Alabama Basketball vs Morehead State Open Thread

Welcome to another Alabama basketball season! Last year’s SEC regular season and tournament champion squad will be a tough act to follow, but Nate Oats has assembled a talented roster that combines some high end freshman talent with proven veterans.

Tonight’s opponent is Morehead State, They will be without OVC player of the year Mark Freeman, a senior guard, who will miss tonight’s contest due to injury. The cupboard is hardly bare, however. From the Morehead State athletics site:

• Morehead State is the winningest Division I MBB program in Kentucky in the past three seasons with 68 wins.

• In-state product Dieonte Miles (Walton-Verona HS) transferred in from Xaxier for his graduate season. The Eagles have three Bluegrass State natives with freshman Jerone Morton (Winchester) and Brady Dingess (Inez).

• Morehead State has one of, if not, the most experienced rosters in all of Division I. The Eagles have eight either graduate transfers or seniors on the roster, making up 53 percent of the entire roster for 2023-24.

• In the past three seasons, Morehead State is 63-2 when leading with a minute left in regulation time.

• Morehead State has relied on its defense and rebounding ability for success under head coach Preston Spradlin. Last year, the Eagles led the OVC in scoring defense (66.6), rebounding defense (32.3), three-point defense (.314) and rebound margin (+3.4). MSU has now ranked first in the OVC in scoring defense, three-point defense and rebound margin in three consecutive seasons.

Emphasis mine. Couldn’t help it, that’s one masterful troll job.

Tonight’s tip is at 7pm CT and will be available streaming on SEC Network+.

Roll Tide!