No. 25 Alabama kept its win streak alive with a 117-115 double overtime thriller over No. 20 Arkansas.
As expected, both teams left their defense at home, and the offenses thrived in what was one of the best college basketball games of the year. Arkansas took the first half, but the Crimson Tide forced overtime after coming back down 14. Two overtimes later, Alabama emerged victorious to extend its win streak to five games.
The win improves the Crimson Tide to 19-7 overall and 9-4 in the SEC.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
- Poor Defense
There was absolutely zero defense played in tonight’s top 25 matchup between Alabama and Arkansas. A combined 232 points were scored between the two teams. Arkansas’ Darius Acuff, Jr., took advantage of Alabama’s lack of defense, scoring 22 of Arkansas’ 57 first-half points. The Crimson Tide defense got a little better in the second half, but still had no answer for Acuff as he dropped a game-high 49 points.
- Blistering Hot Second Half
Alabama started the second half down 10 points and got down by as many as 14, but the shooting from the Crimson Tide was so good in the second half that they were able to complete the second-half comeback and force overtime. In the second half, Alabama couldn't miss scoring 48 points on 76% shooting. Labaron Philon led the way for the Crimson Tide with 19 second-half points.
- Philon Carries the Team
One of the top scorers in the SEC, Labaron Philon had his best game yet. It started off slow with just 11 first-half points, but down the stretch, Philon carried the load for the Alabama offense. Across the second half and two overtimes, Philon added 24 points to finish the night with a team high 35. Alabama’s star guard also chipped in seven assists to go along with his big shooting night.
- Big Night for Sherrell and Allen
Philon got all the attention with his team leading 35 points, but Aden Sherrell and Amari Allen put up big nights that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Sherrell was a force on the inside, pulling down a team-high 13 rebounds, and finished second in scoring with 26 points. Allen also recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Alabama will travel to LSU on Saturday at 5 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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