Alabama basketball guard Mouhamed Dioubate turned overtime in to 'Mo'vertime against No. 7 Houston on Tuesday.
A day earlier, Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said Alabama's first contest of the Players Era Festival would be a "man's game."
The top-ten faceoff was bound to be physical. Unexpected foes, a rivalry-of-sorts, sparked for Houston (3-2) and No. 9 Alabama (5-1) after the Cougars trashed Coleman Coliseum for the Crimson Tide's one-point win in December 2021.
The performance put on the floor at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday told that while the Crimson Tide still has some growing up to do on offense, the defense is maturing nicely. Especially Dioubate, back for his sophomore year with the Crimson Tide.
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Dioubate's defensive rebound to send the Crimson Tide out of regulation, all tied up at 78 − and the three rebounds he tallied in the extra five minutes of action − were the difference between winning and losing to the Cougars.
To deny Houston, 85-80, Dioubate came off the bench to post 10 points and emerged as the night's top rebounder with 16 total. He also had an assist, three blocks and a steal.
"Coach told me before the game, 'This is a Mo Dioubate game,'" Dioubate said at press conferences.
Of the least expected stat-lines to come from the first half, Alabama outrebounding a top-ranked Houston defense was one of them. Led by six rebounds for Dioubate and five for returning starter Grant Nelson, first-year UA staff member Brian Adams' defense had 25 rebounds to 18 for Houston.
While Nelson also ultimately registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, Tuesday's was the first of Dioubate's college career.
The performance earned the team's coveted hard hat.
"He had 40 Blue Collar Points, which is unheard of," Oats told Crimson Tide Sports Network. "Our entire team sometimes doesn't even get 80. He was huge for us tonight."
Before Houston, the most rebounds Dioubate had tallied in a game came out to nine against Mississippi State in February.
"For us to outrebound them by nine, you've got to have some tough guys to do it," Oats said on Tuesday. The defense didn't stop around the glass.
A critical block came from center Clifford Omoruyi seconds into the second period, resulting in a defensive rebound by SEC Preseason Player of the year Mark Sears, who found Wrightsell again for another three and a 37-36 lead. Then, freshman Labaron Philon registered his third turnover, which saw Cryer, lethal on the screen-and-roll, capitalize again to put Houston back ahead.
Alabama got in front again as its defense forced Houston to draw personal fouls, tallying nine in the first eight minutes of the second half.
Ball security was another problem. Although Alabama racked up four in its first five possessions, totaling 15 on the evening, Dioubate, Sears and Nelson all had steals that helped force 12 total Houston turnovers.
"That's the toughest, hardest-playing team in America every night out," Oats said. "I have a ton of respect for how hard they play."
UA gets back to it for its second game of the Players Era Festival on Wednesday with a championship berth on the line as Rutgers faces off against former big man Clifford Omoruyi for the first time since his transfer in May.
If the Crimson Tide defeat the Scarlet Knights, UA will face Creighton, Oregon, San Diego State or Texas A&M on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. CT following the Iron Bowl.
(This story was edited to add new information.)
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball's Mo Dioubate's first double-double stuns Houston
