TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama finished the gauntlet of its non-conference schedule with a 5-2 record against seven Power Five opponents. The Crismon Tide defeated Creighton in their final test, defeating the Bluejays 83-75 in their first game at Coleman Coliseum in over a month.

Alabama coach Nate Oats played all 11 of his available scholarship players within the first eight minutes of Saturday’s game. The Tide has maintained a strong rotation so far this season, even after some unexpected roster moves, as Latrell Wrightsell Jr. will miss the rest of the season with an Achilles tendon injury. Alabama opted to burn redshirt Pepperdine transfer Houston Mallette to add depth to its guard rotation.

The Tide has three non-conference games left, starting with a test against North Dakota on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. The match will not only be a homecoming for forward Grant Nelson, but also another opportunity for other members of the roster to get minutes in a reduced Tide rotation that Oats wants to have by the end of SEC play.

“It’s hard to play against 11 players,” Oats told reporters on Tuesday. “We have to reduce the rotation. I’m not ready to cut it down yet. I thought I’d play three more games where we’d have to go with 11 players and try to kind of figure it out from there.”

Some of Alabama’s upcoming roster decisions will depend on how quickly Mallette and fellow transfer guard Chris Youngblood get up to speed. Youngblood made his debut against Creighton after recovering from a leg injury this offseason. With Youngblood’s ankle now healed, the next step is getting back into shape, which is paramount in a system like Alabama’s that operates at a fast pace and relies on consistent effort and aggression for 40 minutes.

“Everything has to come into shape,” Oats said. “Your conditioning needs to get back up to speed, other parts of your body – your knee, your hips need to be able to move, that’s all.” So we’re trying to get him back up to speed. We focused on everything related to his ankle, but some things in basketball you can’t work on until his ankle is better, and now that he’s feeling pretty much better, everything else needs to be put in shape. It’ll take a while for him to come back, so we’ll try to play him for a few more minutes.

Alabama will have a big problem as Mallette and Youngblood continue to work their way into the rotation. The luxury of the Tide’s roster means they should be able to fill Wrightsell’s shoes, but the performance of Alabama’s other players over the next three games will also help determine to what extent they can be brought in to fill the void left by the experienced security guard.

The Tide’s separation from Power Five opponents will allow Oats to tinker with different lineups ahead of what is expected to be a grueling conference schedule and figure out which ones fit together best. Eight SEC teams are currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi currently has 13 SEC teams seeded in the NCAA Tournament field. Alabama’s ability to stand out will depend on how well Oats can implement a reduced rotation that gives the Tide the best chance to succeed against their formidable conference competition.

“Shoot, the SEC is the best conference, from what I’m reading right now it looks like it’s in the history of college basketball,” Oats said. “So no easy games, we have three games in front of us to get better in a lot of things.”