Tigers tamed.  

On Saturday, No. 4 Alabama defeated the LSU Tigers 106-66 behind a performance to remember from beyond the arc, drilling 20 of their 54 attempts from downtown.  

Leading the way for the Crimson Tide was Brandon Miller, who scored 22 first half points en route to a 31-point, 9-rebound performance which saw the 6-foot-9 forward hit 7 of his 11 attempts from downtown. 

A five-star freshman from Antioch, Tennessee, Miller continues to take the college basketball world by storm, taking control of the race for SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year with his continued elite play.  

“I think my teammates keep me focused on the mission,” Miller said postgame. “The mission is to win the national championship.” 

Following Miller was his usual partner in crime, Mark Sears, who scored 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out an assist. 

It was also a productive day for freshman point guard Jaden Bradley, who scored seven points on 2-for-4 shooting and tallying six assists of his own.  

While it might not show in the box score, fellow freshman Rylan Griffen was all over the court for the Alabama, grabbing six rebounds and making a number of hustle plays on both ends of the floor.  

Nailing his first three in a Crimson Tide uniform was senior forward Dominick Welch, who scored five points on 1-for-5 shooting from the floor. 

A transfer from St. Bonaventure, the 6-foot-6 forward has struggled since returning from a calf injury in December that sidelined him for the first 12 games of the regular season.  

“Dom [Welch] is a guy that we know can shoot,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “and we want to get him going.” 

While Oats’ offense was clicking on all cylinders, it was the defensive effort that capped off a complete performance for his SEC-leading Alabama squad, holding the Tigers to 22 first half points, and forcing Matt McMahon’s team into a mere 29.5% percent mark from the field over the course of the game. 

“Our foundation here is our defense, our rebounding, our tough stuff,” Oats said. “I feel like today was a day where we got back to who we are.” 

After yet another dominant performance versus a conference opponent, the Crimson Tide will now make the 246-mile journey to Music City, U.S.A. for a matchup with the Vanderbilt Commodores. 

Tipoff for No. 4 Alabama vs. Vanderbilt at Memorial Gym is set for Tuesday, Jan. 14th at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. 

Questions or comments? Email Blake Byler (Sports Editor) at [email protected]