Alabama Men's Basketball completed its second charity exhibition game, this one against the Memphis Tigers on Monday night.

The Crimson Tide's head coach, Nate Oats, is known for scheduling extremely difficult opponents, and the second charity exhibition game was no different. Memphis, coached by Penny Hardaway, appears to have an incredibly physical basketball team that is not afraid of an official's whistle. Obviously, with it being a charity exhibition match, players can not foul out, so that contributed to the physicality of the contest.

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We've heard from Alabama head coach Nate Oats about the challenge Alabama will have to find enough minutes for all the talent on the roster, however, nobody will feel sorry for Oats and Alabama while the Crimson Tide attempts to find a way to get all 13 players on the court this season.

Alabama did not have to worry about minute allocations on Monday, with Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and Aiden Sherrell, two starters and a projected key contributor, all missing from the contest. With them out of the lineup, Oats and the Crimson Tide's staff played nine players, with all but one contributing on the scoreboard.

Alabama can win in a multitude of ways this season. In the first exhibition game against Wake Forest, Alabama rained threes. In the second one against Memphis, Alabama had to get low and play physical basketball on both ends of the floor. It was a Clifford Omoruyi and Mo Dioubate game for Alabama at that point, as both players demanded minutes and a physical presence in the low post. Additionally, it is easy to see why Alabama wanted to add a rim protector with the abilities of Omoruyi. Even when tangled up with an opposing player, he can haul in rebounds or push a ball back to a waiting guard for Alabama.

in terms of "blue collar points" (something Alabama basketball and Nate Oats pride themselves on) it would be shocking if Labaron Philon did not win the hard hat award against Memphis. Hustle plays, diving for loose balls, scrappy defense, and overall effort are taken into account when Alabama grades the blue-collar points. Philon had them all on Monday night.

Defensively, Alabama's best defender early could be Derrion Reid. He's physical, has great range, and is not afraid to get into the face of the ball handler to affect shots. Omoruyi provides great rim protection and his mere presence can force smaller opponents to shy away from contact underneath the basket. Alabama's smaller guards will still have issues against bigger centers, but Alabama having their own to go toe-to-toe with them can be highly beneficial.

It's not all sunshine and rainbows for Alabama, as there are still several areas that need improvement. The physicality of Memphis led to a lot of sloppy play early from Alabama, with the Crimson Tide turning the ball over on over 25% of its possessions. Alabama also had a scoring drought of just over seven minutes before Jarin Stevenson drained a three with just over six minutes left in the contest.

Alabama's fiery first half allowed the Crimson Tide to survive a comeback attempt by the Tigers in the second half. Alabama had a scoring drought of over seven minutes, yet they maintained a double-digit lead throughout most of the seven minutes.

Alabama held on to the lead it established in the first half despite a lethargic second half. Many in the arena were slightly hoping we could get to 100 free throw attempts. Alabama defeated Memphis (officially) 96-88.

Stat Leaders

Points - Mark Sears - 20
Rebounds
 - Clifford Omoruyi - 10
Assists - Labaron Philon - 7

Alabama Men's Basketball will return to Tuscaloosa with a week to adjust to what they saw in the exhibition games before the games begin to matter. Alabama men's basketball will officially begin its season at home in Coleman Coliseum on Nov. 4 against UNC-Asheville. Tip-off is set for 8;00 p.m. CT.

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_.

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