No. 10 Alabama traveled to No. 20 North Carolina for one of its toughest games of the season and came out victorious by a final score of 94-79 on Wednesday.
The Crimson Tide were able to dictate the pace of the game in their favor. Six Alabama players scored in double figures in the blowout win.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Mallette Burns Redshirt
Pepperdine transfer Houston Mallette was scheduled to be redshirted this season, but a season-ending injury to Latrell Wrighsell forced Nate Oats to make a tough decision. Over the past few days, Oats and his staff discussed if there would be enough minutes for him to make it worthwhile. On Wednesday, the answer to the question was a yes, as Mallette came in off the bench and played nine minutes. He made the most of his nine minutes, scoring six points while going 2-for-2 from behind the arc. Mallette also pulled down three rebounds and forced two steals.
Sears Starting to Heat Up
Mark Sears opened the season up to a slow start. Three-pointers were not going down at his usual rate, and he was having a tough time getting to the rim. On Wednesday, the three-point shots still weren’t falling for him at a high clip, but the path to the basket was wide open. Sears finished the game with a team-high 20 points doing most of his damage driving the lane.
Holloway Hits From Deep
Auburn transfer Aden Holloway is one of the streakiest shooters on the team. He can shoot you in games, but he can also shoot you out of them. On Wednesday, he was on a hot streak. Holloway went 5-for-9 from behind the arc and finished with 15 points.
Near Perfection From the Line
Hitting free throws is a crucial part of a team’s success, especially in close games. Wednesday's game was not close, but Alabama was still able to display that it could hit free throws in a hostile environment. The Crimson Tide were almost perfect from the charity stripe, hitting 12 of their 13 shots from the free throw line.
Alabama will have a long stretch off. The Tide's next game will be on Saturday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. against Creighton. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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