No. 4 Alabama is continuing to dominate the SEC, defeating LSU, Mississippi State and Georgia in the last three games. Here are the standout performances from this stretch.
Mouhamed Dioubate vs LSU
The forward, who is usually known for his defensive presence, also came through offensively in the 80-73 win against the Tigers. He scored 14 points off the bench on 6/8 shooting and had six rebounds.
Dioubate also continued to be the same defensive anchor, winning the hard hat award for his effort. His scoring came in a timely manner, with 12 of his 14 points coming in the second half after guard Mark Sears was benched for the period.
“I didn’t think he was his normal self in the first half,” head coach Nate Oats said. “I thought he stepped up timely in the second half.”
Chris Youngblood vs Mississippi State
In a tough road environment in Starkville against the No. 14 ranked Bulldogs, the Crimson Tide needed a player to step up. Youngblood did just that, scoring a team-high 23 points on an impressive 7/10 shooting from downtown which helped aid a 88-84 victory.
Youngblood had struggled from downtown since coming back from ankle surgery, shooting only 30.5% from downtown before this game. But his play helped the Crimson Tide in a big way, and he also made two crucial free throws near the end of the game to help seal the win.
“As I’m playing more, the goal is really just to keep getting better and feeling more comfortable,” Youngblood said.
Mark Sears vs Mississippi State
The Crimson Tide was looking for a strong bounceback from the fifth-year senior after he went scoreless against LSU and didn’t play for the entirety of the second half.
Sears delivered that bounceback performance, scoring 17 points and dishing out a team-high nine assists. He also showed strong effort as well, snagging three offensive rebounds and just missing out on the hard-hat award.
“I thought Sears had a really good bounceback game. I mean, he played hard,” Oats said.
Grant Nelson vs Georgia
The fifth-year senior forward had a strong showing in the 90-69 win against the Bulldogs, scoring 16 points and adding a team-high 10 rebounds. He played a big part in closing out the victory, scoring 11 of his 16 points in the second half.
Nelson also made a major impact defensively, swatting a season-high five shots and playing a part in holding Georgia to 35% from the field. He is the only player in the SEC this season to have at least 16 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in a game.
Alabama will now travel to Arkansas, where it will face the Razorbacks on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
