3 Questions as Alabama Basketball Opens the 2014-15 with Exhibition

The Alabama men's basketball team will play its only exhibition game of the season Monday night against Montevallo before the regular season begins on Friday. 

There are many question marks surrounding a team that finished 13-19 overall a year ago, but you'll also find a lot of optimism within the program thanks to some talented young players. And that's important because they'll be depended on quite a bit. This year's roster features just six players that saw game action last season.

So what are we watching for during the first few games of the schedule?

1. Who will replace point guard Trevor Releford?

This is the most obvious question for fans heading into 2014-15. Releford finished his Alabama career as the all-time leader in steals and games played, 4th in scoring, 5th in free throw shooting, and 9th in assists.

All signs point to Tulane transfer Ricky Tarrant, who sat out last year after averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals in two seasons with the Green Wave, as the most likely replacement. True freshman Justin Coleman might possess more similarities to Releford with his style of play, and he'll likely get some minutes in a backup role. The other option is junior Retin Obasohan, who head coach Anthony Grant has played at the position before but also uses him in other roles.

2. Where will the scoring come from?

Releford accounted for more than 27% of the scoring last season. After graduations and transfers, the Crimson Tide returns just 39.6 points per game. Alabama will have to get more consistency out of seniors Rodney Cooper and Levi Randolph. The latter was named team captain, which is a first under Grant, and that can only taken as good news.

A lot of the team's success will rely on the development of sophomore Shannon Hale, who earned freshman All-SEC honors last year. He finished second on the team in conference scoring and became one of the Tide's best all-around players by season's end. If he continues to improve his game, Hale could end up being one of the most dangerous players in the conference.

As for newcomers, Tarrant looks to be the player who's most ready to contribute offensively as the season begins. He was a dynamic scorer in Conference USA and started on a team that beat Alabama in Coleman Coliseum two years ago.

3. Will Alabama have enough depth in the front court?

Depth on the post has been an issue for Alabama the past two seasons and could be a problem once again in 2014-15. With the departures of Nick Jacobs and Carl Engstrom, Grant is left with just three players over 6'7" on his roster - Shanon Hale, Jimmie Taylor, and transfer Michael Essens.

Hale is a much bigger threat when matched up with smaller players at the small forward position, but he'll play the four quite a bit this year.

Taylor showed flashes of being an impact player under the basket as a true freshman but he still has a number of areas that need improvement with most of those being on the offensive end.

That brings us to Kessens. This team's success might ultimately hinge on the Switzerland native. The sophomore brings a lot of athleticism to the team, but he has to provide a consistent offensive option on the post to give the Tide its best chance to win. If he isn't able to contribute quality minutes or ends up dealing with nagging injuries, Alabama will once again be very thin in the post.

Fans will have a chance to see this team in action for the first time as Alabama hosts Montevallo. The game tips at 7 PM CT.