Tuscaloosa, Alabama serves as the backdrop as the No. 7 Alabama basketball program embarks on an extraordinary journey. On Wednesday, the Crimson Tide sets off to face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in an unusual location. This season has been a challenging one for the program, having gone through a seven-game stretch that tested their mettle. They emerged victorious in five out of those seven games, defeating formidable opponents like Houston, Creighton, and North Carolina. As they continue to navigate through the early part of the season, they now make a 1,300-mile trip north to honor forward Grant Nelson, whose hometown of Devils Lake is just 90 minutes away. But the question remains: what can the Crimson Tide truly gain from playing the 314th ranked team in NET?

Coach Oats' Perspective

Nate Oats, the coach, addressed the team on Tuesday. He emphasized the need to keep working on various aspects even when they know they are the better team. The question posed to the players is whether they can approach the game with the right mindset and continue to focus on the areas they identified as needing improvement after the seven-game stretch. Oats sees this as a good opportunity for the team to grow.The Crimson Tide is closing non-conference play with North Dakota on the road and will finish the month with games against Kent State and South Dakota State in Tuscaloosa. The opponents' average KenPom rating is 180, with North Dakota significantly affecting the scale at 302, making it the easiest three-game stretch of the season.Alabama, the preseason pick to win the SEC, has shown great promise in the first 10 games of the season. However, the league remains as tough as ever with five teams currently ranked in the top 10. The team's depth has been a luxury, but Oats is clear that these last three games are about determining the rotations that will give them the best chance to win their third SEC regular season title.He highlighted the need to get Chris [Youngblood] playing more minutes to shake off the rust. Youngblood is a great kid, and Oats thought he had a good practice today. But the issue is not just his ankle; it's the overall conditioning and getting all parts of his body back in shape after being out for six months or more. They are focused on his ankle, but until it is better, they can't work on basketball-specific aspects. Now that his ankle is almost healed, they need to focus on getting the rest of his body in shape.So, it will take some time for Youngblood to get back to full speed, and the team will have to play with 11 guys for a while longer. Oats is aware that trimming the rotation will be a challenge, but they will continue to figure it out as they go.