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No. 23 Alabama’s ability to be better defensively will be tested on Tuesday when Clemson arrives in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The game is part of the ACC/SEC Challenge, and both teams have shown explosive signs on offense.
“We’ve got a good stretch here,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “I told our guys (that) five of our next seven opponents have offenses ranked in the top 40 of the country. So, our defense has to get significantly better here in a hurry. We’re going to have to be a lot better Tuesday night against Clemson.”
Alabama (5-1) is averaging 97.8 points per game, yet only three players on the team have double-figure scoring averages. Ten members of the Crimson Tide have played 10 or more minutes per game, so Oats has been establishing depth.
Clemson (5-0) will be playing in its first true road game. The contest against Alabama will mark just the second game in a nine-day stretch for the Tigers.
“It’s going to be a heckuva game, a great environment,” Tigers coach Brad Brownell said. “I’m sure it will be a difficult environment for us to compete in. Our guys will have to play with great poise.”
Alabama split two games in the Emerald Coast Classic, falling to Ohio State before responding to defeat Oregon 99-91 on Saturday.
“We didn’t play our best basketball against Ohio State,” Oats said. “We challenged our guys to be better on defense and I thought we played a lot harder.”
The point totals allowed by the Crimson Tide have been of concern. Alabama surrendered more than 90 points in consecutive games.
“We are still making way too many defensive mistakes, but I thought our effort was good,” Oats said. “We did a better job on the glass. … We have to do a better job when we get a (big) lead of finishing them off and getting stops.”
It’s team defense that’s most concerning for Oats, who admitted he has seen individuals come through with solid defensive efforts. He pointed to guard Rylan Griffen for that during the weekend.
Clemson has scored 77 or more points in four of five games this season. In Friday’s 90-69 romp past Alcorn State, post player PJ Hall racked up a career-high 29 points. Hall is averaging 21.4 per game.
The Tigers were diverse in their scoring, with the team draining 11 shots from 3-point range. Clemson registered a season-high 26 assists in the game.
“We’ve done a good job of sharing the ball,” Brownell said. “We’ve done that all year.”
Clemson needs to tighten some areas on defense.
“We’ve been pretty good defensively,” Brownell said. “We’re still not where we need to be.”
Alabama’s Mark Sears posted 27 points against Oregon. The Crimson Tide’s 26-for-28 shooting on free throws versus the Ducks was another highlight to go with 50 percent shooting from the field to help compensate for 16 turnovers.
“I felt good (but) I was worried about defense,” Sears said. “I wanted to get stops because defense wins games.”
Sears is averaging 20.3 points per game.
Oats said playing a couple of major-conference foes on back-to-back days exposed some things that the Crimson Tide can work on.
The Crimson Tide hasn’t been challenged in four home romps, winning each of those by at least 22 points.
–Field Level Media