's playing himself into a top 10 pick.
I thought Alabama did a great job of dictating the pace. Michigan State likes to play more methodical and get their elbow/wing jumper off the screen or hit the diver off the screen. Credit Alabama for taking the diver away majority of the time and force them to hit a tougher shot over and over. Alabama's length is elite with their front court and it showed up tonight with Bediako, Miller, and Clowney combining for 5 blocks.
One guy I want to highlight is Nimari Burnett. He was tasked with guarding their best back court players all game. In the first half, he didn't record a single stat, but he defended his tail off forcing tough shots and turnovers by himself. The offense came in the second half scoring 8 huge points, and that's the reward for playing hard on defense. Mark Sears was another that played incredibly hard on defense. He is not known as a great defender, but he bought in as soon as he got on campus and has been really solid so far. He just makes winning plays and the box score always shows it. Another game of 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists for the smallest guy on the court.
Alabama will play #20 UConn tonight at 8:30 pm CST. That will be a different styled game with UConn making 17 threes on Oregon yesterday in their win. Alabama didn't need the 3 ball tonight (8/22 35%) but they will likely need to hit more tonight. What a win.
The first half was dominated by Brandon Miller scoring 20 points and having some highlight plays to go with it. I will go on record and say he is the best freshman to ever play at Alabama. Some people were ready to say he's the best player Alabama has ever had, but I'm not ready to go there. Regardless, he is a supremely talented player who has incredible length and shot making ability for his size. You love to watch him play on offense, but if you want to be entertained further, just watch him on defense. He attacks the offensive player, he fights through screens, and he can get up and protect the rim as well. Enjoy the next 30+ games you have to watch him in a Crimson Tide uniform. He's playing himself into a top 10 pick.
I thought Alabama did a great job of dictating the pace. Michigan State likes to play more methodical and get their elbow/wing jumper off the screen or hit the diver off the screen. Credit Alabama for taking the diver away majority of the time and force them to hit a tougher shot over and over. Alabama's length is elite with their front court and it showed up tonight with Bediako, Miller, and Clowney combining for 5 blocks.
One guy I want to highlight is Nimari Burnett. He was tasked with guarding their best back court players all game. In the first half, he didn't record a single stat, but he defended his tail off forcing tough shots and turnovers by himself. The offense came in the second half scoring 8 huge points, and that's the reward for playing hard on defense. Mark Sears was another that played incredibly hard on defense. He is not known as a great defender, but he bought in as soon as he got on campus and has been really solid so far. He just makes winning plays and the box score always shows it. Another game of 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists for the smallest guy on the court.
Alabama will play #20 UConn tonight at 8:30 pm CST. That will be a different styled game with UConn making 17 threes on Oregon yesterday in their win. Alabama didn't need the 3 ball tonight (8/22 35%) but they will likely need to hit more tonight. What a win.
