Alabama grabbed a big road win on Saturday, defeating in-state rival Auburn 96-92.
This year’s game wasn’t as high-profile a matchup as last year’s meeting between No. 1 and No. 2. On Saturday, both teams came into the game unranked, but the game was exciting and close wire to wire, as expected. With the rivalry wi,n the Crimson Tide improved their record to 16-7 overall and 6-4 in the SEC.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
- Turnover Issues
Alabama struggled again to protect the basketball. In the first half, the Crimson Tide turned the ball over nine times, leading to 15 points for Auburn. Alabama did a better job in the second half, turning the ball over only five times.
- Big Road Win
It will go down as an unranked victory for Alabama, but that doesn't take away from how big a victory it was for the Crimson Tide. Alabama went into one of the toughest places to win in the SEC and handled the hostile crowd and came away with a hard-fought road win to prevent them from falling to .500 in the SEC.
- Philon Surges in Second Half
Labaron Philon got off to a slow start on Saturday, only scoring nine first-half points. In the second half, Philon had a huge 20 minutes, scoring 16 second-half points to help the Crimson Tide complete the comeback win. Philon finished with five rebounds and six assists to go along with his team-high 25 points.
- Allen is a Crucial Piece
Alabama’s backcourt of Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon gets all the attention from the media and the opposing team, but Amari Allen is the piece that puts the Crimson Tide over the top in their victories. The talented freshman could very well be a one-and-done player as he quietly puts up double-digit points every night while contributing at a high level on the glass as well as dishing out assists. Saturday, Allen finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Alabama will travel to Ole Miss on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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