Crimson Tide Concludes European Tour With Win Over China
The University of Alabama men's basketball team played the final game of its successful European tour against the Chinese National Team. The Chinese team was ranked at No. 29 heading into this matchup, but this did not stop the Tide from coming out on top to give them a 3-0 record during the trip.
The final score was 89-77 and head coach Nate Oats awarded the hardhat to Nimari Burnett for his performance on both ends of the floor. The Tide rebounded exceptionally well this game securing 47 to China's 36 and 23 of Alabama's rebounds came on the offensive side of the floor. The team shot an efficient 50 percent from the field even with a three-point percentage of only 18.8, showing the team can still come out on top after a bad shooting night.
Brandon Miller once again lead all scorers with 21 pts with 16 of his total coming in the second half to help fend off a comeback from China. Throughout the European tour, Miller has averaged 22.7 pts per game and has used this platform to showcase his incredible talent for this years team.
The Crimson Tide had four other players score in double figures alongside Miller in the victory. These players are Nimari Burnett, Darius Miles, Noah Clowney and Mark Sears, with all except Clowney being featured in the starting lineup for the contest.
Oats once again started a different lineup as he has in the previous two contests and has shown the versatility of this years roster to be able to compete. The strength of this Crimson Tide team appears to be the depth the squad brings to every game, and the ability to transition seamlessly from one lineup to the next for any game they will play.
The team has exceeded many fans expectations during this trip after winning every game they played by double-digits against a variety of internationally competitive teams. The hope for many fans is that this outing has been a preview of what is to come this season.