Alabama beat Ole Miss 92-84 in Thursday's exhibition after giving the ball away 20 times. That is an awkward way to win a game against a fellow Division I SEC program. Alabama's report and box score show how the Crimson Tide made up for it: a 45-28 rebounding edge and 50 percent shooting from the field.
The margin was less comfortable than those advantages suggest. Ole Miss recovered from an 18-point second-half deficit and cut Alabama's lead to three in the final three minutes, according to the Rebels' account. The official box score credits Ole Miss with 23 points off Alabama turnovers. The Rebels found a route back into a game in which they had far fewer rebounds.
The guard question got harder
Amari Allen finished with 19 points and five assists. Freshman Cole Cloer scored 18 and made four of eight threes. Their production gave Alabama enough offense to absorb the mistakes, but it did not make the mistakes harmless. Nate Oats told the school afterward that the turnovers were a problem and that four players had at least three.
The result adds a useful test to CBR's earlier report on Qayden Samuels' point-guard minutes. Samuels scored 12 against Ole Miss and committed five turnovers in 23 minutes, the most on the team. A box score cannot show which of those possessions he handled at point guard. It can show that Alabama's overall ball security became a bigger concern against Ole Miss than it appeared after the Furman opener.
Alabama has another exhibition against Auburn on October 22. That game can clarify whether the Tide can keep its rebounding and shot-making advantages while giving its opponent fewer free possessions. Thursday's eight-point win held up, but the 20 turnovers left Ole Miss close enough to challenge it late.
