Guard play leads the way in No. 20 Alabama’s impressive win over Liberty
Alabama guards Jaden Bradley (0) and Mark Sears (1) fire up the crowd in the Crimson Tide’s 95-59 win over the Liberty Flames on Nov. 11 at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
November 12, 2022
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Jaden Shackelford, Keon Ellis and JD Davison. What do all three have in common? They are all guards that are missing from the Crimson Tide’s depth chart in 2022-23, having moved on to the NBA. Surely there will be some drop-off in guard play for Alabama this season, right?
Wrong.
Instead, the Crimson Tide reloaded its backcourt, and it’s dangerous.
“We’ve got some guys that can really play,” head coach Nate Oats said.
Alabama defeated the Liberty University Flames 95-59 on Friday night at Coleman Coliseum, and the Crimson Tide guards put on a show.
Ohio University transfer Mark Sears was very impressive, tallying 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Five-star freshman Brandon Miller doesn’t look like a guard at 6-foot-9 — but he is. Miller added 20 points and eight rebounds. Rylan Griffen came off the bench and scored 16 himself.
That wasn’t it, either. Jaden Bradley and Nimari Burnett combined for 19.
“We play really well off of each other,” Sears said. “When you’re playing with guys like Brandon [Miller], Nimari [Burnett] — it makes the game so much easier.”
“We’ve got great guys around us that bring great energy,” Miller said.
It wasn’t just offense. The Crimson Tide held the Flames to just 33% shooting in the contest, as well as 14 turnovers. Liberty guard Darius McGhee averaged 24.6 points per game last season, but he was held to eight points on 3-for-11 shooting Friday night.
“We wanted more length, versatility, more depth,” head coach Nate Oats said. “Last year—you can preach all the defense you want, but if there’s nobody to put in the game if you’re not playing defense, it’s hard to hold them accountable. We’re not going to have that problem this year. If you’re not going to guard, you’re not going to stay in the game. They’re guarding right now.”
The backcourt talent for Alabama is downright ridiculous, and they’re currently playing without Jahvon Quinerly, who averaged nearly 14 points per game last season. When the Crimson Tide welcomes back Quinerly — the 2021 SEC Tournament MVP and preseason first-team All-SEC player — look out.
Alabama plays next on Tuesday, Nov. 15, against the University of South Alabama. Tipoff in Mobile is set for 9 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
Questions or comments? Email Austin Hannon (Sports Editor) at [email protected]
