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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Early in its matchup with Seton Hall, Alabama basketball appeared to be heading in the wrong direction. Although it was only the first half, the opening 15 minutes were deeply concerning for the Crimson Tide. At that point, UA was converting just 24 percent of its field goal attempts, and had the game ended then, it would have marked the lowest field goal percentage of the Nate Oats era.
The Tide trailed 28-22, a deficit that might not seem large, but when a team—especially one of the most prolific offenses in the country over the past few seasons—has only six made field goals, there is legitimate reason for worry. Furthermore, dating back to last season, Seton Hall had allowed 80 points only twice and was surrendering an average of 54.7 points through three games.
The final media timeout of the first half arrived with 4:15 remaining. Oats gathered his team, and by the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Alabama held a 38-32 advantage, closing the period on a 16-0 run.
So, what was said in that huddle? "We weren't playing up to our standard," Alabama guard Amari Allen said afterward. "I don't think we played up to our standard, pretty much the whole game. We built a lead a couple of times, we've got to get better at that and keeping the lead."
The surge began with four consecutive free throws from guards Aden Holloway and Qayden Samuels. Jaxon Richardson then brought the Coleman Coliseum crowd to its feet with a dunk that tied the game at 28.
"[Oats] was just trying to get on us, getting us to go," Allen added. "I feel like we did have some stretches throughout the game where we really struggled. We should've been more consistent with that the whole game."
Allen, who withdrew from the 2026 NBA Draft for various reasons—including scouts wanting him to have the ball in his hands more—has showcased that ability all season, and it was evident during the end-of-half run. After contributions from Holloway, Samuels, and Richardson, Allen personally went on an 8-0 run: two layups, one of which was an and-1 conversion, and a three-pointer. Crimson Tide fans reveled in every moment, as if they didn't want the first half to end.
After making just a quarter of its shots, Alabama improved its field goal percentage by 11 percent within four minutes. UA even added an exclamation point with a buzzer-beating paint jumper by Holloway.
"I feel like I got the right crew in, finally," Oats said during the postgame press conference. "It's hard playing 11 guys. I needed a hard-playing group that was going to get some stops and quit turning the ball over. So one, I'm trying to divvy up these minutes, it's hard. Some of the guys made it easier on me tonight by either the way they played or their attitudes on the bench. You're just not going to play if you do that, but we got the right group in there. And then I think the effort, we got to play harder."
Oats continued: "Off the top of my head, I kind of just said, 'Look, man, like our offense, really our defense wasn't that bad in my opinion. Our offense was a total train wreck at the time. So stop turning the ball over, move the ball. We got to get on the O-boards. We got to create some offense off our defense, get it going. I think we were able to do all that.'"
It may seem trivial to analyze a first-half run in depth, but the second half was fairly even between the Crimson Tide and the Pirates. Seton Hall actually won the half by a 44-38 margin and pulled within three points multiple times. Mathematically speaking, if Alabama doesn't go on that 16-0 run, Oats and company are on the wrong end of a home upset. Instead, the Crimson Tide won 82-76, improving its record to 4-0 on the young season.
Key Analysis
The huddle during the final media timeout proved to be the turning point, as Alabama's offense transformed from a stagnant unit into a dynamic force. The 16-0 run not only erased a six-point deficit but also provided the necessary cushion to withstand Seton Hall's second-half push. Without that surge, the Crimson Tide might have suffered a surprising home defeat, underscoring the importance of seizing momentum even in the early stages of a game.