Bama Basketball Breakdown: Clemson

After a restful Thanksgiving weekend following the desert jaunt in Las Vegas last week for the Players Era Festival, the 12th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide return home for night two of the SEC-ACC Challenge tonight for a familiar battle with the Clemson Tigers. Why we have to play them again in this challenge when the ACC has 37 teams now, I have no idea. Night one of the challenge was an eventful one, and it reinforced what we have seen early on so far this season – the SEC ain’t what it was last year:

Of course, a decent bit of regression from last season’s historically strong SEC was obviously expected. Many SEC teams were built with veteran squads and one-and-done talent a year ago. Still, it’s been a pretty precipitous drop-off so far. The SEC won this challenge 14-2 last year. The ACC also has improved quite a bit – Duke is still elite, UNC has a lot of talent, Louisville brought in the best portal class in America, NC State hired Will Wade, etc. But I do think the larger story – as it relates to Alabama – is that the SEC isn’t going to offer the same kind of strong resume foundation that it did a year ago. The Tide isn’t getting a two-seed with six conference losses.

Thus, Nate Oats and company need to make these big non-conference opportunities count. They are a bit more important to win this year than last. When you combine that with the Tide getting a rebuilding Maryland team as its final matchup in Vegas last week, as opposed to a ranked Iowa State, it increases the importance. Alabama split its first four big OOC games. With Clemson and #2 Arizona left to play, I think it is critical the Tide gets at least one more (and then takes care of business the rest of nonconference play, obviously).

How to Watch

What: SEC-ACC Challenge: Clemson (7-1) vs #12 Alabama (5-2)

Where: The Hangar – Tuscaloosa, AL

When: 6:15 pm CT

TV: ESPNU

Line: Tide -10

The Tigers are kind of flying under the radar a bit right now; despite being 7-1 and beating a couple of solid teams like Georgia and West Virginia, Clemson received only ten votes in this week’s AP Poll. Kenpom has them rated 25th and Bart Torvik has them at 33rd. Brad Brownell has never played an exceptionally exciting brand of basketball, but he’s fielded some of his best teams over his 16-year stint at Clemson in the past few seasons. Of course, their best team (the 2023-24 edition) came into Tuscaloosa and bullied the Tide in the paint almost exactly two years ago in this same event. Although, Alabama eventually got the last laugh that year:

Something to keep an eye on tonight – Nate Oats said that Latrell Wrightsell, Keitenn Bristow, and – most notably – Jalil Bathea are all day-to-day with foot/ankle injuries. Oats is notoriously vague about injuries, so who knows what that really means, but I think we could see Bathea back a bit earlier than his original timeline of January.

Three Keys to Victory

• Control the Pace. I’ve always joked that Brad Brownell is basically what Anthony Grant would be today in Tuscaloosa if Alabama had the same insane amount of patience Clemson has shown Brownell. Well, except Brad can actually recruit effective post players. Regardless, the two matchups during the 2023-24 season basically showcased how important tempo is when these two teams get together. Alabama was able to run the floor and get a lot of open looks against Clemson in the Elite Eight that year, which the Tide overwhelmed the Tigers with. But the earlier battle in Coleman was a slog. Can’t let this be too much of a halfcourt game tonight.
• Battle on the Boards. Clemson is another big, physical team with guys like 6’11 Carter Welling, 6’10 Jake Wahlin, 6’8 RJ Godfrey, and 6’8 Nick Davidson. Those four are all in the top six for MPG for the Tigers. Clemson is 59th in the country in OREB% and 12th in OREB% allowed. IF the Tigers can slow the pace and make it a halfcourt battle, Alabama has to be competitive on the glass. And that could be a real issue if Bristow is out.
• Paint Touches. Another staple of a Brad Brownell Clemson team is their ability to lock-down the perimeter. The Tigers are 17th in the country in 3P% allowed. Alabama has a lot of capable shooters on the roster – arguably more than we’ve ever had – but the Tide has had issues getting open, in-rhythm, looks against better perimeter defenders. A huge part of the reason for that is because LaBaron Philon is the only guy consistently getting into the paint and forcing the defense to rotate. Alabama desperately needs another guy or two who can join him in the drive-and-dish game. If Bathea came make a surprise appearance tonight, it would be nice timing.

The SEC is going to need Alabama to defend home turf tonight. I’ll be honest, with the current injury list, ten points seems like a lot to lay. It’ll definitely be a contrast in styles tonight, and as we saw two years ago, results can vary pretty significantly. I think this year’s Tide team is better than their 2024 counterparts in general, but Mark Sears and company were insanely hot that weekend in LA. Let’s hope for good news on the injury front, and I’ll take any kind of win tonight against a solid Clemson squad.

If you aren’t headed to Coleman Coliseum for the game, meet back up here for the Game Thread!