Jamarion Davis-Fleming’s status is suddenly a real question mark for Alabama, and that matters because the Tide are already dealing with a problem that keeps showing up on the glass.
The Mississippi State transfer sat out Monday’s win over Oakland with a lower-extremity injury that was not considered serious, and Nate Oats initially sounded confident Davis-Fleming would be ready for Friday’s home game against Seton Hall. But by Thursday, the tone had shifted. Oats said Davis-Fleming had not practiced this week and was now “questionable.”
That’s a headache for Alabama because rebounding has been one of the few nagging issues during the team’s 3-0 start. The Tide rank 297th nationally in offensive rebound rate allowed, giving up an offensive board on 37.7% of opponent shot attempts. That kind of leak can turn into a real problem fast, especially for a team with bigger goals ahead.
Davis-Fleming has been part of the fix. Oats pointed to his work on the boards after the Oakland game and made clear how much Alabama misses when he’s not out there.
“He’s one of our best rebounders. He’s physical.
He’s tough. He gets in there and mixes it up,” Oats said.
Seton Hall won’t overwhelm Alabama with offensive rebounding volume - the Pirates rank 218th in offensive rebound rate, per KenPom - but they are strong enough on the defensive glass to make life difficult. They allow offensive rebounds on only 22.1% of opponent shot attempts, which ranks 21st in the country. In other words, they do a good job of forcing teams into one shot and done.
That puts even more pressure on Alabama to shoot well Friday night, because second-chance chances may be limited, especially if Davis-Fleming can’t go. Drew Fielder and Brandon Garrison will need to hold up inside, and Keitenn Bristow will have to keep building on his strong start off the bench.
If Davis-Fleming is out, Alabama may also lean on smaller lineups, which would put extra rebounding responsibility on London Jemison, Cole Cloer, Jaxon Richardson, and Tarris Bouie.
This is shaping up as Alabama’s toughest test of the season so far. Seton Hall is 79th in KenPom, making this the first Top 100 regular-season game for the Tide. KenPom still projects Alabama to win by 13, but if the shots aren’t falling and the rebounding battle tilts the wrong way, Friday could get uncomfortable in a hurry.
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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 🡒]