Alabama Basketball Put On Its Best Shooting Performance of the Season
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama men's basketball had its best shooting game all season against Vanderbilt.
Literally.
The Crimson Tide blew out the Vanderbilt Commodores 101-44 in its first game since losing to Oklahoma. Having a good shooting night isn't unordinary for Nate Oats' squad; this is a team that came into the game eighth in the SEC in field goal percentage and fourth in 3-point percentage. But the team did more than just make the second-most field goals (36) and third-most 3-pointers (19) in a game this season — it happened at an extraordinary clip.
As a team, Alabama shot 59 percent from the field and 46.3 percent from deep, both of which are season highs. Five players reached double figures and nine hit at least one 3-pointer, highlighted by Brandon Miller who once again led the team with 22 points.
"We have depth on our team," Miller said. "I feel like our whole team can really shoot it and bring the energy we need to get a win."
The energy was at a high level all night, and it was evident with how the offense was playing. Part of it can be contributed to how intense the defense was from Vanderbilt, but there was also quick ball and player movement, which led to good looks from 3-point range.
What's interesting about the hot long-range shooting was that it wasn't a case of players making highly contested shots or knocking them down with step-backs or crazy angles. Instead, the 3-pointers came off the ball being swung around quickly and with shooters spotting up and receiving the pass from drivers. Some shots were just the result of busted coverage, namely when Miller caught the ball on the right wing and the defense left him open.
All it took was one rhythm dribble and that was all she wrote.
"I think it's one of those deals where we tell our guys just lose yourself in the game and the offense will take care of itself," Oats said about the offensive output. "The more you worry about whether your shot's going in, how many shot attempts you get — to me that stuff backfires.
"Trust your work that you put in, you guys put a lot in the gym, and shots dropped. Crazy how that works."
Oats also mentioned how the players got in extra work with the assistants, stating how he was pleased with the extra time and dedication.
Of all the shooting performances during the game, there were two players whose shot-making had deeper meaning: Noah Clowney missed his last 20 3-point attempts, but went 2-for-4 during the game, and Nimari Burnett went 4-for-7 in what felt like his reestablishment as one of the key players for the Crimson Tide.
Outside of 3-point shooting, Alabama scored in a variety of fashions including 27 fastbreak points and 48 points in the paint. Several players even went above the rim for their points, from Miller's one-handed flush down the lane, to Rylan Griffen converting a dunk after stealing the inbounds pass, to Jaden Bradley slamming one home on the fast break.
Even Noah Gurley had a two-handed dunk that hyped the crowd, but those were the types of shots Alabama was getting all night, and the team was converting them at a high clip.
Not every night will be this hot, and Oats said as much, citing how there are very few such games in the SEC. That said, it seems like losing themselves in the work gave them the best result: a win.
