Labaron Philon Clutches Up Late in Comeback Win Over Tennessee

No. 22 Tennessee appeared to be fully in control over No. 17 Alabama, as it was up 11 points with just under 10 minutes to go.

Moments before, Alabama guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had just scored his 19th point of Saturday night's game in Knoxville, Tenn., but it seemed like the Volunteers simply had this one in the bag. UT was eyeing a sixth straight win over the Crimson Tide, and Alabama was a short while from ending its current 7-game win streak against the SEC.

But then Labaron Philon happened. The sophomore superstar sat out of Wednesday's win over Mississippi State, and he only had 10 points with about seven minutes remaining against the Vols.

Sometimes all it takes is one bucket to get hot. Philon hit a layup with 6:05 left before Tennessee guard Amari Evans did the same. Philon then proceeded to score 11 of Alabama's final 18 points. Tennessee as a whole put up just eight points in that stretch.

Alabama found itself tied at 69 after once being down by 13. Everyone in Thompson-Boling Arena knew whose hands the ball would be in, as the Tide had possession. Philon seemed to have a really confident look on his face before the possession began, as he even shook his head when a Tennessee player switched onto him.

He knew what was coming, as after controlling the ball for the entire possession, he spun and the shot just inside the paint fell into the basket to give Alabama its first lead of the game with 23 seconds to go.

"When you got a player like him, sometimes you're better off not getting too tricky as a coach," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said during the postgame press conference. "Trying to get the matchup, we knew they were going to switch. They switched a lot. Try to get the matchup in the switch that we want.

"Give him some space and let him do what he does. He goes and gets buckets. He hits tough buckets. ... But yeah, the last play of the game, get the ball in his hands and let him make something happen."

Tennessee blows a 13-pt lead late in the second half as Alabama wins on the road ‼️

The Crimson Tide only led the game for 24 seconds. pic.twitter.com/fUA7WMunnQ
— ESPN (@espn) March 1, 2026

As previously stated, athletes across all sports need just one thing to go their way, and then it's game over for the opponent. This is one of the principles of Michael Jordan — one of the greatest athletes in the history of the planet and also a player that Philon fell in love with when he was 10-years-old.

Whether it was from deep, midrange or drives inside, Philon shined in the clutch on Saturday night in Knoxville. He silenced a raucous environment throughout the final six minutes, and he hit the game-winning shot in incredible fashion — just like MJ.

The 71-69 result gave Alabama its eighth victory in a row. In addition to breaking the 5-game losing streak to Tennessee, the Crimson Tide has sole possession of second place in the SEC with two games remaining.