It was impossible not to be impressed with Alabama basketball's 103-96 win over St. John's on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Few gave the Crimson Tide a chance to get it done, but Nate Oats took his team on the road and earned an early top-five win, one that will resonate all the way into March.
It was as impressive an early-season win as you're going to find. Alabama looked like a legitimate contender again, something they've been the last three seasons, though there was plenty of pessimism about them in the preseason after losing Mark Sears and many other contributors from last season's Elite Eight squad.