re: Tide Hoops | 31-6 (16-2)

Four Score in Double Figures to Lead No. 20/19 Alabama Past Liberty, 95-59

Mark Sears (22) and Brandon Miller (20) each scored in double figures to lead the Crimson Tide

The Alabama men's basketball team dominated the glass and got hot from three-point range as it cruised to a 95-59 win over Liberty Friday night at Coleman Coliseum. Four Crimson Tide players scored in double figures on the way to the 36-point win and a 2-0 start to the season

Alabama finished the game with 10 three-pointers (10-of-22) and averaged 1.36 points per possession. The Tide also controlled the boards for a second straight game. Despite not having anyone with more than eight rebounds, Alabama owned a 45-23 edge on the glass.

Freshman Brandon Miller and graduate transfer Mark Sears led the Tide in scoring with 22 and 20, respectively. The duo also posted eight rebounds apiece to lead UA's lineup.

Freshmen Rylan Griffen and Jaden Bradley also reached double figures in the victory. Griffen scored 13 of his 16 total points in the second half, finishing 5-of-9 from the field and 4-of-4 from behind the charity stripe.

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"That was a pretty dominating win. I was happy with our guys' effort, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. We put heavy emphasis on (Darius) McGhee, and besides those two threes he had early in the second half, I thought our guys did a really good job on him. Nimari (Burnett) did a great job to start, and Jaden Bradley came in and did a great job. I think they struggle a little bit with our length and athleticism. I wasn't that concerned with the three-point shooting last game. I've seen us make shots a lot in practice. We just told them when to take the right shots, you know, shoot them rhythm and trust your work. All in all, I thought it was good. We've got stuff to work on still, but that's a quality team that's picked to win the ASUN. I mean, they're going to go win a lot of games."

Box Score

Wasn’t able to keep up with the game, I was driving, but it sounds like… we good? We real good??

I honestly was a little nervous about Liberty, silly me.

This may be deepest front court we’ve had in a long time. Our bigs are so versatile and contest every shot around the basket. I love the hustle and also the shot selection. Sears is a tough little point guard. Gonna be a dangerous team once Welch and Quinerly get back.

A few SI write ups about the game:

(editors note about the Timeout write up below: as the ‘defensive screw ups’ continued early in the game, Coach Oats flashed a little of his inner Coach Saban to Charlie Henry. He would turn to the bench after each easy bucket by Liberty with increasing ‘animation’ until finally he had seen enough and called the timeout)

No. 20 Alabama Basketball Thrashes Liberty, 95-59

The Crimson Tide fixed its shooting woes and continued playing stout defense for its second win of the season.


The Timeout That Sparked No. 20 Alabama Basketball to a Dominant Win over Liberty

Nate Oats lit a fire under his team with a first-half timeout, and the Crimson Tide responded with an 11-0 run that carried through the rest of the game


Alabama Basketball Shows True Potential in 95-59 Win over Liberty

Game-by-game adjustments from Longwood to Liberty showed just how good this year's Crimson Tide team can really be.

make some coffee, next 3 games are pretty late.

quote:

---

This is the kind of game you have when the 3's are falling. Let's hope this team can keep that up.

---

They scored 59 points. Didn’t matter if our 3s fell or not. I think this team is a lot more like the SEC Championship team. Our 3s aren’t gonna determine if we win or lose, it’s gonna determine whether we bury you or not.

Ceiling of this team is Final Four good. I actually think the most challenging thing facing Oats and this team, once Welch, Miles and then eventually JQ return, will be finding enough minutes for everyone and keeping everyone on the same page.

I didn’t get to say it in a ton of games last year, but I thought Gurley gave us some really good minutes yesterday. Hopefully that’s what we get from him going forward…just be a solid role player.

Miller’s shooting numbers:

5-8 FG
4-5 from 3
6-6 FT.

20 points on 8 shots. Some serious efficiency.