TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama enters its second game of the year with concerns over depth.

On Monday night, the Crimson Tide men’s basketball team will host a Florida Atlantic team that routinely uses 13 players, including 11 that average more than 10.0 minutes per game.

Alabama, on the other hand, has lost two scholarship players to season-ending ACL injuries, has two players dealing with nagging injuries, has one player that will be a game-time decision and has one player that is appealing the NCAA’s denial of his waiver request.

“We’re just trying to stay healthy,” first-year head coach Nate Oats said Sunday. “We can’t do everything we like in practice all the time just because our numbers are down. … We’re down to seven or eight healthy guys, they’re playing 13. So, depth will be a factor.”

Junior wing Herbert Jones left the Tide’s season opener against Penn last Tuesday night with a hyperextended elbow and has been limited in the practices leading up to Monday’s game.

“It was pretty nasty, his fall with his elbow hyperextending, but we’re going to see what he feels like tomorrow,” Oats said. “We’ll see what Herb feels like during shootaround.

“We kept him out of all the live stuff today, kind of like we’ve done with (Alex) Reese and Beetle (Bolden) four days leading up to the last game. Reese and Beetle have been going live here, so I feel a lot better about them. So, I think everybody but Herb is definitely going, and Herb will be a game-day decision.”

A 43-game starter, Jones is crucial to Alabama’s success on both ends of the court, and if he can’t play against the Owls on Monday, the Tide will be without its best defensive player.

“It affects a lot,” Oats said, “just because if you look at (James) Rojas and Juwan Gary are out, so you kind of look at those wings between 6-6 and 6-8, you’ve got three of them — Rojas, Juwan and Herb Jones. Two of them are out for the year. If Herb doesn’t play, it kind of eliminates all of our big wings.

“The way we like to play, we like to have multiple guys like that in there, and now we don’t have any. So, now you’re playing Jaylen Forbes at the four some and John Petty at the four some that were two-guards. It definitely messes the rotation up.”

Alabama wing Herbert Jones

Alabama would receive a boost if Villanova transfer Jahvon Quinerly won his eligibility appeal. The sophomore guard, along with UA’s compliance officers and possibly even athletic director Greg Byrne, will take part in a conference call Monday to state their case before an appeals committee. The team is expecting an answer before the FAU game (7 p.m. CT).

Preparing for Game 2 of the season, Quinerly has practiced with the scout team, as he hasn’t been cleared, but has spent time after practice “so he’ll know what we’re doing offensively.”

“It would be nice if we could get Quinerly cleared and get one more healthy body in the mix,” Oats said. “Hopefully, we’ll find an answer on that tomorrow afternoon before the game.”

From Coleman Coliseum, the Crimson Tide and Owls will play on SEC Network+.

SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC

— Now in his second season at the helm of the Florida Atlantic men’s basketball program, head coach Dusty May owns a career record of 18-17 (.514). In his first season as head coach, May led the Owls to their first winning season since 2010-11 as the team finished with a 17-16 overall mark which included non-conference wins over UCF and Illinois. As a result, FAU made just the third postseason appearance in school history, taking part in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).

— The Owls have split their first two games of the 2019-20 season. FAU opened the year with a 92-81 victory over Flagler College back on Nov. 5. Last Friday, the Owls played their first Division I opponent of the new season, traveling to face the Miami Hurricanes where Florida Atlantic dropped a 74-60 decision in its first road contest of the season.

— Florida Atlantic welcomes back eight players from last year’s team, including junior Jailyn Ingram, who was named to the Preseason All-Conference USA team in mid-October. The 6-7 forward averaged 18.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game before a knee injury sidelined him just 10 games into the season. Of the 10 games he played, he collected five double-doubles.

— Florida Atlantic is led by graduate transfer Cornelius Taylor, who comes off the bench to lead the team in scoring (15.0 ppg), while also connecting on 57.9 percent (11-of-19) of his shots from the field and 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from beyond the arc. Sophomore center Karlis Silins also averages double figures at 12.5 points a game.

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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