Alabama opened its 2026-27 preseason with a convincing 111-93 win over Furman on Thursday night in Coleman Coliseum, and the first thing that stood out was exactly what Nate Oats spent the offseason chasing: size.
That added bulk was on display early, especially from Brandon Garrison. The former Kentucky big, the first player to transfer to Alabama, came off the bench and wasted no time settling in.
The 6-foot-10, 255-pound senior scored 13 points in the first half and did it without missing, going 6 of 6 from the field and 1 of 1 from beyond the arc. He later left the game midway through the second half and returned with tape on his knee, but did not re-enter.
Cole Cloer also made a strong early impression. The forward, who arrived at Alabama after enrolling early and redshirting at NC State, scored nine points in 12 first-half minutes and wore No.
- He ended the night with 14 points while knocking down 4 of 10 shots from three-point range, a sign that he’s going to let it fly from deep this season.
Those two helped push Alabama to a 60-49 halftime lead, though the game was far from clean. Offensive rebounding was an early problem, with Furman ahead 4-1 on the glass in that category four minutes into the game.
Alabama improved some as the half wore on, but it remains a question. Defense did too, especially in the backcourt.
"Our defense is not nearly where it needs to be," Oats told Crimson Tide Sports Network at halftime. "Our defensive rebounding is a problem.
Just disappointing, because that was a big area we tried to emphasize, both with the roster construction and our coaching. We've got to figure this defensive rebounding out."
Furman also found too much success from long range, hitting 18 threes on the night. Alabama tightened things up after the break, and the scoring spread around as the lead kept growing.
Amari Allen led the way with 19 points, five rebounds, six assists and a steal. After withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft following a standout freshman season, he showed up across the stat sheet again.
Freshmen Tarris Bouie and Qayden Samuels also finished in double figures, another encouraging sign for Alabama’s depth. Samuels started, filling in while Aden Holloway (suspended), Anderson Diaz (upper body injury), Preston Murphy Jr. (upper body injury) and Jaxon Richardson (illness) were all out.
Furman was the first of three scrimmages on Alabama’s schedule. Ole Miss is next on Oct. 15, followed by Auburn on Oct. 22, with both taking place in Birmingham.
This story will be updated with quotes from the postgame press conference.
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