Alabama grinded out a tough 82-70 victory over the Memphis Tigers on Friday night in the Veterans Classic in Annapolis.
Avery Johnson’s team was missing three players to injury and one to an NCAA suspension before its opener, but it didn’t impact the final result.
Early in the game, it appeared that even more players would have to sit out for a different reason – the Tide accumulated an astounding 20 fouls in the first half.
Daniel Giddens, Herb Jones, and Galin Smith all had three fouls by halftime. Amazingly though, Alabama still took a 38-36 lead into halftime behind 12 points from veteran point guard Dazon Ingram.
Early in the second half, the game went back and forth with Memphis and Alabama trading baskets. Then, in between the first and second media timeouts, freshman guards Jones and fellow freshman guard John Petty sparked the most important run of the game, making two 3-pointers each to run the Alabama lead to double digits.
Memphis never closed the gap over the final 12 minutes of the game as Alabama started to dial it in from three point range and the free-throw line (41% and 68% for the game).
Ingram led all scorers with 20 points to go along with five assists. Donta Hall added a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tide also got double digit scoring efforts from Avery Johnson Jr., Jones, and Petty.
JUCO transfer Kyvon Davenport led Memphis with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Phil’s Analysis
Johnson made some nice defensive adjustments throughout the game to avoid further foul issues; however, his biggest coaching impact came in the confidence he has instilled in the players.
No matter how many fouls were called or how the game ebbed and flowed, the team played with a swagger that was not shaken by the circumstances.
In short, Alabama played like a team that expected to win.
As Johnson is quick to remind anyone that will listen, the veteran returnees are the ones that will lead the team. Ingram and Hall proved that against Memphis. Ingram confidently drove to the basket and Hall controlled the boards throughout the contest.
The freshmen had a nice debut overall as well. They looked like freshmen at times but their length and college-ready bodies helped them make an impact even when their shots didn’t fall.
Petty tried to do too much at times, but settled in during a nice second half. Jones and Reese played within themselves all night and were productive.
I was particularly impressed with Alex Reese’s rebounding (nine boards) and his ability to disrupt passing lanes as a big man. Smith also had a nasty putback dunk before fouling out.
Daniel Giddens was a complete non-factor tonight because of fouling issues after leading the Tide in scoring and rebounding in its lone exhibition. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays next week.
Memphis won’t be the Tide’s toughest opponent, but this was a nice win for Johnson’s squad, especially without three of its best players.
The SEC and the rest of the NCAA are officially on notice.
Next up for Alabama is the home opener on Tuesday versus Lipscomb, a sneaky good mid-major opponent.