No. 5 Alabama closed out its non-conference portion of its schedule Sunday with an emphatic 105-82 victory over South Dakota State. With a gauntlet of a SEC schedule awaiting the Crimson Tide in the new year, here are three takeaways from Alabama’s performance on the 2024-2025 campaign thus far.

Nate Oats’ success on the recruiting trail has translated onto the court

Coming into the season, Alabama’s newest additions of freshmen and transfer portal players such as Clifford Omoruyi and Aden Holloway earned them a preseason No. 2 ranking. While there may have been pressure from the outside for Alabama to live up to its preseason rank with all the new additions, the Crimson Tide have certainly lived up to the hype. 

Perhaps the most impactful newcomer to the roster has been freshman guard Labaron Philon. The Mobile-native came to campus as a four star recruit and has been very productive in his first season with Alabama. Philon currently ranks sixth in the SEC in field goal percentage, shooting at a 53.8% clip on the season.

Additionally, Philon has been averaging 12.4 points per game along with 3.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. In the 13 games Alabama has played, Philon has scored in double figures in nine of them, including his season-high of 21 points in Alabama’s most recent game against South Dakota State.

Another new addition that has helped out has been Aden Holloway. After transferring from Auburn to Alabama, it seems Holloway’s fresh start in the Nate Oats offense has served him well. Holloway has given Alabama a lift off the bench, especially from the 3-point line.

During non-conference play, Holloway has shot 37% from behind the arc and is coming off a 26-point performance in which he made a career-high eight 3-pointers. On the season, Holloway has averaged 10.4 points per game and ranks 14th in the SEC in 3-pointers made per game at 2.3. 

Alabama is a battle-tested team

In the past, Nate Oats has gotten his teams ready for the grind of conference play and the postseason by playing very difficult schedules early in the season. For the past two seasons, Alabama has finished 1st in the country in strength of schedule. This year is no different as Alabama currently ranks 3rd in the nation in strength of schedule.

Alabama has already faced off against four AP Top 25 teams this season with all of them being as a true road game or a neutral site game. The Crimson Tide have already gone into difficult road environments such as playing in Mackey Arena against Purdue and the Dean Dome at North Carolina. 

In addition, Alabama played in the first ever NIL Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, where the Crimson Tide got a huge win over No. 6 Houston and took down Rutgers. Alabama also faced Oregon in Las Vegas as well, who are now the No. 9 team in the country. The Crimson Tide also got a hard-earned win at home against Creighton.

Additionally, Nate Oats also challenged his team with scheduling three mid-major schools that came into the season as the consensus pick to win their conferences in Arkansas State, McNeese State and South Dakota State.

Alabama’s schedule during the season so far has earned the Crimson Tide three quad 1 victories and two victories against quad 2 teams with plenty of quad 1 opportunities still too come during conference play.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. will be missed, but there is backup

When guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. suffered a season-ending achilles injury in the Crimson Tide’s game against Oregon, the Alabama backcourt took a hit, specifically with 3-point shooting. Wrightsell was on pace to have a fantastic season and was leading the team in 3-point shooting percentage at 42% from long range.

While Wrightsell’s presence on the court going into conference play will certainly be missed, the Crimson Tide has shown it has plenty of depth in the backcourt. After Wrightsell’s injury, transfer guard Houston Mallette got rid of his red shirt and has played productive minutes off the bench.

Mallette made his first appearance for Alabama on December 4 at North Carolina where he scored six points off of two 3-pointers and came up with two steals in the game as well. He also played 19 minutes in Alabama’s game against North Dakota and scored 10 points to help the Crimson Tide avoid an upset.

Another transfer, guard Chris Youngblood has also proven that Alabama can handle Wrighsell’s absence. With stops at Kennesaw State and South Florida, Youngblood has shot over 40% from beyond the arc for three consecutive seasons.

Youngblood made his first appearance December 14 after dealing with an ankle injury he suffered during the offseason and has since been averaging seven points per game. While Youngblood has struggled from the field so far since returning to the court, he has the potential to become the one that fills in for Wrightsell.