Alabama men’s basketball returned to the court Saturday after a 10-day break and about a month away from Coleman Coliseum.
Sometimes against Creighton, the Crimson Tide looked like one of the best teams in the country. At other times, Alabama sputtered.
But by the end of the game, the Crimson Tide emerged with a victory nonetheless.
Mark Sears scored a game-high 27 points as Alabama outlasted Creighton 83-75 at Coleman Coliseum.
Here are takeaways from the game between No. 7 Alabama (8-2) and Creighton (7-4).
Early impressions of Chris Youngblood
The South Florida transfer made his debut for the Crimson Tide after missing the entire season so far with an ankle injury.
Youngblood didn’t waste much time showing he will be able to contribute from beyond the arc. He missed his first 3-pointer, but he made his second. That pushed Alabama’s lead to 16-7 almost seven minutes into the game.
He had a productive first three minutes of play for Alabama; Youngblood had three points, one rebound, and one steal with a plus-minus of plus-four.
He finished the day with five points (2-for-6), one rebound, one assist and two seals over 16 minutes.
Youngblood will have flashier stat lines, but he started off OK considering he hasn’t played yet this season. It’s clear he’s going to give Alabama some tough minutes and provide some valuable shooting once he gets more games under his belt.
Labaron Philon shines in another non-conference game
Another non-conference matchup, another impressive showing from freshman Labaron Philon.
UNC, Oregon, Illinois, Purdue, and now Creighton. Philon has looked like anything but a freshman in each of those games. He scored double figures in all of them, and that included the Creighton matchup.
Philon tallied 16 points (7-for-11), five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
He made plays in both halves as an important piece for Alabama’s offense and defense in a tough-fought victory.
Ryan Kalkbrenner has his moments but doesn’t take over game
Alabama didn’t completely shut down Creighton’s best player, but he also didn’t dominate by any means.
Kalkbrenner made plays, but Alabama also limited him at times. Take this one series of plays in the first half: Kalkbrenner denied Cliff Omoruyi on a dunk attempt. Then on the other end of the floor, Omoruyi forced Kalkbrenner to miss a shot. The next possession, Omoruyi dunked behind Kalkbrenner.
Kalkbrenner finished the day with 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. That’s about his average each game. A good day, but not
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
