College Basketball Game of the Week: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 13 Purdue

The weather is getting colder, and that means one thing: the college basketball season is in full swing. The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide will battle the No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers on the hardwood at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind.

Both teams have a few warmup games under their belts and are riding high after starting their seasons 3-0. This game is both teams’ first real test of the season so far.

The Boilers are coming off of a season where they finally met their high expectations when they played up until the National Championship but fell to the dominant UConn Huskies. The Tide had a similar fate when they made it to the Final Four but lost to the Huskies.

Purdue looked very different as a team last year. They lost Zach Edey to the NBA Draft. The 7-foot-4 big man averaged 32 minutes per game and 25.2 points per game.

To add insult to injury, Purdue also lost Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, Mason Gillis, to the transfer portal. He was a coach’s dream, playing in every game, eating up valuable minutes and not turning the ball over.

On the other hand, the Tide are bringing back multiple key players from last year’s Final Four squad.

The first is the 2023-2024 SEC Player of the Year, Mark Sears. Sears averaged 21.5 points per game and 4 assists per game last year. He is poised for another award-winning season this year.

Another returning player from last year’s Final Four run is Grant Nelson. He came up clutch for his team in March as he earned the West Region’s Most Outstanding Player, sinking multiple big shots throughout the tournament.

Head Coach Nate Oats landed Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi to complement his returning players from last year. Being 6-foot-11 with great length and athletic ability will be instrumental in the Tide’s defense this year.

Purdue Head Coach Matt Painter found his Zach Edey replacement when he recruited 7-foot-4 freshman, Daniel Jacobsen. Jacobsen’s freshman year got off to a solid start in the first game of the year, as he scored 13 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but in Purdue’s second game against Northern Kentucky, he suffered a leg injury that will likely sideline him for the rest of the season.

Jacobsen’s injury is a big blow for Purdue, but they have a 7-foot-2 replacement, Will Berg, who got some playing time last year. This means that inside, Purdue will still have the height advantage over the Tide’s big, Omoruyi.

Similar to the Tide, the Boilers are also bringing back multiple meaningful players from last year’s team who made it to the Natty.

The first of those players was Braden Smith. The junior who ran the point last year, was a workhorse, leading his team in minutes per game and assists per game recording 34 and 7.5, respectively.

Other returning players to the Boilers include Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Camden Heide. They all played meaningful minutes last year and will play a big part in Purdue’s upcoming season.

This game will feature it all. Two battle-tested teams. Two dedicated coaches. Two elite college basketball programs. One electric college basketball environment. What team will come out on top?

Chase Yingling is a third-year student majoring in digital/print journalism. To contact him, email cey5100@psu.edu.