Instant Classic: No. 8 Alabama Basketball Topples No. 1 Houston on the Road, 71-65

The Crimson Tide overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half to take down its second No. 1-ranked opponent of the season.

Author:
Joey Blackwell
Updated:
Dec 11, 2022 10:49 AM EST
Original:
Dec 10, 2022

In this story:

Alabama Crimson Tide

It was a game that will likely be talked about by Alabama basketball fans for years to come.

On Saturday, the No. 8 Crimson Tide upset the No. 1 Houston Cougars on the road, overcoming a 15-point deficit in the second half to down its second top-ranked team of the season.

"This is one of those character wins that shows that our guys are going to keep fighting no matter what the score is," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said after the game. "We could have easily given up.

"That's a tough team — you gotta give Houston a ton of credit there. They give you everything you can handle."

Alabama entered the game as 8.5-point underdogs. However, a dynamic second half that saw the Crimson Tide dramatically reduce its turnovers alongside giving up just two Cougars baskets over the final eight minutes of the game gave the team enough momentum to surge back to the 6-point win.

Alabama jumped onto the board first when freshman forward Noah Clowney drained a 3-pointer on the Crimson Tide’s first possession of the game. Alabama maintained the lead until the 7:13 mark when Houston forward J’Wan Roberts hit a jumper to give the Cougars a 15-14 lead.

The lead changed eight more times over the final seven minutes of the opening half, but a 3-pointer by Houston gave it a 31-27 lead at halftime. The first 20 minutes proved to be highly physical for both sides, but the Crimson Tide kept up with the Cougars by dominating the glass 26-18.

However, turnovers were the big issue for Alabama, with the Crimson Tide surrendering 12 and giving Houston 13 points as a result.

The Cougars opened the second half by hitting four of its first five shots, including two 3-pointers to pull out to a 41-29 lead. Following the less-than-optimal start to the second half by the Crimson Tide, Oats called a timeout to give the winded Alabama a chance to regroup.

"Down 15 to start the second half wasn't great," Oats said. "Kind of made some changes, went with the bench guys — hung in there."

After the timeout, Houston grew its lead to 15 points courtesy of a free throw and a layup. However, Alabama had turned over a renewed energy on the offensive end of the court, and over the final 15 minutes of the game turned the ball over just once — a heldball just ahead of the 10-minute mark.

With the Cougars no longer being fueled by Crimson Tide turnovers, their offense began to slow down. Over the final eight minutes, Alabama held Houston to just two made baskets, with the majority of the Cougars' points coming off of free throws.

Alabama surged back, slowly but surely cutting into the Houston lead. With just over three minutes left in the game, a 3-pointer by point guard Mark Sears gave the Crimson Tide its first lead of the game since the first half.

With Houston out of timeouts, the Cougars were forced to foul despite Alabama being in the double-bonus. A layup by Clowney and six free throws by Miller pulled the Crimson Tide ahead and held off the Cougars.

As the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read 71-65 in favor of Alabama.

Clowney finished the game with a team-leading 16 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Guard Jaden Bradley finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists followed by Sears, who had 11 points and three rebounds.

Clowney also recorded two blocks on the afternoon.

"To be honest, to me, I don't really care about the numbers," Clowney said. "I want to beat every team that steps foot in front of us."

Bradley concurred.

"Same thing," Bradley said. "Just have that killer mentality — whoever's on the court. We just gotta come in and stick together.

"Every game, you gotta leave knowing you gave everything you got. If you lose and you gave everything you got, then it is what it is."

Overall, Alabama out-rebounded Houston 44-39, with 32 of those rebounds coming on the defensive end of the floor. Despite having 12 turnovers in the first half, the Crimson Tide finished with just 15 on the game.

With the win, the Crimson Tide rises to 8-1 on the season. The Cougars, on the other hand, suffered their first loss of the season and fall to 9-1.

Up next, Alabama returns home to host Memphis in Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday night (8 p.m. CT, ESPN2). The Crimson Tide will then play No. 18 Gonzaga on Saturday in Birmingham, Ala. at the C.M. Newton Classic.

It's a tough stretch for the Crimson Tide, but with the Cougars out of the way, the team is feeling like they can beat anyone, regardless of rank. After the game, a soaked Oats said that he has no issue with his team dumping beverages on him if they keep winning.

"I don't mind," Oats chuckled. "If we keep beating No. 1 teams, we can take [my suit] to the cleaners. All this stuff can be cleaned pretty well."

How it Happened:

(Updates in ascending order)

Second Half

Final: Alabama 71, Houston 65

Miller heads to the line again, hits both free throws. 71-65 Alabama with less than 20 seconds.

Layup good by Chaney for Houston, then heads to the line for the and-1. However, he misses his free throw.

Miller hit his first free throw, then his second. 69-63 Alabama with 0:27.6 to go.

Walker gets his second foul, sending Miller to the line.

Bediako is called for his fourth. Chaney missed his first free throw, then his second. Clowney with the rebound.

Miller hit his first free throw, then his second. 67-63 Alabama.

Shead is called for his fourth personal. Miller will head to the line for two free throws.

Houston calls its final timeout.

Layup good by Bediako. 65-63 Alabama with 1:06 left in the game.

Sears picked up his third personal and sends Sasser to the line. Sasser hit his first, but missed his second. Game is tied at 63. Bediako rebounds the basketball.

Sears hit a 3-pointer, and Alabama has its first lead since the first half. 63-62 Alabama with 2:37 left in the game.

It should be noted that both teams are in the double-bonus.

At the final media timeout with 3:13 left in the game, Alabama trails by just 2. Remarkable physicality by both sides have made this game a classic, regardless of who comes out on top. 62-60 Houston, Alabama basketball after the break.

Miller is called for his second personal and sends Chaney to the line. Chaney hit his first, but missed his second. Rebound by Burnett.

Layup good by Clowney, assist by Griffen. Houston timeout. With 4:56 left in the game, the Cougars lead 61-60.

Dunk good by Chaney, and the Houston leads grows back to 3.

A steal by Griffen leads to a layup by Bradley. 59-58 Houston.

Shead is called for his third personal, sending Griffen to the line. Griffen missed his first, but made his second. 59-56 Houston with 6:42 left to play.

Griffen picked up his second personal, rewarding two free throws to Roberts. Roberts hit his first but missed his second, rebounded by Clowney.

And now Walker is called for his third personal on a 3-pointer attempt by Miller. Miller headed to the line, missed his first but made his next two attempts. 58-55 Houston.

Clowney picked up his third personal. Walker heads to the line, missed his first but made his second.

At the under-8 media timeout, Alabama has pulled within 4. The loss of Mark for Houston opens up its perimeter, if only slightly. He finishes the game with 10 points, two rebounds and an assist for the Cougars. 57-53 Houston with 8:02 left in the game.

Dunk good by Bradley, and Mark fouled out of the game for Houston. 57-53 lead for the Cougars.

Layup good by Roberts, the Clowney does the same at the opposite end. 57-51 Houston with 8:09 left to play.

Sasser was called for his third personal. Sears headed to the line and hit his first, but missed his second. Shead with the rebound for Houston. 55-49 Cougars.

Shead made both free throws. 55-48 Cougars.

Sears is called for his second personal and Shead will head to the line.

Layup good by Sears, and the margin resets to 5 points.

Jumper good by Shead. 53-46 Cougars.

Heldball, possession arrow goes to Houston.

Layup good by Griffen. 51-46 Houston.

At the under-12 media timeout, Alabama has climbed back to make it a 7-point game. The Crimson Tide will have possession after the break, trailing 51-44.

Jumper good by Walker for the Cougars.

3-pointer good by Sears. 49-44 Houston with 11:14 left in the game.

Layup good by Shead. 49-41 Cougars.

3-pointer good by Griffen, Houston still leads 47-41.

And now Pringle is called for his fourth personal foul.

Four of Quinerly's six shots today have been blocked by Houston.

Alabama guard Rylan Griffen picks up his first personal. Pringle then picks up his third.

Pringle missed his first free throw but made his second. 47-38 Houston.

Mark is called for his third personal. After the inbound, Mark is then called for his fourth as Pringle went up to the basket.

Layup good by Pringle, his first points of the game. Houston's lead has now been narrowed to 10.

Pringle picks up his second personal, sending Chaney to the line. Chaney missed his first free throw, but made his second.

Bradley hit the and-1, and it is now 46-35 Houston with 14:18 left to play.

Bradley hit a jumper and was fouled on the attempt. Roberts picked up his third personal.

Quinerly missed his first free throw, but made his second. A dunk by Roberts at the opposite end drains any sort of momentum for Alabama. 46-32 Houston.

Shead was called for his second personal and Quinerly will head to the line. Media timeout.

Clowney made a jumper, giving Alabama its first basket of the second half. 44-31 Houston.

The and-1 by Sasser combined with a layup by Walker grows the Cougars lead to 15.

Shead drains a 3-pointer, followed by a layup by Sasser. 41-29 Cougars. Nate Oats calls a timeout for Alabama.

A jumper by Sasser and a 3-pointer by Mark propels Houston out to a 36-27 lead. Two free throws by Burnett give Alabama two more points.

First Half

Halftime: Houston 31, Alabama 27

Bradley missed a jumper, rebounded by Houston.

Mark sinks a 3-pointer, and Houston has its largest lead of the game. 31-27 Cougars.

Miller missed a jumper. He is 0-for-7 from the floor in the first half. The missed shot went out of bounds, giving Houston the ball. Cougars call timeout with 0:40 left to play in the first half.

Jumper good by Shead. 28-27 Cougars.

Mark picked up his first personal, sending Mark Sears to the line. Sears hit both of his free throws, putting Alabama on top 27-26 with 1:26 left on the game clock.

Shead slams home a dunk. 26-25 Houston.

Quinerly was fouled by Walker and heads to the line. Quinerly hit his first free throw, but missed his second. Alabama is 3-9 from the charity stripe in the first half.

Burnett was called for his first personal, sending Sasser to the line again. Sasser hit both, tying the game at 24 with 3:09 left to play in the first half.

Quinerly makes a layup, and Alabama once again leads 24-22.

Bediako was called for his second foul. Sasser missed his first free throw, but made his second. 22-22.

At the final media timeout of the first half, Alabama leads 22-21. The game has been incredibly gritty by both teams so far, with incredible effort on both ends of the court by both sides.

Walker hits a jumper, Bradley makes a layup. 22-21 Crimson Tide.

Back-to-back jumpers by Shead and Mark gives Houston the lead once again, but a 3-pointer by Nimari Burnett puts the Crimson Tide back on top. 20-19 Alabama.

Sasser is called for his second personal. Gurley missed the free throw, rebounded by Houston.

Bradley was fouled on a missed layup attempt. He missed his first free throw, but made his second. 17-15 Crimson Tide.

Roberts hits a jumper and takes its first lead of the game. However, Gurley responded with a good layup and was fouled on the attempt. Gurley missed his free throw. 16-15 Alabama.

Gurley is called for traveling. Houston basketball.

Walker hits one free throw, but misses his second. Charles Bediako rebounds the ball for Alabama. 14-13 Crimson Tide.

8 of Houston's 12 points have come off of turnovers, with Alabama leading the game with 10 turnovers. The Crimson Tide is still out-rebounding the Cougars 18-8, but its turnovers have been what has kept Houston in the game.

Clowney picks up his second personal foul, and that'll take us to the under-8 media timeout. Alabama still leads 14-12.

Mark hits a jumper for the Cougars. 14-12 Alabama.

Clowney drains his second 3-pointer of the game. 14-10 Alabama.

Jumper good by Shead, and Houston has pulled within 1. 11-10 Crimson Tide at the 9:54 mark.

Francis makes a short jumper. 11-8 Alabama.

At the under-12 media timeout, Alabama leads 11-6. Houston has made one of its last nine shots, a scoring drought of 2:15. Alabama is still dominating the boards 13-6, but also leads in turnovers 7-2. Quinerly leads the Crimson Tide with three turnovers in three minutes on the court.

Layup good by Jaden Bradley. 11-6 Crimson Tide.

Chaney makes a layup. 9-6 Alabama.

Noah Gurley is fouled on the way up to the basket. He missed his first free-throw, and then a lane violation by Jahvon Quinerly turns the ball over.

Alabama has to call its first timeout to avoid a turnover on the inbound. The Crimson Tide still leads 9-4 at the 14:26 mark.

Burnett drains a 3-pointer. Alabama takes a 9-4 lead. At the under-16 media timeout, the Crimson Tide is dominating the glass 7-3 — the key to its lead thus far.

Alabama wins the opening tip, and Noah Clowney drains a 3-pointer on the Crimson Tide's opening possession.

Pregame

Starting five for Houston:

Alabama starting five:

The players are now out on the court warming up:

ESPN highlighting the magnitude of today's game for Alabama:

Alabama's game poster:

Officials: Don Daily, Doug Shows, Keith Kimble.

Today's game is slated for a 2 p.m. CT tip (ABC).

Game Preview

After Alabama's win over South Dakota State Saturday night, head coach Nate Oats talked about the tough stretch coming up for his Crimson Tide team. And it starts with a road trip to the top-ranked team in the country, the Houston Cougars.

Alabama and Houston played an epic matchup in Coleman Coliseum last season, where the Crimson Tide came away with the one-point win. Now, Alabama has to make the return trip against a Cougar team that surely has not forgotten that close game.

Houston is one of the best defensive teams in the country, only allowing 48 points per game as part of its undefeated record through eight games. The Cougars return several of their top players from a season ago like Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead. Sasser leads the team in scoring averaging 17.5 points per game.

Freshman Brandon Miller leads Alabama at 19.1 points per game and has scored in double-digits in all of the Crimson Tide's contests. This will be just the second true road contest for Alabama's young team. It beat South Alabama on the road 65-55 Nov. 15 and went 2-1 in a neutral court setting at the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon.

Here's everything you need to know about the matchup between the Crimson Tide and Cougars:

How to Watch: Alabama at Houston

Who: No. 8 Alabama (7-1) vs. No. 1 Houston (8-0)

When: 2 p.m. CT, Saturday

Where: Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas

TV: ABC

Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart; Analyst: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

Series: Alabama leads 1-0.

Last Meeting: The Crimson Tide and Cougars met inside Coleman Coliseum last December for a top-15 clash. The game came down to the last second, literally. Alabama's JD Davison swatted away a Houston shot as the buzzer expired, and the Crimson Tide hung on for a one-point win, 83-82.

Last time out, Alabama: South Dakota State decided to leave Noah Clowney open from 3 early on, and he made them pay. Clowney hit four of his first five 3-point shots on the way to a 22-point performance, and Alabama beat South Dakota State 78-65. Alabama had built up to a 20-point lead in the first half but began to get complacent on defense, slowly letting the Jackrabbits back into the game. A dunk from Nimari Burnett spurred Alabama on to the double-digit win in the second half.

Last time out, Houston: The Cougars had a close call against Saint Mary's in The Battleground 2k22 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Cougars held an 11-point halftime lead, but Saint Mary's roared back to cut it within three points multiple times in the second half. The Houston defense clamped down for the 53-48 win. J'Wan Roberts had 15 points for the Cougars in the win.