Nate Oats has in short order turned Alabama into a consistent winner that's committed to a style that makes the Crimson Tide a dangerous matchup for anybody.
They play fast. They shoot 3-pointers. They guard.
They're really good.
Houston became the latest program to see it up close Saturday. That's when Alabama rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to record a 71-65 victory inside the Fertitta Center that qualifies as a monster Quadrant-1 win on the road.
"This is one of those character-wins that shows that our guys are going to keep fighting no matter what the score is," Oats said. "We could have easily given up [when we were] down 15. The start of the second half wasn't great. [But] we made some changes with the bench guys, hung in there, kept clawing away at the lead, [and we were] finally able to take the lead. And then we pulled away from them."
The most remarkable aspect of Alabama's improbable win was how the Crimson Tide recorded it without getting a single made-basket from their leading scorer, Brandon Miller. The five-star freshman took eight shots and missed all eight of them. Regardless, Alabama was able to secure a second victory in a 14-day span over a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. Two Sundays ago, Alabama beat then-No. 1 North Carolina in four overtimes.
"Not sure how many teams get the chance to play two No. 1 teams in non-conference, let alone beat them," Oats said. "But I think that it shows where we've gotten this program to [and] that we can play with anyone in the country, at this point."
Alabama is up to No. 4 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings — one spot behind the only team that's topped the Crimson Tide this season, No. 3 UConn. Purdue replaces Houston as the new No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1. Virginia is now No. 2. Houston is now No. 5.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 11 points and 17 rebounds in Saturday's 65-62 win at Nebraska. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Davidson. | 1 | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Jayden Gardner finished with 14 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 55-50 win over James Madison. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Houston. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 3 |  | Donovan Clingan finished with21 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 114-61 win over Long Island University. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Butler. | 1 | 37-3 |
| 4 |  | Noah Clowney had 16 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 71-65 win over Houston. The Crimson Tide's next game is Tuesday vs. Memphis. | 4 | 25-12 |
| 5 |  | Houston missed 10 of the 13 3-pointers it attempted in Saturday's 71-65 loss to Alabama. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against North Carolina A&T. | 4 | 32-5 |
| 6 |  | Chrstian Bishop finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 88-43 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Longhorns' next game is Monday against Rice. | -- | 21-13 |
| 7 |  | Ricky Council IV finished with 26 points and five assists in Saturday's 88-78 win over Oklahoma. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Bradley. | -- | 16-17 |
| 8 |  | Azuolas Tubelis finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 89-75 win over Indiana. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Texas A&M Corpus Christie. | 7 | 27-9 |
| 9 |  | Tolu Smith finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 82-52 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Bulldogs' next game is Sunday at Minnesota. | -- | 21-14 |
| 10 |  | Indiana allowed Arizona to shoot 49.2% from the field in Saturday's 89-65 loss to the Wildcats. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | -- | 19-14 |
| 11 |  | Keyonte George finished with 22 points and six assists in Tuesday's 80-57 win over Tarleton State. The Bears' next game is Sunday against Washington State. | -- | 24-11 |
| 12 |  | Drew Timme finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 77-60 win over Washington. The Zags' next game is Monday against Northern Illinois. | -- | 27-8 |
| 13 |  | Maryland finished with 14 turnovers and nine assists in Tuesday's 64-59 loss at Wisconsin. The Terrapins' next game is Sunday against Tennessee. | -- | 16-17 |
| 14 |  | Oscar Tshiebwe finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 69-59 win over Yale. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against UCLA. | -- | 23-10 |
| 15 |  | Tyreke Key finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 84-49 win over Eastern Kentucky. The Vols' next game is Sunday against Maryland. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Jalen Wilson finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 95-67 win at Missouri. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 17 |  | Dariq Whitehead finished with 15 points and two assists in Saturday's 82-55 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Blue Devils' next game is Dec. 20 at Wake Forest. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 18 |  | Illinois allowed Penn State to shoot 50% from the field in Saturday's 74-59 loss to the Nittany Lions. The Illini's next game is Saturday against Alabama A&M. | 13 | 29-9 |
| 19 |  | Jaylen Clark finished with 24 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-64 win over Denver. The Bruins' next game is Wednesday at Maryland. | -- | 16-17 |
| 20 |  | Olivier-Maxence Prosper finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 90-78 win over North Carolina Central. The Golden Eagles' next game is Sunday at Notre Dame. | 3 | 27-10 |
| 21 |  | Zed Key finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds in Thursday's 67-66 win over Rutgers. The Buckeyes' next game is Saturday against North Carolina. | 3 | 22-14 |
| 22 |  | Pop Isaacs finished with 24 points and three assists in Wednesday's 78-71 win over Nicholls. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday against Eastern Washington. | 3 | 23-11 |
| 23 |  | Chucky Hepburn finished with 13 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 64-59 win over Maryland. The Badgers' next game is Sunday at Iowa. | 3 | 22-14 |
| 24 |  | Souley Boum finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 80-77 win at Cincinnati. The Musketeers' next game is Tuesday against Southern. | NR | 16-18 |
| 25 |  | Emmitt Matthews finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 81-70 win over UAB. The Mountaineers' next game is Sunday against Buffalo. | NR | 9-23 |
| 26 |  | Jordan Miller finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 80-73 win over NC State. The Hurricanes' next game is Saturday against St. Francis. | NR | 15-17 |
IN: Xavier, West Virginia, Miami
OUT: Auburn, San Diego State, Creighton
