Following an upset win at Tennessee over the weekend, Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats wanted to see if his team had the maturity to expand on its success. Tuesday night, the Crimson Tide answered with a resounding yes.
Playing in what was perhaps its most complete performance of the season, Alabama blew out Florida 86-71 inside Coleman Coliseum. The win keeps the Tide (8-3, 3-0 in the SEC) undefeated in conference play while extending its winning streak to four games, tied for the longest since Oats took over as head coach last season. Alabama also snapped an eight-game home losing streak to Florida (5-2, 2-1), beating the Gators inside Coleman Coliseum for the first time since 2006.
“I told our team I thought it was a character game,” Oats said. “We’ll see what type of character they got. They could get a big ego, could lose their humility and think they’ve got it figured out, or they could show what type of humility that I thought they had… I think they showed what type of team they are.”
Alabama outrebounded Florida 44-39 and dominated the Gators 46-28 in the paint. The Tide’s ability to drive to the lane opened up 3-point opportunities as it shot 8 of 20 (40 percent) from beyond the arc.
Keon Ellis led the way for Alabama, recording 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench. The junior college transfer shot 5 of 6 from the floor and 3 of 3 from 3 while registering a team-high plus-minus of 30 over his 24 minutes on the court.
"Keon Ellis had an unbelievable game," Oats said. "He grew up an hour and a half from Florida's campus, so I thought it was big for him. Shoot, he came ready to play tonight. I thought his effort and energy — he was plus 30 when he was in the game. That's the highest plus-minus I've seen in a 15-point game, maybe ever. Really happy for Keon, he really stepped up big for us tonight."
James Rojas was also big for Alabama off the bench, scoring 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting while pulling in seven rebounds. The Tide's bench outscored Florida's 36-26 on the night.
Herbert Jones and Jaden Shackelford had 16 points apiece while John Petty Jr. chipped in 12 points to round out Alabama's double-digit scorers. The Tide was without five-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly, who Oats said missed the game due to an undisclosed medical condition. Due to privacy laws, Oats did not expand on Quinerly's condition but did point out that it was not season-ending.
Alabama is now 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1986-87 season when it won its first seven SEC games. The Tide will travel to Auburn next for an 11 a.m. CT tipoff Saturday.
"It's going to be a character game, too," Oats said. "Everybody just leave your ego. ...We've got to get ourselves locked in and play another great defensive game to get a tough road win."
Playing in what was perhaps its most complete performance of the season, Alabama blew out Florida 86-71 inside Coleman Coliseum. The win keeps the Tide (8-3, 3-0 in the SEC) undefeated in conference play while extending its winning streak to four games, tied for the longest since Oats took over as head coach last season. Alabama also snapped an eight-game home losing streak to Florida (5-2, 2-1), beating the Gators inside Coleman Coliseum for the first time since 2006.
“I told our team I thought it was a character game,” Oats said. “We’ll see what type of character they got. They could get a big ego, could lose their humility and think they’ve got it figured out, or they could show what type of humility that I thought they had… I think they showed what type of team they are.”
Alabama outrebounded Florida 44-39 and dominated the Gators 46-28 in the paint. The Tide’s ability to drive to the lane opened up 3-point opportunities as it shot 8 of 20 (40 percent) from beyond the arc.
Keon Ellis led the way for Alabama, recording 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench. The junior college transfer shot 5 of 6 from the floor and 3 of 3 from 3 while registering a team-high plus-minus of 30 over his 24 minutes on the court.
"Keon Ellis had an unbelievable game," Oats said. "He grew up an hour and a half from Florida's campus, so I thought it was big for him. Shoot, he came ready to play tonight. I thought his effort and energy — he was plus 30 when he was in the game. That's the highest plus-minus I've seen in a 15-point game, maybe ever. Really happy for Keon, he really stepped up big for us tonight."
James Rojas was also big for Alabama off the bench, scoring 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting while pulling in seven rebounds. The Tide's bench outscored Florida's 36-26 on the night.
Herbert Jones and Jaden Shackelford had 16 points apiece while John Petty Jr. chipped in 12 points to round out Alabama's double-digit scorers. The Tide was without five-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly, who Oats said missed the game due to an undisclosed medical condition. Due to privacy laws, Oats did not expand on Quinerly's condition but did point out that it was not season-ending.
Alabama is now 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1986-87 season when it won its first seven SEC games. The Tide will travel to Auburn next for an 11 a.m. CT tipoff Saturday.
"It's going to be a character game, too," Oats said. "Everybody just leave your ego. ...We've got to get ourselves locked in and play another great defensive game to get a tough road win."
