A mid-game offensive freeze kept things close, but Alabama basketball moved to 3-0 on the season Monday, taking down McNeese State 72-64 in Coleman Coliseum.
“They didn’t cave,” UA head coach Nate Oats said of the Cowboys. “They didn’t quit.”
Next up, the difficulty increases, with Alabama taking a trip to Purdue. Before that, here’s three takeaways from Monday’s win.
The return
Back when Will Wade coached at LSU, he and Alabama had quite the rivalry. When the Tigers visited Coleman Coliseum, students wore FBI jackets poking fun at the investigation that eventually resulted Wade’s firing.
The two teams were heated on-court as well. When Oats and Alabama scheduled Wade’s McNeese State, it turned heads, though, as Oats pointed out, it fit his philosophy for non-conference games.
“I know what it’s like to be a good mid-major,” Oats said. “It’s hard to get good games. Will’s trying to get good games for their team. They call us because pretty much everybody in the country knows we play good teams and we want good teams. We don’t want to play bad buy games, I don’t think that makes you better.”
Upon his return with McNeese State, Wade was treated like any other coach in Coleman Coliseum. No FBI jackets in sight, even in the student section.
“It was about as welcoming as I remember last time I was in one,” Wade said afterward of his return to an SEC arena. “But it’s great for our school, great exposure for our school and program.”
The start wasn’t perfect
The beginning of Monday’s game wasn’t exactly what the Crimson Tide was looking for. UA started out a bit sloppy with the ball, and the Cowboys took advantage.
Early on, the shots were falling for Will Wade’s group, while Alabama looked out of sorts. At the first media timeout, UA was down 10-6 and hadn’t made a field goal.
That changed quickly. Alabama took its first lead with 10:32 left in the half, on a Grant Nelson three-pointer, and the Crimson Tide was off to the races.
At halftime, Alabama was up 41-30. Nelson led the way in the first frame, contributing 16 points and four rebounds.
“I think me just crashing kind of got me and the rest of the team fired up,” Nelson said. “It’s just the effort plays that really get someone going.”
Alabama is beatable
Nate Oats tries not to book cupcakes. He explains the philosophy as not wanting the Crimson Tide to be rewarded with a win if it plays poorly.
McNeese State fit the bill. The Cowboys went to the NCAA Tournament last season and were picked to win the Southland Conference ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
With 14:47 left, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. hit a three-pointer. With 5:33 remaining, he made another.
In between those two shots, Alabama didn’t make a field goal. A 57-36 lead evaporated into single digits.
The Crimson Tide pulled the win out, but the game served as a reminder that the team isn’t invincible. Just how Oats wanted it.
“They expose us on multiple levels that we can now work on before getting to league play,” Oats said. “That’s been my philosophy ever since I’ve got here. Schedule a really tough non-league schedule so that you configure out all the issues you possibly can.”
