Just days after dropping its first SEC game of the season, Alabama bounced back, returning to its No. 1 form by blowing out Georgia 108-59. The blowout victory marked the team’s 11th SEC win by double digits, tying a school record. As a result of the win, Alabama became the first SEC team since the 1955-1956 Kentucky Wildcats to have three 40-point wins in SEC play.
After a disappointing loss on Wednesday, it was obvious the Crimson Tide wanted to start out fast, and that’s exactly what they did. Mark Sears hit a three pointer to start the game, and the Crimson Tide would never look back. Just seven minutes into the game, Mark Sears and Brandon Miller were subbed out of the game to a standing ovation after combining for 26 points in those first seven minutes. After a couple of rough first halves in the previous two games, this was quite the opposite as Alabama’s offense surged to a 54-25 lead going into halftime.
Brandon Miller would finish a game-high 21 points that could have been a lot more if not for most of the starters having their minutes yielded to reserve players due to the blowout. As a result of those extra minutes to some of the reserves, Nick Pringle took advantage of his opportunity by scoring 19 points and bringing down 12 rebounds to complete his double-double.
The Crimson Tide have not had many stumbles this season, but when they do, they always bounce back in a big way, and Saturday night was no different as they cleaned up their mistakes and dominated the paint. Against Tennessee Wednesday, Alabama turned the ball over a whopping 19 times, which ultimately led to their downfall, but Saturday against Georgia, there was extra focus on limiting the mistakes, and it resulted in just 11 turnovers by the Tide.
Controlling the paint, as Alabama generally does, was a big factor in their success Saturday. The Crimson Tide dominated inside, pulling down 49 rebounds to just 26 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Points in the paint was also a huge mismatch, with Alabama winning that battle 44-28. Ball movement was exceptional for the Crimson Tide, led by Jaden Bradley and Jahvon Quinerly, who combined for 13 of Alabama’s 26 assists.
Next up for the Crimson Tide is a road game at South Carolina Wednesday, February 22, at 8 p.m. CT.
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