Clifford Omoruyi delivers in his Alabama basketball debut

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Records show the first cliff block occurred 54 seconds into the Alabama basketball season. The first cliff bucket came 15 seconds later. If Monday night's opener is any indication, the Crimson Tide will see plenty of both this season.

Clifford Omoruyi lived up to his high standards in his Alabama debut, scoring 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the Tide's 110-54 win over UNC Asheville. The Rutgers transfer did his damage in just 19 minutes, posting a plus-22 point lead in that time.

That's the type of production head coach Nate Oats had in mind when he brought Omoruyi out of the transfer portal this summer.

“That’s pretty efficient basketball,” Oats said of Omoruyi’s performance. “I don’t know if I’ll expect 16 and 8 in 19 minutes every night. …It doesn’t get much more efficient than that.

Omouryi was 6 of 6 from the floor and scored all of his baskets at the rim. The 1.90 meter tall forward had two dunks and three rebounds during a 13-0 run in the first half. He also added two more dunks and a pair of boards to cap off a 9-0 run midway through the second period.

“It was a good feeling just to compete against a different opponent,” Omoruyi said. “We tried it out in practice. It was really fun to come out and play. I'm just happy to be here.

Omoruyi's big night came as he continued to battle a back injury that Oats said had been bothering him in recent weeks. While that contributed to his reduced minutes on Monday night, Oats also plans to give his big man more rest than he received at Rutgers.

Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks over 26.9 minutes per game for the Scarlet Knights last season. Oats said his goal is to play about 20 to 25 minutes per game against Omoruyi.

“Our pace is a lot faster (than Rutgers) and he needs to be explosive in his minutes,” Oats said. “In bigger games he will probably play more than 19 minutes, like he did tonight.”

Alabama has the luxury of keeping Omoruyi fresh thanks to its revamped frontcourt.

Five-star freshman Aiden Sherrell earned the Hard Hat Award by scoring a team-best six points and nine rebounds off the bench. Mo Dioubate also delivered a strong performance off the bench, recording 11 points and seven rebounds, while Jarin Stevenson added 10 points and seven boards in just the sixth start of his career.

This combination allowed Alabama to beat UNC Asheville 55-29 while also beating the Bulldogs 56-18.

“I think we have a lot of different ways to handle it,” Oats said of his depth upfront. “You can put a good shooter on the floor, Aiden Sherrell at the five. Grant (Nelson) and Jarin Stevenson, and Jarin shot it really well. These guys all have a certain toughness about them. You can count on some really strong defensive-minded groups like Cliff, Mo Dioubate and Derrion Reid, who we can place on both the three-man and four-man lists.

“We have a certain versatility. I think we’ve tried a little bit of everything and we’ll continue to try different lineups together.”

Regardless of how Oats decides to build out his frontcourt, Omoruyi will typically play a big role in Alabama's plans. Judging by Monday's low attendance, the big man will also play a big role in the Tide's success.