Coach Oats' Perspective
Alabama head coach Nate Oats was quick to praise his team's resilience. "That's a good win, that's a good team," he said. "They're going to win a lot of games in the Big East. It wasn't necessarily the prettiest game at times, but our guys showed great character. We built a lead in the first half, but Creighton came back strong. We need to learn from this and keep improving."First Half Struggles
Alabama started the game with a 17-point lead but then hit a shooting slump. In the first half, they made just one of their last 15 shots from the floor, allowing Creighton to close the gap. The poor shooting continued into the second frame as they made just two of their first 10 shots. However, their strong rebounding and defending kept them in control.Coach Oats pointed out, "They kept hammering away, and they finished that first half on a 21-10 run. We didn't close like we needed to. But our guys stayed focused and kept fighting."
Player Performances
Senior Mark Sears was a standout, shooting 4 of 7 from beyond the arc and scoring 27 points to lead the offense. He also added 6 rebounds and 4 assists.Freshman Labaron Philon made a big impact by getting to the rim effectively. He scored 16 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 2 assists and 2 steals.The season debut of Alabama guard Chris Youngblood was also notable. After dealing with an offseason ankle injury, he was subbed into each half and scored 5 points with 1 rebound and 2 steals.Coach Oats said about Sears, "Mark has been a consistent force for us. His shooting ability gives us a big boost. And Labaron has shown great potential. He's a player to watch in the future."
Creighton's Offense
Creighton's forward Ryan Kalkbrenner was a force to be reckoned with, scoring 18 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Guard Steven Ashworth also played a key role, scoring 20 points with 9 assists.Coach Oats explained, "Kalkbrenner is one of the better bigs in the country. He's big and has size, and we had to pay attention to him. Ashworth is also a very good guard. We need to be more focused on them in the future."
Inside Game and Rebounding
Despite Kalkbrenner's offensive success, the Crimson Tide fared well on the inside. They scored 44 points in the paint and outrebounded the Bluejays 46-32, only giving up 5 offensive rebounds.Coach Oats was pleased with the team's performance on the boards. "Rebounding is a key part of our game. We did a good job of getting the second chance points and controlling the boards."
Alabama will be back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 18, as they travel to North Dakota to take on the Fighting Hawks in forward Grant Nelson's backyard at 8 p.m. CT. This game will be another opportunity for the Crimson Tide to showcase their skills and continue their winning streak.