Alabama made multiple offers on Monday night, one of which went to a well-known figure among Alabama football fans. Bo Jackson, the No. 4 running back in the 2025 class, announced an offer on Twitter.
Robert Gillespie, the running backs coach, delivered the good news. The two had been communicating for a while, and he informed Bama247 that it was an offer he had been waiting for. A first-ever visit is currently in the plans.
The emphasis is on defense as the tide shifts to Ole Miss.
Sam Walters is making progress defensively, but there is still work to do.
Suppose I was entered into a contest to see who could write as well as, oh, say, Ernest Hemingway. All the contestants begin writing in early Fall and then just before Spring after their efforts have been judged, they are presented with the results.
The master of ceremonies, a heavyset fellow with a grizzled face and nice beard, begins, “First of all, our congratulations to Mr. McNair, who was judged to have made the most progress in his composition. Now, to be clear, he had the most improvement to make, and it still wasn’t good.”
What does this have to do with Alabama basketball as the Crimson Tide prepares for an important road trip to Ole Miss Wednesday?
It will come as a surprise to no one that when Alabama Coach Nate Oats met with reporters Tuesday afternoon to preview the game that much of his emphasis was on Bama defense, coming on the heels of the Tide having surrendered 117 points to Kentucky last Saturday.
He was asked which Alabama player had made the most defensive progress since the start of practice last fall until today.
Oats said, “Day-to-day and week-to-week it probably changes. Rylan Griffen wasn’t very good in the first scrimmage against TCU, but he picked it up pretty quickly. Mark Sears is showing he’s got the capability to be a really good defender. I thought he was great yesterday in practice, but it’s probably a little too early to say.
After a great conversation with @BAMACoachG I am very blessed and humbled to say I have been offered by @AlabamaFTBL Thank you @CoachHitsch @KalenDeBoer @VASJFootball pic.twitter.com/oHuNnQvBJe
— Bo Jackson (@BoJackson2025) February 27, 2024
“Sam Walters was a disaster defensively when he got here. He was an elite shooter in high school who never really had to guard anybody. He’s come a long way. He’s actually not a disaster anymore. He’s come a long way, he’s learned, he’s put some weight on, he’s got some toughness. He’s showing physicality on defense and on the offensive boards.’
“Now, he’s made the biggest jump, but he had the biggest jump to make.
“He wasn’t very good against Kentucky, but none of us were.”
Bama will be trying to bounce back from that 117-95 loss in Lexington when the Tide (19-8 overall, 11-3 and tied for the lead in the Southeastern Conference) goes to Oxford to take on Ole Miss (19-8, 6-8). Tipoff will be at 8 p.m. CST with television coverage on ESPN2.
While defense was the big issue at Kentucky, Oats was also disappointed in the number of turnovers by the Tide (16 that led to 29 UK points), which he said may have been worse that the defense. He added that every team he has seen coached by Rebels Coach Chris Beard has been very good at forcing turnovers.
He said another area where Bama needs to improve is on its shots against good rim protectors and making good decisions in the paint.
Oats said he was encouraged by practice and the team is looking forward to being back in competition “to rectify the defense.” He expects Bama to be motivated to bounce back but warned that any road game in the SEC is a difficult one.
He indicated that the availability of guard Latrell Wrightsell might be a gametime decision. Wrightsell has missed the last two games after having suffered a concussion in practice.
Alabama is led by 6-1 senior guard Mark Sears, who leads the SEC in scoring at 20.4 points per game and has scored 20 or more points in 17 games this year. Also expected to start are 6-3 graduate guard Aaron Estrada (13.1 ppg and team-high 4.3 assists per game), 6-6 sophomore guard Rylan Griffen (11.5 ppg), and 6-11 graduate forward Grant Nelson (12.3 ppg, team-high 5.7 rebounds per game and 1.6 blocked shots per game). In the absence of Wrightsell, the last two games the fifth starter has been 6-11 freshman Jarin Stevenson (5.3 ppg), but 6-10 senior forward Nick Pringle (6.0 ppg), 6-10 freshman forward Sam Walters (5.9 ppg), 6-7 freshman forward Mouhamed Dioubate (3.2 ppg), and 6-10 junior forward Mohamed Wague (4.0 ppg) are all possibilities.
Expected starters for the Rebels are 6-4 senior guard Matthew Murrell (team-leading 17.1 ppg), 6-8 senior forward Jemyn Brakefield (11.9 ppg), 5-11 junior guard Jaylen Murray (13.6 ppg, team-high 4.1 assists), 6-6 senior guard Allen Flanigan (15.2 ppg, team-high 6.5 rpb), and 7-0 senior forward 7-0 Moussa Cisse (4.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg).
Alabama leads the nation in scoring at 91.1 ppg, but Ole Miss 75.1. The Tide gives up 78.9 ppg, a margin of plus 12.2, while the Rebels surrender 72.2, plus 2.9 ppg.
Alabama pulls down 39.6 rebounds per game, allows its opponents 34.6, plus 5. Ole Miss gathers 34.1 rebounds per game, its opponents 36.7, minus 2.6.
The Tide averages 16.1 assists per game, Ole Miss 15.3. Bama commits 12.3 turnovers, the Rebels 10.6. Alabama blocks 4.3 shots per game, Mississippi 6.0. The Tide gets 7.5 steals per game, Ole Miss 8.2.
Alabama leads the all-time series, 126-58, with the Rebels having a 43-41 record against the Tide in Oxford.
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