5 Things You May Not Have Noticed from Alabama Basketball's Title-Clinching Win: All Things CW
In this story:
The All Things CW notes column by Christopher Walsh appears in five parts each week, with the latest on the Alabama Crimson Tide. This is ...
Take 4
Even almost 24 hours later there's still a lot to digest from Alabama basketball's 90-85 victory over Auburn to clinch the Southeastern Conference's regular-season title on Wednesday night.
That it was such a crazy game, with Alabama coming from being down 17 points, 66-49 until guard Jahvon Quinerly began the comeback by finishing a fast-break drive off a turnover with 9:31 to go, only adds to its status as an instant Crimson Tide classic.
But here are five things you may not have noticed, or realized:
1) There was only one lead change during regulation
Auburn never trailed until Quinerly made a pair of free throws with 1:37 remaining in the game, giving Alabama the lead at 74-73. They were also the final points he scored as guard Jaden Bradley led the the Crimson Tide in scoring during overtime with six points.
They were the only points Bradley scored during the entire game, but he was only 0-for-2 from the field with no free throws attempted.
2) At one point, Auburn was shooting 82 percent from 3-point range
It was 6-for-8 in the first half, and made its first three attempts in the second half. At the time the Tigers were ahead 62-46. However, from that point forward they were a more normal 3-for-9, as Auburn finished 12-for-20, for 60 percent.
Here's how that compares to the games Alabama lost this season:
3-point shooting by opponents in losses
UConn 9-24, 37.5 percent
Gonzaga 7-17, 41.2
Oklahoma 9-13, 69.2
Tennessee 6-23, 26.1
For the season, Alabama's opponents are shooting 28.5 percent, as the Crimson Tide ranks fifth in the nation in three-point percent defense.
3) Turnovers
Alabama lost the ball 14 times, including nine in the first half.
Among the guards, it had just four overall, and only one after halftime.
Mark Sears had two in 36 minutes played, while Nimari Burnett and Rylan Griffin both had one in 10 minutes of action. Quinerly, who was on the floor for 36 minutes, had none.
Over the last three games he's had just three turnovers, all against Arkansas.
4) Plus-minus turnaround
Nate Oats talked afterward about how the blue-collar points, which measure effort and smart play, went from a minus-10 differential to a plus-15.
Something similar occurred in plus-minus, which is points scored when on the floor compared to allowed.
The biggest swing was by Bradley, who was -8 in the first half and +12 in the second. He was also +5 in overtime.
Biggest +/- change in regulation
Jaden Bradley +20
Mark Sears +15
Brandon Miller +14
Noah Clowney +12
Jahvon Quinerly +11
5) "Hit me with your best shot"
A couple of weeks ago, Oats said after winning at Auburn that “I know it was their Super Bowl, so it was nice to win over here."
Actually, if you can believe what an emotional Bruce Pearl said during postgame interviews, this was Auburn's Super Bowl. Having recently slid, with a narrow loss at Vanderbilt and a bad loss at Kentucky, the Tigers know that they're on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament heading into their regular-season finale at Tennessee.
A win over No. 2 Alabama, and being the only team to beat the Crimson Tide inside Coleman Coliseum, would have locked down a spot in March Madness.
“Obviously they made some plays," Pearl said during his postgame radio appearance, held courtside. "We had a hard time staying in front of them at the end of the day. I’m just sick and tired of our guys getting smashed down there, smashed!”
Pearl was particularly upset about his three bigs all fouling out.
“We needed that one to make the NCAA. We’ll get ready to play Tennessee. We were incredibly outmanned at the end. Three or four guys on the bench in foul trouble.
"Joke!" Pearl screamed. The Auburn coach subsequently threw down his headset and stormed off while being jeered by the Alabama student section.
"To come in and play the best team in the country, play so well and play so hard," Pearl later said while being very careful with his words. "We are a proud program. We have great respect for Alabama. We congratulate them on winning the championship, they're a very worthy champion but we came here to win a basketball game."
See Also:
Take 1: Alabama Basketball May Play Like a No. 1 Team, But Must Learn How to Act Like One
Take 2: What Alabama Fans Need to Know About the 2023 NFL Combine
