Alabama basketball gets crucial updates for Auburn clash

Alabama will be healthy for the first time in nearly a month when it takes on Auburn on Saturday afternoon. The Tide received a massive update on Friday, with forward Taylor Bol Bowen cleared to return from a one-game injury absence.

Bol Bowen missed Alabama’s last game against Texas A&M with a leg injury, but he will be back on the court on Saturday, CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported. The junior was last active on Feb. 2 against Florida, when he played just two minutes before exiting with the injury.

Bol Bowen has appeared in 18 of Alabama’s first 22 games, including 11 starts. He averages 7.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.1 blocks in 21.1 minutes per game.

Despite starting for most of the year, Bol Bowen will likely come off the bench against Auburn. Nate Oats continues to tinker with his frontcourt rotation, giving Amari Allen, Aiden Sherrell and Charles Bediako each opportunities in the starting lineup. Allen and Sherrell are both coming off productive performances against Texas A&M and should remain in the opening lineup.

Bol Bowen’s return adds much-needed size to Oats’ rotation, which has yet to develop consistency up front. Since adding Bediako in January, either Allen or Bol Bowen has been out, preventing the new-look Tide from playing at full strength.

Allen, Alabama’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, previously missed two games in late January due to injury. He returned to the lineup in the same game Bol Bowen lasted just two minutes before going down.

Alabama lacking consistency amid Taylor Bol Bowen return

Alabama enters its matchup with Auburn off a big win over Tennessee, but it continues to struggle with consistency. The Tide are 4-4 in their last eight games and have not strung together more than three consecutive victories since their first SEC game of the season.

Oats can only hope that Bol Bowen’s return allows his team to find a rhythm before the regular season ends. Alabama is currently seventh in the SEC, on pace to earn a mid-level seed in the postseason conference tournament.

The Tide’s matchup with Auburn is not only an in-state rivalry game but also the first leg of a two-game road trip. Alabama will travel to face Ole Miss on Feb. 11 before returning to the Coleman Coliseum to host South Carolina on Feb. 14.

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