Alabama Basketball Embracing “Villain” Mentality

The Alabama men's basketball team is ranked No. 2 in the country, and 21-3 overall. Alabama is tied with cross-state rival Auburn with a 10-1 record in conference play, co-leading the SEC regular season standings.

Get our free mobile app

In conference play, Alabama boasts a 4-1 record at home and 6-0 on the road. Alabama's play at home vs on the road is something of note as well.

For the second straight game, Alabama cleared the stands out early, with the Crimson Tide maintaining the first-half intensity while elevating to second gear with three-point shooting, resulting in a 23-point victory over Texas.

Alabama shot 62% from the field, 59% from three, and 90% from the free throw line (62/59/90) on Tuesday against Texas. The numbers from Saturday reinforce a trend from Alabama this season: The Crimson Tide plays better on the road than it does at home.

Through all the road games in SEC play so far this season, Alabama is shooting 51/41/69 (Field goal percentage, three-point percentage, free throw percentage).

At home, Alabama is shooting 40/26/70. The only comparable number is free throw shooting. In everything else, Alabama is performing significantly higher on the road.

Alabama seems to enjoy the "villain" role it has been assigned this season, with Alabama head coach Nate Oats commenting on it in his post-game presser on Tuesday.

"They tend to like the road for whatever reason. They like seeing the stands empty early when they can. They seem to embrace that villain role..."

Alabama will have to adjust its view of home vs road games this weekend, with the Auburn Tigers coming to Tuscaloosa this Saturday.

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.