Alabama basketball keeps Rutgers from advancing to the Players Era Championship

Alabama basketball got everything it wanted from a talented Rutgers team on Wednesday night, but in the end the Crimson Tide held on for a 95-90 victory in what turned out to be a marathon game.

Thanks to a close whistle, the game ended exactly after two hours and 42 minutes. Alabama’s players had to believe they were playing a different sport than the one the officials had allowed in the previous night’s win over Houston.

Alabama figured out its shot, knocking down 10 three-pointers at a rate of 40 percent. A big part of that was an unexpected 4/6 combination from unexpected sources: Jarin Stevenson and Derrion Reid. Stevenson came into the game having missed his first 17 attempts from deep this season. You know it had to feel good to see a couple fall.

Mark Sears led Alabama with 24 points, although he still struggles with his efficiency. Mo Dioubate and Grant Nelson both came close to consecutive double-doubles. Dioubate finished the game with 10 points and 8 rebounds while Nelson had 17 and 9.

Alabama improved to 6-1 on the season and secured another win to advance its NCAA Tournament berth. The Crimson Tide play Oregon in the championship round on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.

3. The Rutgers freshmen were as good as advertised

I usually focus my insights on Alabama-specific things because, after all, this is an Alabama fans site. But it would be a disservice not to tip my hat to Rutgers freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. Both guys played like superstars and looked every bit like the top-five NBA draft picks they are projected to be.

Harper was a matchup nightmare for Alabama’s guards. At 1.90 meters tall, he was simply too much for Sears, Aden Holloway, Labaron Philon or Latrell Wrightsell. Nate Oats got creative in the second half and started sending Dioubate, Reid and even Stevenson at him. It never really mattered.

Harper got to the rim at will and finished with 37 points. He shot 11/19 from the field and made 15/16 from the free throw line.

His fellow student Bailey was also impressive. He achieved his places and repeatedly managed highly competitive middle-distance jumps. He also hit a crucial three-pointer late in the second half to cut Alabama’s lead to two.

Rutgers doesn’t have much help around these guys, but they are good enough to take the Scarlet Knights far.

2. Alabama’s guards need to be better

Sears scored 24 points but was just 7/19 from the field and continues to struggle with efficiency. He also turned the ball over five times and missed three free throws. The good news is that his confidence has returned after looking lost against Illinois and struggling with it early against Houston.

It was also a struggle for the other guards. Sears, Philon and Wrightsell combined for 12 of Alabama’s 20 turnovers.

Aden Holloway didn’t have a shot tonight and was only 1/6 from the field, but I liked his energy and effort for the most part. He competed hard on defense and even had to deal with inconsistencies against Harper.

But Alabama’s guards are expected to be a major strength of this team. They didn’t look like it tonight. They’ll need to bounce back on Saturday if Alabama wants to beat Oregon and leave Las Vegas with the championship.

1. Mo Dioubate might just be Herb Jones 2.0

Mo Dioubate keeps making winning plays for Alabama, and I’m tired of pretending I don’t see the obvious comparison. Dioubate plays similarly to Herb Jones during his time in Tuscaloosa. With him on the field, Alabama is simply the better team.

Similar to Herb, Dioubate is a versatile defender, capable of defending big offenses or being the primary attacking defender against ball guards. It is never in a mismatch due to a switch.

He followed up his performance of 10 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocked shots against Houston with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals against Rutgers.

Many wondered where Dioubate’s minutes would come from on such a talented team. He just goes out there every night, busting his tail and making it impossible to keep him off the ground.