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Bama enters Charleston Classic with plenty still to prove

2018 Men's Basketball - Charleston Classic
2018 Men’s Basketball – Charleston Classic

By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
Nov. 15, 2018

Where to watch: Alabama (2-0 – #58 Pomeroy Rating) vs. Northeastern (1-1 – #75) – Today 1 p.m. Central, TD Arena (Charleston, S.C.), ESPNU

Charleston Classic details

Who to watch: Herbert Jones. A bounceback performance on offense to open the Charleston Classic would be welcome after a wretched night against Appalachian State. But what is vital for the Crimson Tide is that Jones shows up as the lockdown defender he is capable of being and doesn’t limit himself with foul trouble.

The Huskies have four veteran guards with good size and solid scoring ability, led by 6-foot-5 senior Vasa Pusica, who averaged nearly 18 points and better than five assists per game last year.

Bama allowed the Mountaineers to make nine of their 15 3-point attempts Sunday, and Northeastern attempts closer to 25 deep balls per game. Jones needs to set the tone on defense and let his offensive game come to him more naturally, or least not force things if he’s having another off day.

What to watch for: How much of the bench is Avery Johnson willing to use? Ten different players saw action against Appalachian State, but only six got more than 13 minutes of work. Daniel Giddens and Avery Johnson Jr. combined for just 14 minutes and six points. Alex Reese was unremarkable in his 13 minutes of work. And Tevin Mack needed a dozen minutes before his first basket, whereupon he was promptly benched the rest of the night after drawing a technical foul for hanging on the rim after a dunk. At least two of those four need to step up and show they deserve regular rotation minutes.

Follow Chris DePew on Twitter @TideFansChris

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