Clifford Omoruyi's experience at Purdue helping Alabama before first road game

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama assistant coach Ryan Pannone asked center Clifford Omoruyi an important question during Thursday’s practice. The Crimson Tide is preparing for its first road game of the 2024-25 season at Purdue, a place Omoruyi has played three times.

“Coach Pannone said in practice today, ‘Hey, Cliff. Is anybody gonna be able to hear that call in Mackey Arena?’” Alabama head coach Nate Oats recalled on Thursday. “And he’s like, ‘No.’”

No. 2-ranked Alabama (3-0) will face No. 13 Purdue (2-0) on its home court on Friday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. CT (Peacock). It will be the first game the Crimson Tide has played outside of the state of Alabama this season after winning its first three games at Coleman Coliseum and claiming preseason victories over Wake Forest (Birmingham) and Memphis (Huntsville).

The Tide’s first road test of the year will be a difficult one inside Mackey Arena, which is located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The 60-year-old venue, which was refurbished in 2011, holds nearly 15,000 fans and will be a challenging environment for Alabama, as Omoruyi is aware.

“He knows the level of noise, the crowd environment that’s there,” Oats said.

Omoruyi has faced Purdue six times during his career at Rutgers and holds a 2-4 record versus the Boilermakers. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound grad transfer has averaged 11 points, five rebounds and one block per game against Purdue. One of those two wins occurred at Mackey Arena, as Rutgers upset the then-No. 1 Boilermakers, 65-64, on Jan. 23, 2023. In that game, Omoruyi had 12 points, rebounds and one block during 35 minutes of game action.

In the previous meetings with Purdue, however, Omoruyi was matched up with National Player of the Year, Zach Edey, who stands at 7-foot-4 and 300 pounds. Oats liked what he saw from his new big man when watching Omoruyi’s film at Rutgers before he transferred to UA.

“He’s had some decent games against them,” Oats said. “It’s hard to play Edey well. He’s the most dominant big in college basketball in a long time. But I thought he’s done well against Purdue at times. I think he averaged 11 and five and a block and a half or something in his games against Purdue, which if you look at bigs going against Edey, that’s probably as good as most big have done against Zach.

“He’s in a different program. We’re obviously gonna play a different style. They don’t have Edey. They don’t even have who’s supposed to be their starting big this year. But this is a team that has maybe been the best in the country developing bigs, getting good bigs with high potential wanting to go there. They do a great job developing them. 

“So they still have good bigs, and Cliff’s gonna have to play really well for us.”

Omoruyi has started the first three games of his career at Alabama and has averaged 10.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and two blocks per game ahead of the first road trip. The Nigerian center tweaked his back before the Tide’s 2024-25 campaign tipped off, but Oats said on Thursday afternoon before Alabama departed for Indiana that Omoruyi is “getting back.”

“I think he’s getting his athleticism back,” Oats said.

The Crimson Tide will need that in a top-15 matchup in front of a raucous road crowd.

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