No. 2 Alabama dropped its first game of the season 87-78 against No. 13 Purdue.
The Crimson Tide were not able to dictate the tempo of the game, and the Boilermakers pulled away late.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Philon Emerges
Freshman Labaron Philon was fearless in a hostile road environment. Philon came off the bench and gave Alabama a nice spark, leading all Crimson Tide scorers with 18 points. Philon also pulled down five rebounds and recorded four assists. The only negative from Philon tonight was him fouling out.
Slow Start for Sears
Mark Sears doesn’t have to be as prolific of a scorer this season as he did last season, but the Crimson Tide need a better start from the star guard. Sears was held scoreless for nearly 12 minutes in the first half. Sears was able to finish the game with just 13 points and five assists.
Three-Point Struggles Continue
Alabama has yet to figure it out from behind the arc. Three-point shooting has not been as successful as last year, and it is holding them back from being a Final Four contender this season. Alabama shot just 31% from behind the arc, making just nine of its 29 attempts.
Defense Doesn’t Improve
Nate Oats had to replace all of his assistant coaches in the offseason, and his main requirement was to be able to coach defense. Four games in, and the defense still hasn’t improved much from last season. On Friday night, Alabama ran into a tournament team in Purdue and allowed the Boilermakers to shoot 49% from the field and 56% from three.
No. 2 Alabama will play a neutral site game in Birmingham against Illinois on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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