On Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, head coach Nate Oats of Alabama instructs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game versus Tennessee. (AP Picture: Vanessa Hunt)
Due to injuries to two starters, No. 4 Alabama basketball (21-11, 13-6 SEC) is entering the NCAA Tournament with a bad record. Going ahead, that shouldn’t be the case.
Head coach Nate Oats gave a health report to his players on Thursday after they arrived in Spokane, Washington, for practice. He stated that against No. 13 Charleston on Friday night, Rylan Griffen and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. will not be limited in playing time. Davin Cosby broke his foot during practice, therefore he won’t be available.
In his pregame press conference, Oats stated, “We’ll finally be healthy with Rylan and Trelly both able to play, which it’s been a little while since we’ve had both those guys fully capable without a minutes restriction.” “Over the last—well, we’ve only played one game in the last twelve days—we really worked to be fit. Trying to get well was ourIn 22 games, rookie guard Cosby is averaging 7.8 minutes, 3.6 points, and 0.9 rebounds. On February 28 at Ole Miss, he scored 15 points to ignite UA. main priority. We seem to be as near to being healthy as we have been in a long time.
Wrightsell was diagnosed with a “head” injury on February 17, after Alabama defeated Texas A&M by a score of 25 points. After missing the following four games, he made a comeback on March 5 versus Florida. When Wrightsell scores more than ten points in a game this season, the Tide has won. Griffen left the game when Wrightsell returned due to a calf injury. He was cleared to play against Florida in the UA conference tournament quarterfinal.
Griffen and Wrightsell combined for forty minutes during the Gators’ lopsided defeat. Wrightsell finished with four rebounds, two assists, and three of eight field goals; he did not make any of his
As Sam Walters, the other perimeter option, continues to grow in his rookie season (12.4 minutes per game), Wrightsell and Griffen will need to be involved in the game against 13-seed Charleston and its explosive attack. With an average of 10.5 3-pointers made per game, the Cougars (26-7, 15-3 CAA) are eighth in the nation.
On truTV, Alabama and Charleston will square off at 6:35 p.m. On Sunday, the Saint Mary’s and Grand Canyon winners will play in the second round matchup.
