Alabama entered last night needing a win to keep pace with No. 4 Tennessee atop the SEC standings. After 15 minutes of play The Crimson Tide found themselves trailing by 14, 37-23, as their road struggles looked to continue.
“They (Ole Miss) were ready to come out and play and we did not do a great job at the start of the game,” said Head Coach Nate Oats, “They were obviously much more ready to play than we were,” he added.
It has been a theme of Alabama this season, faltering in road games while dominating at home, but this time it was different. The Crimson Tide went on an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to cut the Rebels lead to just three, and while it grew back to six, a Mark Sears three at the buzzer gave Alabama momentum. A 42-39 deficit was more than fair to the effort in the first half, but there was still work to be done.
Sears’ buzzer beating three highlighted a 15 point first half from the senior guard, where he was an efficient five-of-six from the floor. Aaron Estrada helped push the pace with his four rebounds and four assists over the first 20 minutes.
Despite the poor start, Alabama was in the game entering the second half. It was going to be a big test to see if the team can continue the momentum that they ended the first half with. While Sears scored a majority of the points in the first half, the second half would see a more balanced attack.
Jarin Stevenson gave Alabama the 43-42 lead early in the second half with a pair of free throws, the first lead of the day for the Crimson Tide. A 21-9 run by the team increased the lead to nine points, 60-51, and Alabama was in prime to position to take over the game.
The Rebels fought back with multiple Alabama players in foul trouble, and tied the game up at 65 a piece with just under 10 minutes to play. Stevenson, along with Rylan Griffen and Grant Nelson all had to play down the stretch with three or more fouls.
Other players needed to step up in the final stage of the game, and that they did. Davin Cosby and Nick Pringle combined for 17 points in the second half, with the former Cosby shooting four straight threes, making two. He finished with 12 points, and had six of the final eight points to seal the game.
The final score was 103-88, and Alabama scored 64 points in the second half. The biggest reason for this was the four players scoring over double digits in the second half. With the ball moving really well, Sears, Griffen, Estrada, and Cosby hit that double digit mark.
Estrada’s 13 point, six rebound, and six assist second half gave him a triple-double. It was the first triple-double since Kira Lewis in 2019, and the fourth in program history. Four of the 10 rebounds were offensive, a really positive sign on a team that struggles with size.
Another positive sign was the end of the game. While Alabama struggled early, the final two minutes saw the team go on an 8-0 run and made their last five shots to close out the game. Even with Ole Miss hanging around in the final 10 minutes, Alabama controlled the game’s tempo.
“I thought our guys showed a ton of character and a lot of grit,” said Oats, “We were down 16 at Georgia, so we’ve done this before and we have been able to come back,” he added.
Alabama now focuses on the biggest game of their season, and one of the biggest in Coleman Coliseum history against Tennessee. With ESPN’s College Gameday coming to Tuscaloosa Saturday, the hype for a top of the SEC clash is at an all-time high. It is the first time that the show has come for a basketball game, and the game has a “Whiteout” theme with it.
The Crimson Tide cannot afford to go down 14 against the Volunteers. But with the rivalry coming to Tuscaloosa for the first time since Dec. 2021, Alabama has a really good chance to take control of their season and conference as the calendar switches to March.
