Alabama men’s basketball returned to the court Saturday after a 10-day break and about a month off at Coleman Coliseum.

At times against Creighton, the Crimson Tide looked like one of the best teams in the country. At other times, Alabama sputtered.

But at the end of the game, the Crimson Tide still emerged with a victory.

Mark Sears scored a game-high 27 points as Alabama defeated Creighton 83-75 at Coleman Coliseum.

Here are takeaways from the game between No. 7 Alabama (8-2) and Creighton (7-4).

Early impressions of Chris Youngblood

The South Florida transfer made his debut for the Crimson Tide after missing the entire season so far with an ankle injury.

Youngblood hasn’t wasted much time in showing that he’ll be able to contribute from outside the story arc. He missed his first 3-pointer but made his second. This increased Alabama’s lead to 16-7 almost seven minutes into the game.

He had a productive first three minutes of play for Alabama; Youngblood had three points, a rebound and a steal for a plus-minus of plus-four.

He finished the day with five points (2 of 6), one rebound, one assist and two seals over 16 minutes.

Youngblood will have flashier stats, but he’s off to a good start considering he hasn’t played yet this season. It’s clear he’ll give Alabama some difficult minutes and provide some valuable shots once he gets more games under his belt.

Labaron Philon shines in another non-conference game

Another non-conference match, another impressive performance from freshman Labaron Philon.

UNC, Oregon, Illinois, Purdue and now Creighton. Philon looked anything but a rookie in each of these games. He scored in double figures in all games, including the Creighton match.

Philon scored 16 points (7 of 11), five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

He played an important role for Alabama’s offense and defense in both halves, securing a hard-fought victory.

Ryan Kalkbrenner has his moments, but doesn’t take over the game

Alabama didn’t completely eliminate Creighton’s best player, but he certainly didn’t dominate either.

Kalkbrenner made plays, but Alabama also limited him at times. Take this one series of plays in the first half: Kalkbrenner parried Cliff Omoruyi on a dunk attempt. Then, at the other end of the floor, Omoruyi forced Kalkbrenner to miss a shot. On the next possession, Omoruyi dove behind Kalkbrenner.

Kalkbrenner finished the day with 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. That’s about his average per game. A good day, but not

Nick Kelly is a beat writer from Alabama AL.com and Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X And Instagram.