For any Alabama basketball fans not yet fully connected on the 2024-25 college basketball season; beating Creighton was a quality win for the Crimson Tide. It was the fourth loss on the season for the Bluejays, but their current 7-4 record is going to add a winning record in Big East play. The Bluejays will likely finish with 18 or 19 wins against good competition. One of their December wins was a 13-point victory over Kansas.
Going into Saturday night, Alabama Basketball had not played in 10 days and had not played a game in Tuscaloosa since Nov. 11. The Crimson Tide was understandably rusty, perhaps made worse by limited access to Coleman Coliseum leading up to the game.
Nate Oats was complimentary of Creighton after the game and said though the game “wasn’t the prettiest … our guys were resilient.” Oats added it was a good win against a good team, but that the Crimson Tide has “a lot to build on… I thought for large parts of the game we were good defensively but they’re so good in short stints if you fall asleep they make you pay….”
Alabama won the points in the paint, even with Creighton having one of college basketball’s big men, 7’1″ Ryan Kalkbrenner. He had 18 points and seven rebounds. After the game Creighton coach Greg McDermott credited Cliff Omoruyi for his defense on Kalkbrenner. He added that Omoruyi’s rim protection gives Nate Oats a strength that last season’s team lacked.
Alabama outrebounded Creighton by 14 boards. Grant Nelson led the Tide with 10 rebounds. Freshman Aiden Sherrell added seven rebounds in 10 minutes of play. The Bluejays sagged on defense when Sherrell got the ball on the perimeter. Sherrell took five threes and made one. Oats pointed out after the game that he wants the freshman to keep taking those shots.
Alabama’s three-point shooting was anemic again. The Tide was just 20% outside the arc. It would have been worse, had Mark Sears not been 4-for-7. Going into the game Alabama was tied at No. 205 among D1 teams, making threes at less than 33%. Sears led the Tide in scoring with 27 points.
It was a good win for Alabama, but the Crimson Tide continues to be short of its considerable potential. Oats summarized the team by saying “To be sixth in the country (in offensive efficiency) as poor as we’re shooting it right now is a tribute to the type of shots and other stuff we’re doing.”
Next up for the Crimson Tide is a Wednesday night road game against North Dakota.
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