A blowout win over Oklahoma in the SEC opener at Alabama was great to see, but Nate Oats is interested to see how his team’s success on the road will play out in conference play. The head coach will get his wish this week as the No. 5 Crimson Tide travels to South Carolina on Wednesday before visiting No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday.

“I’m looking forward to our first away conference game,” Oats said. “These are games where you find out whether your team can compete for a championship or not.”

First up for Alabama (12-2, 1-0) is a match against South Carolina (10-4, 0-1). The Gamecocks will look to shake off an ugly start to SEC play after suffering an 85-50 loss to Mississippi State over the weekend. Alabama currently enters the match as a 10.5-point favorite. However, Oats expects to face a much better South Carolina team when the Tide take the court at Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday night.

“This is a team that beat Clemson at home,” Oats said. “They were up and down a little bit. Obviously they didn’t play well against Mississippi State – we all saw the result. But I think we should expect a team that looks more like the team against Clemson than the team against Mississippi State. I’m sure Coach Paris will have them ready to go after this loss.”

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Alabama’s first SEC road game of the season.

WHO: No. 5 Alabama (12-2, 1-0) vs. South Carolina (10-4, 0-1)

When: 6:00 p.m. CT, Wednesday, January 8th

Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia SC

Regard: SEC Network (Play-by-Play: Dave Neal, Analyst: Ron Slay)

Hear: Crimson Tide Sports Network | SIRIUS/XM 134/201 (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Analyst: Bryan Passink, Sideline: Roger Hoover)

Mark Sears: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, graduate

Statistics: 18.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.4 apg, 40.5% FG, 33.3% 3pt

Labaron Philon: 6-foot-4, 177 pounds, freshman

Statistics: 12.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 53.5% FG, 28.3% 3pt

Jarin Stevenson: 1.95 meters tall, 100 kilograms, sophomore

Statistics: 4.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 35.0% FG, 20.9% 3pt

Grant Nelson: 1.90 meters tall, weighs 110 kilograms, graduate

Statistics: 13.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 55.9% FG, 28.6% 3pt

Clifford Omoruyi: 6-foot-1, 250 pounds, graduate

Statistics: 7.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 0.7 apg, 73.6% FG

Jamarii Thomas: 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, senior

Statistics: 12.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, 37.4% FG, 36.8% 3pt

Jacobi Wright: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, senior

Statistics: 8.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 41.3% FG, 41.0% 3-pt

Zachary Davis: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, junior

Statistics: 9.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 45.7% FG, 28.1% 3pt

Collin Murray-Boyles: 6-foot-1, 245 pounds, sophomore

Statistics: 15.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 61.8% FG, 33.3% 3pt

Nick Pringle: 1.90 meters tall, weighs 100 kilograms, graduate

Statistics: 10.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 66.7% FG

At this point, the only reminder that Labaron Philon is still a rookie is the conference accolades he continues to collect. The starting player certainly didn’t play like a first-year player.

Philon earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors for the second straight year after a strong performance against Oklahoma over the weekend. The Mobile, Alabama native scored 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting against the Sooners while notching five assists, four rebounds and two steals. It was his tenth double-digit scoring performance and the fifth time he had five or more assists in a game. Philon now leads the conference with three SEC Freshman of the Week awards this season.

After practice on Tuesday, Oats was asked what he saw from Philon now after not seeing it when the guard first came to Alabama over the summer.

“That’s a good question because he was pretty good in the preseason,” Oats replied. “He definitely has experience. I think he understands that every game is important. … He’s starting to realize that the margin for error at this level is pretty small, so every play counts — both offensively and defensively.”

Mark Sears is getting more attention, but the other returning starter from last season’s Final Four run is also putting up impressive numbers. Grant Nelson recorded his fourth double-double of the season against Oklahoma, scoring 12 points and 11 rebounds while also contributing two blocks and steals.

The studied striker’s double-double record is likely to be even higher. He scored one rebound in wins over North Carolina and Rutgers and was one point ahead in the win over Kent State. Nelson also had two rebounds on the road after a double-double in wins over South Dakota State and Illinois.

Nelson currently leads Alabama with 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while ranking second on the team with an average of 13.1 points. He makes 55.9% of his attempts from the floor, including 28.6% from distance. Every single one of these stats represents an improvement from last year, when he dealt with some bumps and bruises and adjusted to a higher level of play after transferring from North Dakota State.

“I think he was a lot more aggressive on the glass. I think he’s just more confident. He gets to the edge,” Oats said. “In the last week or two he’s been shooting the 3 a little bit better here. If we can get him to stay on the line, he has three more threes in the last two games, but he has shot better. We’re trying to post it a little more because it can make him faint. He flipped it about a month ago, he’s done better than not flipping it when we post it.”

While Nelson’s post play has improved, the addition of Rutgers transfer center Cliff Omoruyi has allowed him to play more at his preferred four position. This gives Nelson more opportunities to use his 1.90 meter height to his advantage over smaller competitors.

The Gamecocks will have a starter out Wednesday night as Myles Mare is out indefinitely with a deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) in his left lower leg. Stue started all 14 games for South Carolina this season, averaging 5.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He will likely be replaced in the starting lineup by Zachary Davis or Morris Ugusuk.

– Sears became the fifth player in program history with 1,500 points and 200 three-pointers in his Alabama career.

– Since the start of last season, Alabama has scored 100 points or more in 14 games, ranking No. 1 in all of Division I.

— Since Oats arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2019-20, Alabama is tied with Kentucky for a record-high 63 wins in SEC play.

– South Carolina has made 10 or more 3-pointers four times this season and won each of them.

– The Gamecocks have eight South Carolina natives on their roster, including former Alabama player Nick Pringle.

— South Carolina is 11-1 when shooting at 50% or better under third-year head coach Lamont Paris. That includes a 3-0 mark this season.