Amari Allen Posts a Triple-Double as No. 20 Alabama Outmuscles Arkansas State 101-86

Amari Allen did not make a single two-point shot on Friday night at Coleman Coliseum and still finished with the best stat line in the building. The Alabama wing went 3-of-8 from deep, 7-of-8 at the line and stuffed the rest of the box score with 13 rebounds and 11 assists for a triple-double, the centerpiece of a 101-86 win for No. 20 Alabama over a feisty Arkansas State team that refused to go quietly.

It was not a pretty win, and it was not supposed to be close at any point. The Crimson Tide shot 36 percent from the field, missed 35 of their 50 three-point attempts and trailed for a good chunk of the first half. They won anyway, by 15, because they lived at the free throw line and treated the offensive glass like it owed them money. Alabama is 2-0 and has scored 96 and 101 points in its first two games. The Red Wolves fall to 1-1.

Red Wolves Come Out Swinging

Arkansas State arrived in Tuscaloosa four days removed from a one-point home win over Toledo, and it played with the looseness of a team with nothing to lose. Ryan Pannone's group moved the ball, ran in transition and made shots while Alabama's shooters clanked away from the perimeter. The Red Wolves led by as many as eight points in the first half and were in front for 28 percent of the game by ESPN's count, which is a lot of time for a Sun Belt visitor to spend ahead of a ranked SEC team in its own gym.

Layne Taylor was the reason. The Arkansas State guard was calm, efficient and annoying to guard all night, finishing with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three, along with six assists and five rebounds in 35 minutes. Chaz Watson added 15 points and hit three triples, and Amadou Doumbia gave the Red Wolves a real presence inside with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

For a good stretch of the first half, this had the feel of the kind of November night that ends up as a talking point in March.

The Tide Turn It Over Before the Break

Then Alabama woke up. From an eight-point deficit, the Tide ripped off a swing of at least 25 points before the break and went to the locker room up 51-34. That is a 17-point cushion built while shooting poorly from three, and the full box score tells you exactly how it happened. Alabama did not out-shoot Arkansas State. It out-possessed them.

The Tide grabbed 25 offensive rebounds for the night, compared with 17 for the Red Wolves, and finished with a 58-46 edge on the glass. Brandon Garrison was the anchor of that effort. Garrison posted a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, four of them offensive, and did it in just 19 minutes while shooting 5-of-7 from the field. Keitenn Bristow came off the bench to grab nine rebounds, five on the offensive end, and block three shots. Jamarion Davis-Fleming added eight points and seven rebounds, five of those offensive as well.

That is the real story under the triple-double. Every missed three became a second chance, and Alabama missed a lot of threes.

Living at the Line

If the offensive rebounding kept Alabama afloat, the free throw disparity sank Arkansas State. The Tide went 32-of-43 from the stripe. The Red Wolves attempted just 16 free throws and made seven of them. That is a 25-point gap at the line in a game decided by 15.

Some of that is Alabama's style. The Tide attack the rim, and when the threes are not falling they are perfectly happy to drive into contact. Some of it is Arkansas State's undoing. The Red Wolves were whistled for 28 fouls to Alabama's 16, and every one of those trips to the line slowed down a team that wants to play fast. Doumbia had a particularly rough night at the stripe, going 1-of-6, and the team as a whole shot 44 percent there.

Qayden Samuels is the perfect example of how Alabama scored without shooting well. Samuels finished with 17 points on 3-of-13 shooting, with all three makes coming from deep, and an 8-of-8 night at the line did the rest. Drew Fielder scored 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting with three threes, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Tarris Bouie, who started the opener, gave Alabama 12 points off the bench in 16 minutes, going 2-of-6 from three and 4-of-4 at the line.

Allen Does a Little of Everything

Back to Allen, because a 16-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist night deserves more than a paragraph. Allen played 31 minutes and was the connective tissue for everything Alabama did well. Five of the 13 rebounds came on the offensive end, the 11 assists came in a game where Alabama's shooters gave Allen very little help, and the 7-of-8 free throw shooting fit right into the Tide's plan of attack.

The only blemish was three turnovers, which is a small price for a player essentially running the offense and crashing the glass at the same time. Allen was named to the Naismith Trophy watch list before the season, and this is the kind of performance that shows why. When the shot is not falling, Allen finds another way to fill the box score.

It also matters that Alabama is still waiting on Aden Holloway. Holloway was not in the box score again on Friday, with the five-game suspension that Field Level Media reported earlier in the week due to wrap up with this game. Getting a shot-maker of that caliber back into this rotation should help a team that is 25-of-81 from three through two games.

The Shooting Problem Is Real

That number deserves a closer look. Alabama shot 10-of-31 from three in the opener against Sam Houston and followed it with 15-of-50 against Arkansas State. Cole Cloer, a player who should be one of the Tide's floor spacers, went 1-of-7 from the field and 1-of-6 from three on Friday after a 1-of-9 night in the opener. That is 2-of-16 shooting through two games. London Jemison, so efficient off the bench on Tuesday, started this one and went 3-of-10, although Jemison did block two shots.

Alabama can win plenty of November games this way. It is harder to win in February when the other team also rebounds and does not foul. Nate Oats builds offenses around the three, and this group has not found the stroke yet.

There was also a second-half lull worth noting. Arkansas State actually won the second half 52-50, chipping away at a lead that had peaked at 25. The Red Wolves shot 42 percent from the field and 38 percent from three for the game, both better than Alabama. Jordan Pyke gave them a lift off the bench with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and Aaron McGee added 10 more. Royal Blue Smith dished six assists but struggled to score, going 2-of-11, and the Red Wolves turned it over 19 times to Alabama's 14.

What It Means

For Arkansas State, there is a lot to like in a 15-point loss at a ranked SEC program. Taylor looks like a legitimate go-to scorer, Doumbia can rebound with anybody, and the Red Wolves proved they can generate good looks against big, athletic defenders. The fouling and the free throw shooting are the fixable problems, and Pannone will have film to show on both before the home game against UT Martin on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Jonesboro.

For Alabama, this is the kind of win that confirms the identity of the team without settling any of the big questions. The Tide have size, depth and a star who can do everything, and they will keep winning games on effort plays alone. The jump shot has to come around, and the Holloway return should help it. Alabama has now won the last five meetings with Arkansas State, and 11,291 fans got to see a triple-double, if not a shooting clinic.

Alabama hosts Oakland on Monday, Nov. 9. The full box score (opens in a new tab) is at ESPN. Undrafted also covered the Tide's season-opening win over Sam Houston.

Sources: ESPN, Alabama Athletics, Arkansas State Athletics, Field Level Media. More men's college basketball coverage on Undrafted.

Alabama did not shoot its way past Arkansas State. It rebounded, drew fouls and handed the ball to Amari Allen, and that was more than enough.

Photo: Crimson Tide Photos/UA Athletics (file photo from Nov. 3, 2026).