Reed Karch

Game two takeaways from @AlabamaMBB’s 101-86 home win over @AStateMB: 1) From cold to hot to cold in an instant. 🥶 -- A cold shooting start had Alabama trailing for most of the first half, until a 26-4 run over the last 7 minutes built a 17-point Alabama lead at halftime. The Tide came out of halftime strong, only for Arkansas St. to put together their own 11-0 run to close the gap. Like most Nate Oats squads, its biggest strength and weakness arise from how hot or cold the team can go in seconds. 2) A triple-double for Amari Allen. 😱 -- If there was any doubt about who the feature player would be for this Crimson Tide team, it’s all but answered now. Allen was +19 in his minutes and posted the fifth triple-double in Alabama history (16/13/11), showing his ability to positively impact every aspect of the game. His confidence is sky-high, taking and knocking down threes from deep even after a cold stretch to start the game. 3) Keitenn Bristow stock is up. 📈 -- After a small sample-size of Bristow last season, the junior forward has opened the 2026 campaign with SEVEN blocks over the first two games. His ability to guard the perimeter and be a presence in the paint is something Alabama has lacked in past seasons, and he seems to have possibly solved a long standing inbound problem for the Tide thanks to his ability to screen and find space under the basket. 4) Brandon Garrison continues to impress. 🤩 -- BG impressed in the first exhibition vs. Furman, and did so again tonight with a 14 point, 10 rebound double-double. His size cannot be taught, as he’s constantly poking balls away, fighting for rebounds, affecting shots, and outmuscling all types of defenders. He’s willing to shoot the three, and looks so far like he might be one of the best true bigs that Oats has coached at Alabama after many considered him a depth piece. 5) The Tide win the rebound battle. 🙌 -- After being outrebounded by Sam Houston in the season opener, Alabama responded by outrebounding Arkansas St. 58-46 in the win, with 25 of them coming on the offensive glass. Allen led with 13, Garrison with 10, Bristow with 9, Davis-Fleming with 7 and multiple others getting involved. As the team continues to gel, rebounding and capitalizing off of boards will become more fluid with time. 6) Aden Holloway returns on Monday. 👀 -- Oats said this week that he “can’t wait” for Tide fans to see how Holloway has grown as a person, and Holloway’s 5-game suspension has officially come to an end. The senior guard will make his season debut at home on Monday vs. Oakland. I expect Holloway to plug into the starting lineup in place of Qayden Samuels, resulting in a lineup of: Holloway / Allen / Jemison / Fielder / Garrison @garyharris_wvua @AlexBootheTV @WVUA23Sports