Alabama Basketball destroys South Carolina in first SEC Road Game

No. 5 Alabama men’s basketball won its first SEC road test over South Carolina 88-68 on Wednesday night in relatively easy fashion.

A big reason this is a must-see matchup was due to the reunion with former Alabama and current South Carolina forward Nick Pringle, who was part of the Crimson Tide’s Final Four run last season. Alabama head coach Nate Oats said during Tuesday’s press conference that, like most players facing their former teams, Pringle will likely brief the Gamecocks on the Tide’s style of play to try to gain an advantage well before tipoff.

However, this was not the case early as Alabama cruised to a commanding 45-28 halftime lead. Crimson Tide Preseason All-American guard Mark Sears quickly lived up to that status as he started the game 6-of-7, with 16 points including 4-of-4 on attempts from behind the arc.

Sears’ effort certainly rubbed off on the rest of the team in the first half, as Alabama shot 60 percent from the field (18-of-30), including a 6-of-11 clip from downtown. In addition to 13 assists, the Tide also grabbed six offensive rebounds, leading to seven second-chance points, scored 22 points in the paint and recorded five steals and three blocks.

Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi and conference-leading three-time SEC Freshman of the Week Labaron Philon also had a very solid first half on both ends of the floor to contribute to the massive lead.

The start of the second half was a bit slower for Alabama, as Oats took out the entire starting five after a poor play. One of the replacements was guard Aden Holloway, who scored seven straight points for Alabama to regain the Tide’s momentum and build a more comfortable 56-39 lead with 15 minutes left in the second half.

The importance of depth played a role in this one, as Holloway led Alabama to 36 bench points, while the Gamecocks had four. Also, South Carolina’s secondary did not score a bench point until less than two minutes remained in regulation.

After that, both teams traded buckets, but Alabama’s stellar start kept the Tide together and the Gamecocks were unable to mount a massive comeback. Even when Alabama had scoring droughts, its defense prevailed by making sure South Carolina didn’t punt. Forwards Grant Nelson and Mouhamed Dioubate, among others, played a key role here as Gamecocks forward Collin Murray-Boyles, SC’s leading scorer entering the game, finished 1-of-6 from the field.

In short, Alabama’s first half was significantly better than the second, but the Crimson Tide’s defense in the final part of the night made the offensive performance not matter as much. Of course, consistency in both halves will be important for the rest of the gauntlet on an SEC slate.

Alabama improves to 13-2 (2-0 SEC), while South Carolina slips to 10-5 (0-2 SEC).