Alabama
By the numbers: Key stats that defined Alabama’s win over LSU
If one thing proved true in No. 4 Alabama basketball’s 80-73 win over LSU, it’s that on any given night in the SEC, anything can happen.
Arriving at Coleman Coliseum with just one SEC win, LSU put up a scrappy and physical fight against the Crimson Tide. The Tigers went into halftime tied at 40-40 and even held small leads throughout the game.
Despite struggles from starting point guard Mark Sears and issues on the offensive glass early on, Alabama managed to pull away in the second half, avoiding a second conference loss and pleasing a nearly fully packed crowd.
Before we move on to Wednesday night’s matchup between Alabama and No. 14 Mississippi State, here are five key numbers that defined the Tide’s win over the Tigers.
7 — Clifford Omoruyi bounced back in the second half, snagging seven rebounds after a quiet first half with just two. LSU dominated the glass in the opening 20 minutes, but Omoruyi’s effort in the second half helped shift the momentum for Alabama. He finished with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds. Coach Nate Oats praised his performance, noting that it earned Omoruyi the Hard Hat Award.
“ Cliff, I didn’t think he was bringing it,” Oats said. “…Cliff was not rebounding like he needed to, wasn’t playing as hard as we’d have liked. And it ends up going out and playing extremely hard in the second half, had a great attitude on the bench and ends up winning hard hat.”
The Rutgers transfer has turned it up a notch since the beginning of conference play. He ranks in the top 13 in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage among SEC players, according to KenPom.com.
13 — One of the key reasons LSU managed to stay within striking distance for most of its trip to Coleman Coliseum was its tenacious effort on the offensive glass in the first half. The Tigers dominated Alabama 13-5 in offensive rebounds during the opening 20 minutes, largely thanks to four-star freshman Corey Chest’s absurd nine offensive boards in the first period alone.
After the game, Oats said rebounds will be a significant point of emphasis for his group going forward.
“ I got to give a ton of credit to LSU,” Oats said. “Corey Chest with 15 rebounds in the first half…,” Oats said. “That was, that was a major issue. All the offensive boards they had. They ended up outscoring us on second-chance points only by three, but we gave up way too many boards… It’s the fourth time this season we got out-rebounded. So that’s something we’re gonna have to really address going into Mississippi State.”
3 — LSU struggled from beyond the arc, making just three of 23 attempts from deep, which was a season-low. The Tigers’ measly three makes marks the second-lowest number of 3-pointers against Alabama this season. After the game, LSU head coach Matt McMahon said LSU’s inefficient shooting cost the Tigers down the stretch.
“We just weren’t able to make enough shots to give us a better chance there late,” McMahon said. “Credit to Alabama’s defense, credit to Alabama for the win.”
17 — Alabama star point guard Mark Sears played a season-low 17 minutes, all of which came in the first half, the fewest minutes he’s logged in a game since his freshman season at Ohio. Sears also posted the second-lowest offensive rating of his career on KenPom, finishing with a 28, ahead of the 21 he recorded earlier this season against Illinois.
After Sears had a rough first half, Oats mentioned that the coaching staff is implementing a philosophical shift moving forward.
“ We’re done starting the same group that starts the game, we’re gonna start the guys that we think give us the best chance to get a great start in the second half,” Oats said.
Fortunately for Oats, Alabama’s various backcourt options allow them to play a multitude of lineups depending on who’s hot.
9 — USF transfer Chris Youngblood, who made his first career start vs LSU, contributed to all nine of Alabama’s opening points. The Tuscaloosa native opened the game with seven and assisted Clifford Omoruyi on an alley-oop.
While not being upset about coming off the bench to begin the season, Youngblood said he was happy to finally get a start.
“It felt good,” Youngblood said. “It’s funny because at first, my family thought I’d mad about not starting, but I’m like, man, this team is wonderful, so I embraced this coming off the bench role… It was fun, man. It was fun.”
Alabama football added another member to its 2026 signing class in cornerback Nick Sherman on Sunday evening.
Sherman is the Crimson Tide’s 24th signee, as this news comes 11 days after early national signing day.
The JUCO product was formerly at Itawamba Community College. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is also a Tuscaloosa native, as he went to Northridge High School.
This season at Itawamba CC, Sherman logged 24 tackles and two interceptions in eight games as a sophomore.
Sherman is the fifth defensive back in the Crimson Tide’s 2026 signing class, as he joins cornerbacks Zyan Gibson and Jorden Edmonds, along with safeties Jireh Edwards and Rihyael Kelley.
Coming HOME, COMMITTED 🐘🐘 . pic.twitter.com/6xKIhWIK56
— Nick “ vibez” Sherman ✞ (@nickvibeez) December 15, 2025
Alabama’s 2026 Signing Class
- CB Zyan Gibson, 5-foot-11, 177 lbs. – Gadsden, Alabama (Committed 12/24/2024)
- CB Jorden Edmonds, 6-foot-2, 175 lbs. – Marietta, Georgia (Committed 03/26/2025)
- EDGE Jamarion Matthews, 6-foot-2, 240 lbs. – Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 02/21/2025)
- EDGE Kamhariyan Johnson, 6-foot-4, 260 lbs. – Muscle Shoals, Alabama (Committed 04/12/2025)
- OL Chris Booker, 6-foot-4, 285 lbs. – Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 02/20/2025)
- QB Jett Thomalla, 6-foot-3, 205 lbs. – Omaha, Nebraska (Committed 06/17/2025)
- S Rihyael Kelley, 6-foot-3, 180 lbs. – Cincinnati, Ohio (Committed 06/23/2025)
- SN Eli Deutsch, 6-foot-2, 225 lbs. – Franklin, Wisconsin (Committed 06/24/2025)
- RB Ezavier Crowell, 5-foot-10, 210 lbs. – Jackson, Alabama (Committed 06/26/2025)
- TE Mack Sutter, 6-foot-5, 230 lbs. – Dunlap, Illinois (Committed 06/26/2025)
- LB Zay Hall, 6-foot-2, 222 lbs. – Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 06/27/2025)
- LB Xavier Griffin, 6-foot-3, 200 lbs. – Gainesville, Georgia (Committed 06/29/2025)
- WR Cederian Morgan, 6-foot-4, 220 lbs – Alexander City, Alabama (Committed 07/02/2025)
- DL Nolan Wilson, 6-foot-4, 250 lbs. – Picayune, Mississippi (Committed 07/04/2025)
- S Jireh Edwards, 6-foot-2, 210 lbs. – Baltimore, Maryland (Committed 07/05/2025)
- QB Tayden Kaawa, 6-foot-5, 235 lbs. – Orem, Utah (Committed 07/22/2025)
- OT Bear Fretwell, 6-foot-6, 295 lbs. – Brooklet, Georgia (Committed 07/25/25)
- OT Jared Doughty, 6-foot-5, 300 lbs. – Atlanta, Georgia (Committed 10/05/2025)
- EDGE Corey Howard, 6-foot-6, 245 lbs. – Valdosta, Georgia (Committed 10/19/2025)
- OL Tyrell Miller, 6-foot-5, 305 lbs. – College of San Mateo (Committed 11/29/2025)
- EDGE Malique Franklin, 6-foot-5, 250 lbs. – Daphne, Alabama (Committed 12/02/2025)
- TE Jude Cascone, 6-foot-2, 225 lbs. – Marietta, Georgia (Committed 11/30/2025)
- RB Traeshawn Brown, 5-foot-10, 190 lb. – Huntsville, Texas (Committed 12/04/2025)
- CB Nick Sherman, 6-foot-3, 190 lb, – Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 12/14/25)
Read More:
Subscribe to BamaCentral’s Free Newsletter
Ringo, an abandoned puppy that was dropped off at the Madison Police Department earlier this week, will get the surgery he needs thanks to an outpouring of donations from the city’s residents.
On Dec. 9, the Madison Police Department said in a Facebook post it was trying to raise $2,000 so Ringo could get an injured leg amputated.
“Citizens of Madison, we need your help. Recently, an abandoned and abused puppy was brought to us—sweet, loving, and still full of hope despite what he’s been through,” the post said.
“To give him the chance at a healthy, happy life, he needs a surgery to amputate an injured leg. Once he recovers, he’ll be ready for adoption and would make an incredible addition to a loving Madison family—just in time for Christmas.”
Just three days later, the department said in an update that they’d raised the money they needed, and Ringo would get his surgery in the middle of January.
During a vet visit, the pup was given a clean bill of health and all his required shots.
“We completely met the goal and could not have done it without the help of all our citizens here so we greatly appreciate everything you guys donated for him,” an update video said.
Now the police department is asking for the community to step up again and help get Ringo adopted before his surgery.
“Our next thing we can do is have him adopted. He is ready to go into somebody’s home so he can get acclimated and ready to go before his surgery,” the post said.
Anyone interested in adopting Ringo is asked to call Madison’s Animal Control at 256-772-5694.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — No. 12 Alabama fell to No. 1 Arizona in Legacy Arena in the fifth annual C.M. Newton Classic. The Crimson Tide held a 2-point halftime lead, but got decimated in the second half, opening the first six minutes of the second frame with just two field goals made.
The top-ranked Wildcats went on to claim a 96-75 victory and dropped the Crimson Tide’s record in the event to 2-3.
“They’re obviously a really good team,” Nate Oats said. “There’s a reason they’re number one in the country. I thought the first half we played pretty well. We were down five on the glass and needed to clean it up a little bit, and then the second half we had this issue where we just haven’t had very good starts to the second half. We came out and didn’t have a very good start, and it got progressively worse. I think they scored, shoot 39 the entire first half. They had 39 in less than 12 minutes to start the second half.
“Start of the second half was bad. Obviously, they came out of halftime ready to play; we didn’t. The toughness factor was a problem. It’s impossible – I shouldn’t say impossible. It’s nearly impossible to win a game when your opponent gets 28 more field goal attempts than you. If you look, we outshot them from the field and from the free throw line, both percentage-wise. Free throws, they made one more free throw than we did and they got 28 more field goal attempts. You can’t win games giving your opponent 28 more field goal attempts. Offensive glass we had three the whole game, they had 22. We lost the rebounds by 20 again. This has been a recurring issue for us.”
Alabama History in C.M. Newton Classic
- 2021 – Davidson 79, Alabama 78
- 2022 – Gonzaga 100, Alabama 90
- 2023 – Alabama 101, Liberty 56
- 2024 – Alabama 100, Illinois 87
- 2025 – Arizona 96, Alabama 75
Watch the above video as BamaCentral writers Katie Windham, Hunter De Siver, and Will Miller, provide thoughts and takeaways from the Alabama men’s basketball team’s 96-75 loss against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday. The trio discusses the performance of the No. 12 Crimson Tide and the rebounding issues that continue to plague the program.
Free December events in Boston: Hanukkah celebrations, new play readings, and more – The Boston Globe
Where do Packers stand in NFC playoff picture after loss in Denver?
The gun violence that has taken place in the last two days is prompting San Diego community members to take action.
Who Makes Milwaukee’s Socket Sets? Here’s What You Need To Know – SlashGear
Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers Announce Starting Lineups For Tonight’s Game
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Bill and Hillary Clinton’s Stance on Epstein Testimony Nov. 3
Small Business Administration unveils new initiative to roll back federal regulations
Analysis: Trump’s policies set to widen EU-US innovation gap
With federal relief on the horizon, Black farmers worry it won’t come soon enough
Trump’s election win filled Hamas with ‘fear,’ hostage held like ‘slave’ for 505 days recounts
-
Alaska1 week agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Texas1 week agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
Washington6 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa1 week agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Miami, FL1 week agoUrban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
-
Iowa2 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Cleveland, OH1 week agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World1 week ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans
