TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It may the strongest indicator for any University of Alabama team for how a day is going to go.

When sophomore guard John Petty Jr. enters a game and puts up his first 3-pointers, everything seems to almost stop at the Coleman Coliseum, or wherever the Crimson Tide is playing. If they go in, there’s almost simultaneous sigh of relief and excitement for what’s to follow.

It they don’t … let’s just say expectations change, to things will be a little tougher.

“If I make my first two shots, I automatically know it’s going to be a good night,” Petty said.

Although that reputation is a little unfair, it’s also definitely earned. Petty’s played 55 career games for the Crimson Tide, during which he’s become known as Alabama’s spark. When shots start falling he’s capable of scoring 30, like he recently did at Tennessee, or 22 against Texas A &M.

When they bounce off the rim, he could have a night like the four points scored against Arizona or five at Missouri. It can be that wide of a discrepancy and the team, and fans, definitely feed off of it.

“I feel like it helps a lot,” Petty said about the emotional boosts. “When one person does something good, it just builds confidence for everyone. It’s like ‘Oh, J came to play so I guess it’s time for everyone to play.’ I’m the same way with some of the guys too, especially like Donta [Hall getting] a big dunk the first play of the game.

“It just fuels our team.”

But it doesn’t automatically translate into wins. Petty made six 3-pointers against Tennessee and Texas A &M, and Alabama lost to both. He had two against Northeastern, Georgia State and LSU, and each ended up in the loss column.

On the flip side, he was 0-for-3 from 3-point range against Kentucky. He was also shut out against Arizona and Murray State. Alabama beat all three.

At Baylor last week, as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, Petty played 22 minutes and was 1-for-7 from the floor. That included missing all five 3-pointers.

The whole team, though, struggled shooting from the outside with the one big exception, graduate student Riley Norris. The forward was 6-for-6, including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, and scored 16 points in 23 minutes. Everyone else was 1-for-13 from 3-point range in the 73-68 loss.

If you’re wondering why Johnson stuck with Petty for so long, five other players actually had more minutes. The other part of it was that the shooter has improved other parts of his game.

He’s been better defensively, trying to block shots, rebounding and containing off the dribble. Johnson made a big deal out of Petty taking his first charge against Tennessee (while also sending a strong message).

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Petty’s also driving to the rim more, like he did when namedMr. Basketball for the state of Alabama in both 2016 and 2017.

“When things go bad, there are other things he can do besides make a jump-shot,” Johnson said.

“He’s just not going to be a one-dimensional jump-shooter.”

Perhaps being back in familiar territory will help as Alabama hosts No. 22 Mississippi State on Tuesday night, weather permitting — snow is in the forecast and Tuscaloosa is under a winter storm warning from midnight until noon.

Overall, Petty is second to freshman point guard Kira Lewis Jr. in both minutes (30.6 to 29.6), and scoring (13.9 to 11.7). He has the most 3-pointers, 40, but not the best percentage beyond the arc. Petty’s actually third behind Lewis (.373) and reserve Norris (.452).

However, his production has been on the rise after Petty got used to coming off the bench. The Huntsville product says he doesn’t mind, that it’s been helpful because he can first observe what an opponent is trying to do defensively.

Yet his minutes haven’t diminished.

Johnson envisions him being like Alabama’s version of Donte DiVincenzo, who hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 points against the Crimson Tide in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

“The Big Ragu” (per Fox broadcaster Gus Johnson) came off the bench for Villanova and averaged 29.3 minutes and 13.4 points per game for the national champions. He’s now playing in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks after being a first-round draft pick, No. 17 overall.

“I think sometimes you put too much focus on starting and who’s coming off the bench,” Avery Johnson said. “Just have a positive effect on the team, and team success. Petty’s at the same point, we know he can start.”

Another bonus to Petty coming off the bench is that it should mean fewer lags and scoring droughts when Lewis and Hall aren’t in the game. A shift with sophomore guard Herb Jones, who for whatever reason hasn’t been able to get going offensively, has helped with that as well, as everyone’s roles have pretty much been established.

Moving into February, which will be the make-or-break month for a team that hopes to return to the NCAA Tournament, building on that and getting in a better rhythm will determine the Crimson Tide’s fate.

“You don’t necessarily need to have one guy to average 28 points a game,” Johnson said. “We think the way we’re doing it this year, if everyone can be consistent we’ll be a hard team to defend.”

He added: “Can he do it again? That’s a big thing with our team.”

Yes, Johnson was talking about Petty, and not just with scoring. But, of course, he likes those hot starts as well.

“That’s one thing I’ll say about this team: Once we get fuel, we’re hard to put out,” Petty said.