Alabama didn’t just beat Oakland on Monday night. It moved the ball until the Golden Grizzlies couldn’t keep up.
The Crimson Tide rolled to a 109-68 win in Coleman Coliseum to get to 3-0, and the number that stood out most wasn’t a dunk or a deep shot. It was 30 assists, one short of the school record. Twelve of the 14 Alabama players who got on the floor recorded at least one assist, and six of them finished with three or more.
Oakland coach Greg Kampe saw the whole thing up close.
"They passed the ball as good as you can pass the ball," Kampe said of Alabama. "They were as unselfish as a team could possibly be."
That unselfishness was on display all night, whether it was the highlight plays, the blue-collar buckets, or the kind of extra pass that turns a good possession into a great one. Sophomore guard Amari Allen led the way with six assists and said the approach is baked into the group.
"We just want to see everyone succeed," said sophomore guard Amari Allen, who finished with a team-leading six assists. "No one is selfish at all. Everyone is willing to make extra passes to see the guys hit shots."
Alabama’s spread-out scoring reflected that mindset. The Crimson Tide had three different players lead the team in scoring across its first three games, including the one where sophomore forward London Jemison and senior forward Drew Fielder shared the team lead. Against Oakland, five players scored at least eight, and Tarris Bouie finished with 10.
Head coach Nate Oats said the emphasis on playing the right way started over the summer, and he recently reinforced it with a video example from one of his favorite teams. He showed the players a clip of the Milwaukee Brewers sprinting around second base on a pop up even though there were already two outs in the inning, then asked his team what that looked like in basketball.
One answer: ball movement.
"I had our guys explain what they thought playing the right way in basketball was," Oats said. "They went through it, did a really good job listing off what they thought that meant and then how they wanted us to play."
There was still room for a little comedy in the closing minutes, too. Freshman guard Anderson Diaz tried to thread a behind-the-back pass to fellow freshman Jaxon Richardson on a two-on-one break with about five minutes left, and the ball ended up as a turnover. Oats couldn’t resist poking fun afterward.
"I told Anderson, I have no idea how he messed up a two-on-one break with Jackson running the other side with you," Oats joked after the game. "I think even I could convert a two-on-one break if Jackson was the guy running with me."
The play didn’t matter to the final score, and it didn’t stop Alabama from cruising. It did, however, fit the night’s theme: the Crimson Tide kept sharing the ball, kept finding the open man, and came within one assist of making school history.
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For Alabama, the timing matters. The program is still pushing to add Upshaw to its 2027 recruiting class, and getting him back on campus for one of the seasons biggest games gives the staff another chance to make its case. With his decision still open enough for Alabama to stay in the mix, this now looks like a situation worth watching closely as signing day approaches. [Read more 🡒]
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The early sign was encouraging, with Russell listed as probable in the SECs initial availability report for the upcoming game against Vanderbilt. Alabama does not need much drama at this stage of the season, but getting its young quarterback trending in the right direction is the kind of update that can steady a team with postseason goals still very much in reach. [Read more 🡒]