By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
November 29, 2016
Where to watch: Charleston Southern (3-2) at Alabama (3-2) – Today 6 p.m. Central, Coleman Coliseum, SEC Network
Who to watch: Dazon Ingram. The Crimson Tide relies so heavily on Ingram that it is hard to remember he has only a dozen college games under his belt. But as much as Bama values his accurate shooting (61.5 percent from the field) and timely rebounding (an average of four per game), it needs him to efficiently distribute the ball and run the offense. That part of his game got off track in Las Vegas, where he had eight turnovers and only seven assists over two games. Tonight is the last chance for a tune-up before the schedule becomes far more difficult in December, with games away from home against Texas, Oregon and Clemson that can make or break Bama’s postseason dreams.
What to watch for: If the small ball lineup from the end of the Saint Louis victory makes an encore. When Alabama broke out of its scoring rut to rally past the Billikens, it did so with a lineup that hadn’t been tried before. Braxton Key operated as a point forward, Shannon Hale manned the post, Nick King was a swing man and Ingram and Corban Collins operated more as pure shooting guards. The Tide played with more energy and urgency, and seemed to find cracks in the 2-3 defense that weren’t appearing when Bama played a more traditional offensive set. Charleston Southern could be an ideal opponent on which to experiment. The Buccaneers won just nine games last season and their only game this year against decent competition was an 88-67 loss at Florida State.
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