Arizona’s nonconference schedule of formidable opponents begins on Wednesday night in Phoenix with a neutral-site matchup versus Alabama. The Wildcats and Crimson Tide will square off in Birmingham the following year as part of a series that begins today.
According to KenPom.com, Alabama (6-4) has played 20th-toughest schedule in the nation thus far. Its last two games resulted in defeats to No. 1 Purdue and No. 12 Creighton.
We spoke with Roger Patrick Myers of SB Nation sister site Roll Bama Roll in order to gain a deeper understanding of the Tide. These are his glitzy responses to our uninteresting queries.
Roger Patrick Myers: “Nate Oats does things this way.” Playing anyone, anywhere, at any time, doesn’t scare him. The Tide had a fairly identical schedule as the previous year. In the last three years, Oats and Alabama have won the SEC regular season and tournament titles twice apiece. Nevertheless, Oats fully anticipated that Charles Bediako (centre) would return prior to Chuck’s announcement regarding the draft, and Jahvon Quinerly abruptly accessed the transfer portal.
“The offence succeeds due to the quick tempo of play and frequent 3-point shooting.” Oats’ motto is “layups, free throws, and threes.” You can get Oats upset the fastest by making a mid-range jump shot. Usually, a hasty trip to the bench ensues, whether successful or not.
“The Tide’s offence is among the best in the country, if not better. On the other hand, the defence of the team ranks very low, which is rare for a team led by Oats. For ‘Bama, Bediako’s last-minute exit has been fatal. He contributed significantly to the team’s success the previous season with his ability to guard the rim and block shots. This team lacks even a somewhat comparable player to “Angry Chuck.”/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72980828/usa_today_22122924.0.jpg)
The team’s chemistry has taken a while to improve. There are, in my opinion, two reasons. First off, just three players from the previous season were back, and other players missed practice due to injury, which delayed the team’s ability to gel. The squad from the previous season got to play multiple games together and strengthen their camaraderie through travel during their summer tour to Europe.
Bradley seems like he would contribute significantly to the Tide’s backcourt this season. Bradley’s involvement shrank last season as Quinerly recovered from knee surgery, although Jaden had a significant early impact. That most likely contributed to the transfer, along with the aftermath from the Darius Miles incident. To cap it all, Quinerly unexpectedly joined Penny (Hardaway) at Memphis by logging into the portal.
