No. 3 seed Alabama men’s basketball took down No. 6 seed Kentucky 99-70 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
This was the first time that Alabama has ever defeated Kentucky in three consecutive games.
After the first seven minutes of the contest, the score was tied at 14. Alabama found early success in the paint and via lobs and layups, while two of the Wildcats’ first five buckets came from behind the arc.
A 9-0 Crimson Tide run followed by a 7-0 Kentucky run made the score 23-21 in favor of Alabama with 9:32 left in the half. Despite holding onto the lead, the Crimson Tide had yet to make a 3-pointer, going 0/9 up until that point.
Forwards Jarin Stevenson and Grant Nelson each gave the team its first makes from range, helping Alabama hold onto a 36-30 lead with five minutes left in the half.
The Crimson Tide controlled momentum en route to a 45-38 lead to end the first half, despite hitting just two 3-pointers in the period.
Freshman guard Labaron Philon was impressive for the Crimson Tide in the half, scoring a team-high 10 points and dishing out a trio of assists.
“First time he’s ever played in a postseason game, and he looked pretty good,” head coach Nate Oats said.
The team also looked solid in the turnover department, forcing eight from the Wildcats while giving up the ball just four times in the half.
Guard Chris Youngblood got the Crimson Tide going from deep in the first minute of the second half, converting on the team’s first attempt from 3 out of the break to take a 49-40 advantage.
This ignited Alabama’s offense, as the team’s lead stretched to 13 at 57-44 with 16:31 left after Philon and forward Mouhamed Dioubate drilled 3-pointers of their own, part of an 8-2 run.
A 13-5 Crimson Tide run extended the team’s lead to 20 at 77-57 with 10:39 left thanks to forcing turnovers, finding open looks from 3 and using good all-around vision in the paint.
Alabama refused to surrender momentum, dominating the rest of the way for a 29-point victory in its tournament debut.
The Crimson Tide’s impressive stats — shooting 9/16 from 3-point range in the second half and forcing 16 turnovers throughout the game — are what ultimately led to the wide margin.
Oats noted that he was pleased with his team’s defensive performance and attributed his team’s success to three key factors.
“Pressuring the guards, keeping them out of transition, then running them off the 3-point line were the three biggest things,” he said.
Philon scored a game-high 21 points, also securing four assists, a block and three turnovers.
Stevenson was second on the team in points with 16, earning high praise from his coach postgame.
“I thought Jarin Stevenson looked as good as he’s looked all year,” Oats said.
Alabama will return to the floor for the SEC Tournament semifinals tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. CT versus No. 2 seed Florida.
