Bama Rains Threes in Boutwell in Win over Wake Forest

Alabama Men's Basketball made it rain inside Boutwell Auditorium, shooting over 40% from beyond the three-point arc in a 98-77 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a charity exhibition game on Friday night.

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It was the first of two charity exhibition games for Alabama this preseason, with a matchup with Memphis scheduled for October 28 in Huntsville, Alabama.

If Alabama struggled, many fans would have made a justification. Alabama did not have Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Chris Youngblood, or Aiden Sherrell in the game. It did not matter, as Alabama looked much improved in several key areas from last year's team that made the Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona.

Rim protection was arguably the most missed aspect of Alabama's squad last season and Clifford Omoruyi immediately looked like the missing link from last year's team. Omoruyi finished with seven points, six rebounds, two blocks, and a +10 for Alabama basketball. His presence in the paint demanded attention from Wake Forest, which kept Alabama's shooters open longer than they should have been. They took advantage, with Aden Holloway and Mark Sears leading the Crimson Tide in points with 20 and 19 respectively. Holloway was 5-for-12 from beyond the arc, while Sears was 4-for-7.

Make no mistake, though. Alabama is not a "live by the three, die by the three" team this season. Floor spacing looked good, Alabama was able to spread the ball and find open players in space, and scoring underneath the basket, with 22 points in the paint.

There are still areas that need work, however, for a preseason exhibition game where Alabama was missing at least two starters, the Crimson Tide showed why they are ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Poll, the highest preseason rating in program history.

Alabama Men's Basketball will officially start its highly-anticipated season on Nov. 4 inside Coleman Coliseum against UNC-Asheville.

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.