Alabama Basketball with an important SEC road win over Missouri

Alabama basketball needed to stop a two-game losing streak and it had to do it on the road. The Tide came away with a 70-60 victory over Missouri.

Avery Johnson needed a sense of urgency from his Alabama basketball team after back-to-back losses. The Crimson Tide head man got the result he wanted in the ten-point win but how his team did it was different.

Alabama basketball got serious about defense and the somewhat blue-collar approach worked well. Missouri went into the game with the best three-point shooting percentage in the SEC at 39.1 percent. They played to that strength in the first half shooting 46 percent. The Tide turned up its perimeter defense during the first half and it was very evident in the second half with Missouri only making 1-of-7. Missouri’s Mark Smith had been the big gun for the Tigers. His SEC clip was 47.3 percent. He shot well early but made only 1-of-5 second-half shots and only attempted three second-half shots beyond the arc.

For much of the game, Alabama basketball was the more physical team attacking the basket. The Tide won the points in the paint battle 40 points to 30. Missouri dictated the pace of the game, almost completely negating the Tide’s fast-break attack. Avery’s team had a decided advantage on the glass, winning the boards with a 37-29 advantage. Donta hall led the Tide in rebounds with 11, followed by Alex Reese with five rebounds.

The biggest surprise of the night was the Crimson Tide bench scoring advantage led by Avery Johnson Jr. Young Avery has been averaging less than 2 points per game. He pitched in 14 points in 18 minutes of play. Avery Jr. hit some of his spinning, scoop shots and even more surprising, after not making a three-point shot all season, he nailed two. The Crimson Tide bench outscored Missouri 33 points to 15.

The relatively slow pace of play reduced turnovers. The Tide made just ten and Missouri had only eleven. To go along with his 11 boards, Donta Hall added 12 points, followed by Kira Lewis Jr. with nine points, Dazon Ingram with nine points and Alex Reese with seven points.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will face a much sterner test on the road this Saturday. The Tennessee Vols are the best team in the SEC. After that, the Tide will return home to face the hottest team in the SEC, Ole Miss.