LAS VEGAS — Gonzaga walked into Sin City on Monday night looking every bit like the nation’s No. 12 team, and walked out looking like something even scarier. The Bulldogs tightened their grip on early-season momentum with a 95–85 win over No. 8 Alabama in the Player’s Era Festival, improving to 6-0 and reminding the country they’re built for more than November noise.
Alabama? The Tide fell to 3-2 and spent most of the evening discovering that rebounding is, in fact, not optional in college basketball.
This one began with pace, fire and enough early shot-making to make the Las Vegas crowd forget they still had traffic to fight afterward. But as the game wore on, Gonzaga’s size, maturity and poise slowly washed over the floor. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 4 in KenPom entering the night, used their veteran core to squeeze Alabama’s spacing, win the effort categories and dictate tempo in a way the scoreboard eventually confirmed, bumping the Zags up to No. 3 in the metrics.
The Tide shot it fine from the perimeter, led by freshman phenom Labaron Philon, who dropped 29 points and looked unbothered by the moment or the lights. He’s Alabama’s engine, heart, soul and designated “please bail us out” scorer. He attacked the rim when he could and bombed jumpers when he couldn’t. He played like he had an NIL bonus tied to shot attempts, because, well, he sort of did.
The problem? Alabama didn’t get much help from the rest of the roster.
The Tide struggled everywhere Gonzaga expected them to: on the glass, around the rim and at the line. Every missed box-out felt like a donation to the Zags, who politely but consistently accepted. The Bulldogs hammered the paint, controlled second-chance opportunities and turned rebounds into runway lights.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s interior defense resembled a “please come in” mat. The Tide got beat on seals, cuts, rolls, post-ups, drives and the occasional “oh, look, nobody’s here” layup. Gonzaga’s physicality showed, and Alabama’s lack of it showed even more. For a team ranked No. 17 on KenPom with a top-10 offense, the Tide looked dangerously allergic to contact.
Mark Few’s squad played grown-man basketball. They locked down the perimeter, shutting off Alabama’s preferred diet of rhythm threes. Without that oxygen, the Tide were forced inside, where Gonzaga simply swallowed everything whole. The Zags’ rotations were crisp, their closeouts measured and their interior defense punishing but controlled — the exact profile of a program that never panics before March.
Alabama also didn’t help itself with missed free throws, a frustrating early-season theme. In a high-scoring game trading possessions at pace, those empty trips added up like accidental blackjack splits.
Gonzaga’s balanced attack — built on length, decision-making and unmatched continuity — carved the Tide slowly, possession by possession. The Bulldogs hit shots from everywhere, pushed in transition and executed the halfcourt offense with the calm irritation of a team that expected Alabama to eventually stop guarding the rim. They were right.
Alabama couldn’t get that one big stop, that one rebound, that one punch-back moment. The Tide had stretches of offensive firepower, but Gonzaga had answers, counters and composure. The Zags looked like a mature, well-coached, battle-tested group. Alabama looked like a dangerous but unfinished one — star freshman, elite athletes, explosive offense, but still searching for identity against elite competition.
This isn’t doom for the Tide. They already own wins over Illinois and St. John’s, and Philon looks like a future All-American. But this roster? It needs to develop a nasty streak on the boards and in the paint. They need to hit free throws, stay connected defensively and find someone besides Philon willing to rip momentum back when the game tilts.
The good news? November is for growing pains. And Alabama’s are fixable — it’s why they play this gauntlet of games every year.
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, continue to look like the sport’s most reliable November juggernaut. They’re physical, they’re deep, they’re aging like bourbon and they listen to Mark Few like he’s reading from a sacred text. Gonzaga doesn’t beat you with chaos; it beats you with precision.
Gonzaga will face Maryland on Tuesday, hoping to reach the championship game of this MTE, with a blowout win over a dreadful Terps team.
Alabama gets UNLV in a game between two teams who probably didn’t expect to see each other this early. The Rebels will run, the Tide will run and Vegas will stay awake for another one.
But on this Monday night, Gonzaga gave the sport a gentle reminder:
Experience still matters. Toughness still wins. And in a city built on odds, the Zags were right on the money.
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