Collin Sexton’s skills (and weaknesses) were all displayed in win vs. Virginia Tech

Collin Sexton was everything we expected from him in Alabama’s first round NCAA Tournament win against Virginia Tech on Thursday, even facing a defense that he “had never seen before,” as he noted in a post-game interview on TNT. The top prospect for this year’s coming NBA draft had 25 points, living at the free throw line and helping close out the Hokies late.

Sexton’s final line: 25 points, 7-of-14 shooting, 1-of-5 behind the arc, 10-of-14 at the line, three rebounds, six assists, and five turnovers. The 6’3 point guard with a huge wingspan was trapped and shaded towards aggressively by the Hokies all during the game, perhaps contributing to his quiet first half. But by the second, he had figured it all out and was hitting shots like this on crucial possessions.

Sexton averaged 19 points and was the engine that drove Alabama during the season. He is expected to be a lottery pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, but you may be running out of time to watch him: East Region No. 1 seed Villanova looms as the team’s second round matchup on Saturday.

How will NBA front offices think Sexton played?

Sexton is physical, long, and should be a great defender. It was great to see him adapt on Thursday and slowly exert himself as a force as the game went along. Virginia Tech’s offensive explosion was fueled by good shotmaking as much as anything else, but Alabama came alive when needed and Sexton was a huge part of that.

Everything else from Sexton checked out with what we expect from him: he gets to the line; his jumper is capable but still needs work; he always plays with the utmost attitude and heart. Thursday’s performance checked all those boxes. It wasn’t aesthetically beautiful basketball, for the most part, but Sexton still managed to make himself felt in a major way.

Why should I keep watching?

Sexton is up for any challenge. He averaged 26.3 points and shot 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from distance during the SEC tournament, leading Alabama into the semifinals where they lost to conference champion Kentucky.

His season high was 40 points in November against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, a game in which Alabama played 3-on-5 for the final 10 minutes and nearly won anyway.

The 6’3 guard reached national prominence in 2016 when he helped USA Basketball win gold at the U17 World Championships in Spain, winning tournament MVP.

“It’s just impossible to keep him away from the basket,” U17 coach Don Showalter told SB Nation in November. “There’s not a lot of guys that play extremely hard every possession. He does.”

Sexton is also extremely focused. Just check out this excerpt from his April 2017 article in The Players Tribune:

You can’t follow me on social media. Don’t have it. In my opinion, it’s a waste of time. Likes won’t make you better at anything.

We should all be like Sexton.