It took longer than Alabama basketball would have preferred but the wait ultimately proved worthwhile. The Crimson Tide shook off a slow start before surviving a comeback bid on the road Saturday to lock up its first SEC regular-season title since 2002 with a 64-59 victory over Mississippi State.
"I'm just really proud of the guys," said Alabama head coach Nate Oats, who was doused in water by his players following the win. "SEC championships don't come easy. It's been 19 years since we've had one here. These seniors will go down as one of the best groups to come through here. I think they deserve this thing, so I can't say enough about them."
Added senior guard John Petty Jr.: "It means a lot. It basically proves to everybody the hard work and dedication this team has and the dedication us four seniors have. We stuck through here through a lot, and we grinded it out and we see our results. I think that just shows a lot about our character and our drive and dedication."
Three months ago, the media predicted the Tide to finish fifth in the SEC preseason poll. Following Saturday’s win, Alabama (19-6, 14-2 in the SEC) holds a three-game lead over Arkansas (19-5, 11-4) atop the conference standings with two games remaining in the regular-season schedule.
The Tide could have clinched the title earlier this week but instead saw its lead on the standings trimmed with an 81-66 road loss to the Razorbacks. However, Alabama was able to avoid a hangover Saturday, putting an end to the rising anxiety brewing in Tuscaloosa, Ala. following Arkansas’ win over LSU earlier in the day.
Along with the regular-season title, Alabama also locked up the top seed and a bye in next month’s conference tournament. The SEC tournament will take place in Nashville, Tenn. from March 10-14.
Nine days after signing a contract extension Nate Oats secured his first title with the Tide. After leading Alabama to a 16-15 mark in his debut season, the head coach has turned the Tide into a national contender in a year’s time. Alabama currently boasts its best ranking in more than a dozen years and entered Wednesday’s matchup as a projected No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament.
Alabama didn’t always look like a conference champion Saturday night. After rebounding from another slow start, the Tide nearly threw away a 13-point halftime lead. Alabama maintained a comfortable advantage for most of the second half before going on a 1 of 16 shooting stretch that saw Mississippi State trim the lead to a single possession. Clinging to a 56-53 lead, Alabama forward James Rojas hit a corner 3 with 44.1 seconds remaining to end the Tide’s shooting woes and help put away the victory.
Alabama once again came out cold on the road, starting the game 4 of 18 from the floor, while hitting just one of its first eight shots at the rim against a towering Bulldogs frontcourt. However, unlike its loss against Arkansas earlier in the week, the Tide was able to recover quickly to retake control of the game.
Jahvon Quinerly helped fuel a 15-1 run for Alabama as it rebounded to take a 20-9 lead with 7:11 left in the half. The redshirt sophomore scored 15 first-half points off the bench as the Tide extended its lead to 13 points at the break. Quinerly finished the game with 19 points on 8 of 16 shooting to record his seventh straight double-digit game.
"I always preach to him, I don't think anybody in the country can stay in front of him," Alabama forward Herbert Jones said. "I feel like he believed that tonight, and he created a lot of offense for us. He's playing with a ton of confidence. I feel like he's real hard to guard."
Alabama took advantage of an oversized Mississippi State lineup, using its speed to earn a 19-6 advantage in fastbreak points. Led by Quinerly, Alabama’s reserves also came up big as the Tide outscored Mississippi State 36-5 in bench points.
Alabama shot just 32 percent from the floor, including just 7 of 28 (25 percent) from beyond the arc, but was able to lean on its defense, which came into the night ranked No. 4 in the nation, according to KenPom.com. Alabama held Mississippi State to 41 percent shooting, including 1 of 12 (8 percent) from deep while forcing 16 Bulldogs turnovers.
"I thought we did a good job keeping the ball in the paint," Oats said. "When it was off pick-and-rolls, I thought our bigs did a good job in the pick-and-rolls, keeping their guards from getting it downhill. I thought we did a pretty good job against them in the post."
Jadon Shackelford joined Jahvon Quinerly in double figures with 15 points. Jones provided just 2 points but pulled in a game-high 14 rebounds as Alabama held a 45-40 advantage on the boards.
Alabama will hold its final home game of the season against Auburn on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT. From there the Tide will wrap up its regular season at Georgia on March 6.
"I'm just really proud of the guys," said Alabama head coach Nate Oats, who was doused in water by his players following the win. "SEC championships don't come easy. It's been 19 years since we've had one here. These seniors will go down as one of the best groups to come through here. I think they deserve this thing, so I can't say enough about them."
Added senior guard John Petty Jr.: "It means a lot. It basically proves to everybody the hard work and dedication this team has and the dedication us four seniors have. We stuck through here through a lot, and we grinded it out and we see our results. I think that just shows a lot about our character and our drive and dedication."
Three months ago, the media predicted the Tide to finish fifth in the SEC preseason poll. Following Saturday’s win, Alabama (19-6, 14-2 in the SEC) holds a three-game lead over Arkansas (19-5, 11-4) atop the conference standings with two games remaining in the regular-season schedule.
The Tide could have clinched the title earlier this week but instead saw its lead on the standings trimmed with an 81-66 road loss to the Razorbacks. However, Alabama was able to avoid a hangover Saturday, putting an end to the rising anxiety brewing in Tuscaloosa, Ala. following Arkansas’ win over LSU earlier in the day.
Along with the regular-season title, Alabama also locked up the top seed and a bye in next month’s conference tournament. The SEC tournament will take place in Nashville, Tenn. from March 10-14.
Nine days after signing a contract extension Nate Oats secured his first title with the Tide. After leading Alabama to a 16-15 mark in his debut season, the head coach has turned the Tide into a national contender in a year’s time. Alabama currently boasts its best ranking in more than a dozen years and entered Wednesday’s matchup as a projected No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament.
Alabama didn’t always look like a conference champion Saturday night. After rebounding from another slow start, the Tide nearly threw away a 13-point halftime lead. Alabama maintained a comfortable advantage for most of the second half before going on a 1 of 16 shooting stretch that saw Mississippi State trim the lead to a single possession. Clinging to a 56-53 lead, Alabama forward James Rojas hit a corner 3 with 44.1 seconds remaining to end the Tide’s shooting woes and help put away the victory.
Alabama once again came out cold on the road, starting the game 4 of 18 from the floor, while hitting just one of its first eight shots at the rim against a towering Bulldogs frontcourt. However, unlike its loss against Arkansas earlier in the week, the Tide was able to recover quickly to retake control of the game.
Jahvon Quinerly helped fuel a 15-1 run for Alabama as it rebounded to take a 20-9 lead with 7:11 left in the half. The redshirt sophomore scored 15 first-half points off the bench as the Tide extended its lead to 13 points at the break. Quinerly finished the game with 19 points on 8 of 16 shooting to record his seventh straight double-digit game.
"I always preach to him, I don't think anybody in the country can stay in front of him," Alabama forward Herbert Jones said. "I feel like he believed that tonight, and he created a lot of offense for us. He's playing with a ton of confidence. I feel like he's real hard to guard."
Alabama took advantage of an oversized Mississippi State lineup, using its speed to earn a 19-6 advantage in fastbreak points. Led by Quinerly, Alabama’s reserves also came up big as the Tide outscored Mississippi State 36-5 in bench points.
Alabama shot just 32 percent from the floor, including just 7 of 28 (25 percent) from beyond the arc, but was able to lean on its defense, which came into the night ranked No. 4 in the nation, according to KenPom.com. Alabama held Mississippi State to 41 percent shooting, including 1 of 12 (8 percent) from deep while forcing 16 Bulldogs turnovers.
"I thought we did a good job keeping the ball in the paint," Oats said. "When it was off pick-and-rolls, I thought our bigs did a good job in the pick-and-rolls, keeping their guards from getting it downhill. I thought we did a pretty good job against them in the post."
Jadon Shackelford joined Jahvon Quinerly in double figures with 15 points. Jones provided just 2 points but pulled in a game-high 14 rebounds as Alabama held a 45-40 advantage on the boards.
Alabama will hold its final home game of the season against Auburn on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT. From there the Tide will wrap up its regular season at Georgia on March 6.
Last edited:
