Amari Allen Bounces Back Against Aggies

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - On Wednesday evening, the Alabama Crimson Tide found a way down the wire in a 100-97 win against the Texas A&M Aggies, coming down to a missed three-pointer to send it to overtime at the buzzer by former Crimson Tide guard Rylan Griffen.

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Alabama had six players score double-digit points to round out the Aggies. One of the six is freshman forward Amari Allen.

Allen contributed on both ends of the floor in the win. Despite not being fully healthy, he intends to grab every rebound his way.

"I'm starting to feel like myself again," he said. "My mentality every time the ball goes up is just go up and grab it. I'm starting to feel back healthy in my legs."

Allen missed the loss to Tennessee, but returned in the last game against Florida, finishing with five points, three rebounds, three assists, and shooting 25% from the field in 21 minutes. One of his worst performances since against the current No.1 team in the nation, the Arizona Wildcats. Against Texas A&M, he doubled in all three categories with 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

This season, along with the Alabama guards, Allen has become a distributor of the basketball down the court, and he says the credit is because of the teammates around him giving him open options to pass the ball.

"Yeah, I'm real comfortable," he said. "I mean, I feel like that's partly because of my teammates. In practice, I run the point a lot against Philon and Biz (Holloway). They really allow me to put the ball in my hands, giving me confidence."

Outside of the two ball handlers in Philon and Holloway, who lead the team in assists per game, Allen's season averages follow right behind them, but this game led the entire team.

This season, he has shown not only to be one of the most versatile freshmen in the SEC but also in the country.

However, this Saturday, the Crimson Tide travels down south to play the Auburn Tigers inside "The Jungle." This will be a first for Allen in his collegiate career to see how he handles the harsh environment in a rivalry game.