Alabama Women's Basketball has Successfully Reached 20/20 Status
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama Women's Basketball team was able to take advantage of its circumstances and enjoy an historic victory at Coleman Coliseum on Thursday night.
With visiting Vanderbilt only having eight active players, the Crimson Tide dominated en route to an 88-70 victory and fourth straight Southeastern Conference win. At 9-4 in league play for the first time since 1997-98, Alabama is tied for fourth in the league standings while trying to secure a double-bye in the upcoming SEC Tournament.
With only three games remaining, Alabama (20-6) will close the regular season against the team it’s tied with, Ole Miss. The game will be played at Coleman Coliseum on Feb. 26.
Meanwhile, the 20-win milestone was reached during the regular season for the first time since 1997-1998, when the Crimson Tide finished 24-10 and No. 11 in the AP Top 25.
Head coach Kristy Curry had reached 20 before, but only in the postseason.
Her confidence in the bench has been one of the keys to the Crimson Tide's success in conference play this season. In postseason play last season, Alabama was reluctant to turn to its reserves and it cost the Crimson Tide in its final loss against South Dakota St.
This season, Alabama will use anyone at any moment to try and get a bucket. Five players had double-digit points against the Commodores, and Megan Abrams had 10 points for the fist time since New Year's Day.
Alabama getting significant production from the likes of Abrams, Aaliyah Nye and others could be crucial come tournament time, with the 2023 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament set for March 1-5, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
However, Curry isn't ready to do any celebrating.
"We haven't done anything yet," Curry said, "There's a mentality to go out there and get number 21 on Saturday."
Coming in, Alabama was projected to be a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but the Crimson Tide is clearly on the rise and carrying a lot of momentum.
While the past few teams could not utilize their bench players in tough spots, everybody on this team has earned playing time. For example, Alabama had all but three players on the floor for 15 minutes or more, and all but one played 10 or more against Vanderbilt.
The Crimson Tide ended up with a 25-8 edge in bench points.
In contrast, last year's team had just five players play more than 11 minutes in their final loss of the season.
That's progress.
See also: Alabama Women's Basketball Reaches 20 Victories With a Win Against Vanderbilt
