Alabama Rolls Past Yale Without Key Starters, Eyes SEC Opener vs. Kentucky
Alabama men’s basketball closed out its nonconference slate with a convincing 102-78 win over Yale, but the victory came with a few notable absences. The Crimson Tide were down three players, including standout sophomore point guard Labaron Philon, who has been playing at an All-American level this season. And while the scoreboard didn’t reflect any struggles, the bigger story is what this means heading into SEC play - especially with a heavyweight matchup against Kentucky looming.
Philon was ruled out ahead of Monday’s game with what head coach Nate Oats described as a leg injury stemming from a collision in Alabama’s Dec. 21 game against Kennesaw State. Initially categorized as a thigh/groin issue, Oats later clarified it as a contusion - essentially a deep bruise - that’s being actively treated.
“It’s definitely not super serious, but he couldn’t play in the game now,” Oats said postgame. “We’re off Tuesday. Hopefully, he gets a lot of rehab.”
While that’s not a definitive timeline, Oats did offer a bit of optimism regarding Philon’s availability for the SEC opener: “I think it’s pretty likely he plays Saturday, but I don’t want to say for sure.”
That’s a big deal. Philon has been the engine of Alabama’s offense, not just facilitating but often dictating the tempo and tone of the game.
His absence against Yale was noticeable in terms of flow, but Alabama’s depth stepped up in a big way. Scoring triple digits without a floor general like Philon?
That says something about the firepower this team still has at its disposal.
But Philon wasn’t the only one missing. Freshmen London Jemison and Davion Hannah were also sidelined. Jemison has now missed two games with a left knee injury suffered against South Florida, and Oats noted that he’s further along in his recovery than Hannah, who’s dealing with an unspecified medical condition.
“I anticipate Labaron and London playing against Kentucky, but it’s hard to say,” Oats said.
That Kentucky game - set for Saturday at 11 a.m. CT in Tuscaloosa - is the kind of early conference test that can set the tone for Alabama’s SEC campaign. With the Tide sitting at 10-3 and ranked No. 15, they’re already in a strong position, but getting back two key rotation pieces in Philon and Jemison could be the difference between competing and controlling.
The good news? Alabama showed they can still dominate without a full deck.
The better news? Reinforcements might be on the way just in time for the real grind to begin.