Tag: Clifford Omoruyi

Alabama basketball overcomes adversity to beat Arkansas State

Alabama survives a challenging test from a gritty Arkansas State team to improve to 2-0.

The No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide overcame a first-half foul fest and a cold shooting night in a 88-79 win over the Arkansas State Red Wolves in nonconference play Friday night at Coleman Coliseum.

At halftime, Alabama (2-0) had let a 16-point first-half lead dwindle to just three at 43-40. A total of 31 fouls were charged to the two teams by referee Pat Adams and crew before the buzzer sounded at intermission.

In the second half, Arkansas State (1-1) tied the game at 68-all with seven minutes to play. But Alabama managed to pull away thanks to an 11-2 run that was capped by freshman Derrion Reed’s dunk with 2:54 left. That extended the Crimson Tide lead to nine at 81-72.

Mark Sears led Alabama (2-0) with 19 points. Sears went 0-for-5 from 3-point range and was 4-of-12 from the field. As a team, Alabama shot just 40.9 percent vs. the 63 percent it hit from in the season opener against UNC Asheville on Monday. They were 6-of-31 from behind the arc.

Moreover, the Tide struggled from the charity stripe, making only 63.6 percent of its free throws (28-of-44).

Senior forward Grant Nelson, freshman Labaron Philon, and Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi all had 12 points behind Sears. Nelson added six rebounds in 12 minutes of action as he eases his way back into playing time from a minutes restriction stemming from an abdominal injury.

Alabama returns to action on Monday when the McNeese State Cowboys, led by former LSU Tigers coach Will Wade, visits Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

College basketball analyst lists Alabama newcomer among top defenders

The Rutgers transfer was a two-time Big Ten All-Defense selection.

If there is one position that the Alabama Crimson Tide needed to add to the roster during the 2024 college basketball offseason, it was an elite defender in the frontcourt who could protect the rim.

Well, that is exactly what Nate Oats and Co. did, as the Crimson Tide landed a massive addition through the transfer portal in Rutgers frontcourt standout Clifford Omoruyi.

According to college basketball analyst Andy Katz as well, it’s clear that the Crimson Tide landed a real difference maker, in particular on defense where he ranks Omoruyi as the No. 2 defender in the nation entering the 2024-25 season.

On the list, Omoruyi sits behind only Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, and is also one spot ahead of Auburn Tigers center Johni Broome.

Coming to Alabama after four seasons at Rutgers, Omoruyi is two-time Big Ten All-Defense selection that has averaged a combined 10.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 1.8 BPG across 121 games during his collegiate career. Omoruyi is also coming off a 2023-24 season in which he led the Big Ten with 2.9 BPG, as well as making Big Ten All-Defense for the second-straight year.

The experienced transfer should be a true difference maker for the Crimson Tide this season.

College basketball analyst features Alabama often in preseason picks

More preseason honors continue to roll in for the Alabama basketball program.

A staple of ESPN’s college basketball coverage, analyst Dick Vitale has made multiple predictions for the upcoming 2024-25 season in which the Alabama Crimson Tide were featured heavily.

Beginning with his PTPers (prime-time players), guard Mark Sears was the lone player mentioned, as Vitale expects the Alabama star to be among the top players in college basketball this season. Vitale also named Sears to his list of floor generals this season alongside both Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Chris Youngblood, all of which are among his guards to watch.

Alabama also had a pair of players named to Vitale’s low post enforcers to watch in the returning Grant Nelson, as well as newcomer Clifford Omoruyi. Omoruyi was also listed among Vitale’s Marco Polo team as a transfer to watch make an impact this season.

Lastly, head coach Nate Oats also received some recognition from Vitale. Oats was named to the Frank Lloyd Wright team as one of the top coaches in college basketball.

The Crimson Tide are set to officially tipoff the 2024-25 season November 4 at home against UNC Asheville.

ESPN’s Way-Too-Early NCAAM top 25 ranks Alabama No. 6 in the country

Alabama ranked No. 6 in ESPN College Basketball Expert’s way-too-early top 25

While the NBA draft process may still be ongoing, the transfer portal window is closed and we can start to assess what teams are going to look like next year. For [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide, it was a wildly successful spring as they landed four key transfers in Aden Holloway from Auburn, Clifford Omoruyi from Rutgers, Chris Youngblood from USF and Houston Mallette from Pepperdine. Oats also earned a commitment from the No. 32 ranked player in the 2024 class in former Kansas commit Labaron Philon.

Grant Nelson announced his decision to return to the Crimson Tide next year, but we are still nervously waiting on a decision from Mark Sears. It sounds more likely than not that Sears, Alabama’s best player from a season ago, will be back in Tuscaloosa, but nothing is official yet. Freshman Jarin Stevenson also entered his name in the draft process, but we haven’t heard much about his status yet.

With one of the best coaches in the sport and a top two or three roster, the expectations will be high for Alabama coming off the programs first ever Final Four. In ESPN college basketball expert Jeff Borzello’s Way-Too-Early top 25, the Crimson Tide are ranked No. 6 in the country.

Borzello says of Alabama, “Nate Oats spent the first part of the offseason overhauling the perimeter group. Aaron Estrada, Rylan Griffen — and perhaps Mark Sears — are out the door, while Aden Holloway (Auburn), Chris Youngblood (South Florida) and Houston Mallette (Pepperdine) have arrived. The past couple of weeks, however, he’s been focused on the frontcourt, first getting starting forward Grant Nelson back and then beating out North Carolina for Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama basketball throughout the 2024 offseason.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Alabama Basketball lands Rutgers transfer forward Clifford Omoruyi

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball program picked up a big-time commitment on Sunday from Rutgers transfer forward Clifford Omoruyi.

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball program added some talent to its roster on Sunday afternoon. Rutgers transfer forward Clifford Omoruyi chose to commit to Alabama over the North Carolina Tar Heels, Kansas State, and Georgetown.

Omoruyi might be the missing piece that the Crimson Tide needed a season ago. The Nigerian native is an effective rim protector and rebounder. During his senior season in New Brunswick, Omoruyi recorded nine double-doubles. He was a force for the Scarlet Knights in each of his four seasons with the program.

As a senior, Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, and 2.9 blocks per game. He shot an effective 51.2% from the floor and 61% from the charity stripe.

Omoruyi will likely be Alabama’s starting center heading into next season. Given the fact that Alabama lost its two centers in Nick Pringle and Mohammed Wague to the transfer portal, it makes the most sense to have Omoruyi man the five position. His impact in the frontcourt could determine how good Alabama is on the defensive end of the floor. Recently, Alabama has had trouble on defense. He could be the boost that Alabama needs to make it beyond the Final Four.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the Alabama men’s basketball program and its involvement in the transfer portal.

Alabama basketball named a finalists for Rutgers transfer center Clifford Omoruyi

Will Alabama land the high-priority transfer target?

The transfer portal saga for Rutgers center [autotag]Clifford Omoruyi[/autotag] will be coming to an end this weekend. The highly-coveted big man has announced his top four along with his commitment date which is scheduled for this Sunday.

[autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball program are among the four finalists.

Joining the Crimson Tide in Omoruyi’s top four are the Georgetown Hoyas, the Kansas State Wildcats, and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Omoruyi is a talented 6-foot-11 center who averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game during the 2023-24 season for the Scarlet Knights and would be an impactful addition to the already-loaded Alabama basketball roster.

Joe Tipton of On3 was the first to report.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Rutgers transfer forward Clifford Omoruyi expected to visit Alabama this weekend

Rutgers transfer forward Clifford Omoruyi will be visiting Alabama this weekend. Omoruyi has already taken visits to Georgetown and St. John’s.

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team will likely be in contention to win a national title next season. If Nate Oats and his program want to do so, they will need to add a big man via the transfer portal. Well, it just so happens that one will be on campus this weekend. According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Rutgers forward transfer Clifford Omoruyi will be taking an official visit to Tuscaloosa this weekend.

Omoruyi has taken official visits to both St. John’s and Georgetown. In addition, he plans to make an official visit to Kansas State on Wednesday.

He is one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal and rightfully so. As a senior, Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, and 2.9 blocks per game. He is an experienced big man who would add physicality and rim protection for the Crimson Tide.

Nate Oats and the rest of the Alabama coaching staff are determined to be competitors next season. The addition of Omoruyi would go a long way for Alabama and its hopes of reaching the Final Four again.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama men’s basketball program and its involvement in the transfer portal.

Kentucky contacted Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi

Kentucky has been in contact with transfer Clifford Omoruyi

The 2023-24 men’s basketball season is over for the Kentucky Wildcats, so it’s time to move onto the next. The 2024 recruiting class is mostly finalized, but there are still a lot of decisions to be made in other areas.

The currently Wildcats will be deciding on their futures soon. Several players may choose to go to the NBA Draft, others will either return to Kentucky or transfer elsewhere.

Many players from other teams have already entered the transfer portal, intending to play elsewhere next season. One of those players, former Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi, has apparently been contacted by Kentucky.

Omoruyi played for Rutgers for four years, starting over 100 games during that time. As a full-time starter the past three years, he has averaged 11.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He also blocked 2.1 shots per game.

One of Kentucky’s biggest weaknesses this season was the lack of consistent inside play. They have some big Freshmen coming in next year, and might have a returning player as well, but the addition of an experience big man could be a major difference maker in March.

Alabama MBB reaches out to Rutgers transfer forward Clifford Omoruyi

The Alabama coaching staff is already looking to add to its roster for next season. Recently, the Crimson Tide reached out to Rutgers transfer forward Clifford Omoruyi.

The Alabama men’s basketball team is still playing in the NCAA Tournament. However, the coaching staff has begun to reach out to transfers. Recently, the Crimson Tide reached out to Rutgers transfer forward Clifford Omoruyi.

Omoruyi is one of the most coveted transfers in the transfer portal. In four seasons at Rutgers, Omoruyi averaged 10.3 points per game, 7.7 assists per game, and 0.5 assists per game.

One area that Alabama has struggled with this season is protecting the rim. Over the course of his career, Omoruyi averages 1.8 blocks per game. It goes without saying that Omoruyi would provide an immediate boost to Alabama’s frontcourt.

Alabama could lose both Grant Nelson and Nick Pringle at the end of the season. Both are seniors who have the option to return or turn pro. Needless to say, Omoruyi is a viable option for the Crimson Tide to keep tabs on moving forward.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama men’s basketball program and its involvement in the NCAA transfer portal.

The Big Ten regular season is over as Rutgers men’s basketball falls to Ohio State

Rutgers men’s basketball lost their Big Ten regular season finale.

On Sunday afternoon, Rutgers men’s basketball could not get much going offensively in their regular-season finale against Ohio State. After a strong start, Rutgers fell apart in the second half as Ohio State left New Jersey with a 73-51 win.

Rutgers finished the regular season 15-16 (7-13 Big Ten). They lost their last three games including six of their last seven.

As Ohio State outscored Rutgers 43-23 in the second half, they got impressive performances from Roddy Gayle Jr. and Bruce Thornton. Gayle Jr. led Ohio State in scoring with 14 points. Thornton added 11 points to his resume and was tied for second on the team in rebounds with five.

While Sunday ended in disappointing fashion, there were still a few bright spots for Rutgers. That list includes Aundre Hyatt and Clifford Omoruyi. Hyatt led the team in scoring with 11 points in 28 minutes of action. Omoruyi continued to make an impact on the board with a team-high seven rebounds.

 

 

In this matchup, Ohio State was able to build its lead partly due to its success from beyond the arc. The Buckeyes shot 45 percent from three-point range, while Rutgers shot 22.2 percent. They also had success close to the basket, outscoring Rutgers 28-20 in the paint.

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Although Rutgers regular season is over, the last few months have provided optimism for the future, with prospects like Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper months away from starting their college careers.

Oh, and there is the upcoming Big Ten Tournament as well.