Alabama Basketball: Tide gets a big win taking down No. 5 TAMU 79-57

Alabama basketball got a needed signature win, beating the No. 5 ranked TAMU Aggies, 79-57. The Tide’s balanced scoring was led by 18 points from John Petty.

Alabama basketball played so well against TAMU, the only blemished stat was 30 percent three-point shooting, despite John Petty making five-of-nine from long-range. The Tide offense was balanced with Donta Hall adding 17 points. Collin Sexton scored 16 points as did Dazon Ingram.

The Tide’s poor accuracy from outside the arc was the result of Collin Sexton and Dazon Ingram both going one-for-six from deep. Otherwise, it was a superb performance from Avery Johnson’s Alabama basketball team.

Defense and rebounding are strengths for TAMU but the Tide won the boards battle 42-42. Herbert Jones got nine boards in 21 minutes of play. Braxton Key, Donta Hall and Dazon Ingram pulled down six boards apiece. Alabama basketball was a marvelous 20-for-24 from the charity stripe. Sexton was 9-of-10, Ingram 5-of-6 and Hall was perfect with three foul shots.

Avery Johnson was able to use 12 players in the one-sided victory.

Highlight and lowlight of the night

The highlight was the play of Braxton Key. In just 20 minutes of play, Key stayed in the offensive flow, made good passes and did not force the action. His six rebounds, two points and two assists indicated he is, as Avery Johnson said yesterday, nearly back to full speed.

The lowlight was again Avery’s player rotation. Playing 12 guys was great with the outcome in little doubt in the game’s last nine minutes. At 14:22 of the first half, the Tide led 14-4 and looked on the verge of blowing the Aggies out of Coleman. Avery took out Sexton, Key and Ingram and brought in AJ Jr., Giddens and Herbert Jones. Forty seconds later he subbed Alex Reese for Donta Hall.

Hall and Sexton came back after close to a four-minute rest. Ingram came back sooner to rest the remaining starter, John Petty. At 9:22 TAMU cut the lead to five and the Tide led by seven at halftime. While the odd early substitution worked out fine, it also disrupted the Tide’s offensive flow. Avery knows best. Maybe he wanted to create some extra rest around a media timeout. But the early change had the result of ‘taking your foot off the gas’ in a big race. Do the same against an explosive Arkansas team (and others) and a lead can evaporate in a few minutes.

TAMU was short-handed

TAMU did not have two of its top three scorers. DJ Hogg was suspended and Admon Gilder is injured. With those two in the lineup, the Aggies offense would have been stronger, particularly from outside the arc.

Based on live-rpi.com, the Tide moved up to No. 24 in RPI. The Aggies dropped only slightly to No. 9. After a Hogs overtime victory against Tennessee, the highest current RPI among SEC teams is Arkansas at No. 7.

Next: Players happy to have 'Rocky Tide' coach

Next for Alabama basketball is a visit to Nashville on January 2nd. Vanderbilt is 5-8, losing to Florida 81-74 in Gainsville. Forget the record, winning in Nashville is always a challenge for Alabama basketball.