Alabama men’s basketball doesn’t have to play its best to win games this season.

The Crimson Tide may not even need to play its B game. Heck, even the C game might even be enough against some teams.

That was evident at times Monday night in Huntsville during the Rocket City Classic exhibition game between the Crimson Tide and Memphis. Alabama’s offense struggled to get out of the gate, but the Tigers couldn’t do anything about it. The Crimson Tide instead simply played stifling defense. When Alabama’s offense struggled again in the second half, Memphis still couldn’t gain control of the game.

Then, with no chance for players to foul, the game became an absolute foul-fest. Alabama defeated Memphis 96-88 at Propst Arena, a week before the regular season opener.

Alabama has done it all without some key players like Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell, both of whom are expected to start and are still dealing with injuries week to week. Chris Youngblood and Aiden Sherrell also missed the game due to injuries.

Here are our takeaways from the game between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers.

Buy shares in Labaron Philon now

The newcomer is simply a playmaker.

Philon can score. He can cause offense. He can make stops on defense. When something needs to get done in Alabama, Philon can seemingly handle it.

If he is not in the starting lineup, he will be one of the first players to come off the bench this season. Alabama won’t want to keep him off the floor much if he keeps playing like this.

After 13 points, four rebounds, five assists and three triples in the first exhibition game against Wake Forest, Philon reached double figures again in the matchup with Memphis. And then he improved his stats. Philon had 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

A foulfest

On Monday, each team got a lot of work at the free throw line. The officials made sure of that.

Both teams had the opportunity to attempt nearly 50 free throws that night. It led to what felt like a never-ending game. Players weren’t allowed to commit a foul, so some picked up their fifth, sixth and even seventh fouls and continued playing.

This resulted in a game that lasted over 2.5 hours. It came late when an Alabama fan in the crowd offered an official a free eye exam.

The two teams combined to shoot nearly 100 free throws in the game. Alabama went 30 of 48 and Memphis went 29 of 48.

The more Mo, the better

Perhaps no player on the roster embodies the worker better than Mo Dioubate.

His play isn’t nearly as flashy as some of the returning players or some of the new additions. But the way he plays, there will be a role for him. No, it won’t be easy to distribute the minutes on this team with all the elite talent. But Dioubate’s courage will almost always be welcomed.

He showed that clearly in the first half. Dioubate made the most of his 11 minutes before half-time; He scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds (three on each end of the court) and made one steal. And by the way, Dioubate also hit a triple. He finished the day with 11 points, eight rebounds and one assist. He also made 6 of 8 free throws.

Nick Kelly is a beat writer from Alabama AL.com and Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X And Instagram.