re: tOfficial Alabama Basketball Thread | Now Accepting Transfers l #BuckleUp

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“At this stage of the season, we knew we could have a better opportunity to go to Dayton and try to play with some mental and physical toughness, poise, passion and patience,” Johnson said. “We’ll see if some of the positive habits that we’ve laid the foundation with in practice can carry over into a hostile environment on the road.”

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“I’m excited to go in there,” Tide guard Retin Obasohan said. “I’m excited to go to battle with my brothers and see what the game will bring.”

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“Obviously for our kids, playing on national TV in the early part of the season is great,” Johnson said. “I think it’s great for people to see what we’re doing with our program. Hopefully, the light will shine bright on our players because they’ve been working hard.”

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Vegasinsider.com lists Alabama as a nine-point underdog.

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While there is a ton of excitement around the program, Johnson tempered expectations. Johnson said he hopes his demeanor can be a “calming influence” and give the players “a lot of confidence” in the matchup.

“We’re going to have to do a lot of growing, but at the same time, I have an enormous amount of patience with our guys,” Johnson said. “They’re not going to get it overnight. This is the first rodeo for a lot of these players, and us as a staff together.”

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