By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
Nov. 16, 2018
Where to watch: Alabama (2-1 – #73 Pomeroy Rating) vs. Ball State (1-2 – #99) – Today 12:30 p.m. Central, TD Arena (Charleston, S.C.), ESPNU
Who to watch: Dazon Ingram. The junior from Theodore has yet to start this year after missing the opener with an ankle injury. Ingram isn’t as flashy as freshman Kira Lewis, but he does have a knack for drawing fouls and getting to the line. More importantly, he’s a bigger player and a much more experienced defender. Lewis got burned on a handful of screens against Appalachian State and was a full-blown liability in the Charleston Classic opener against Northeastern, finishing with a 0 efficiency rating despite scoring seven points. With Ingram on the floor, Bama can hide Lewis on a weaker guard, and given the ineffectiveness of Galin Smith as a starter it isn’t hard to picture Ingram starting and Herbert Jones playing as a combo forward.
What to watch for: A bad mood and the ability to take it out on the opposition. If lodging depended on effort, the Crimson Tide would have spent the night at a Motel 6. Did yesterday’s blowout loss to Northeastern make anyone angry? Angry enough to verbalize that the outcome and effort were unacceptable? Angry enough to channel that frustration into attacking the basket, instead of hoping for the best with close-range floaters that never seem to consistently fall? No one has stepped up to claim this as his team and thus Bama hasn’t really developed a team personality in the early going. Adversity has forged leaders before in this program, and it needs to happen again if Alabama is going to do anything with this season.
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