Alabama Basketball bounces back, trounces Vandy

Alabama basketball bounced back in emphatic fashion after its debacle in Oklahoma, which remains Bama’s only loss in 2023. The Crimson Tide was clicking on all cylinders against Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, thrashing the Commodores by a final score of 101-44. The 57-point margin of victory was Alabama’s largest over an SEC opponent in school history.

Bama started fast with an early 21-0 run and never let up. The Tide outscored Vandy by 28 points in the first half, heading into the locker room with a 43-15 lead. Bama then outdid itself in the second half, outscoring the Dores by 29 to put a stamp on the record-breaking win.

Alabama Basketball: Total annihilation

Alabama basketball shot 59 percent from the field, connected on over 46 percent of its three-point shots, outrebounded its opponent, and held Vanderbilt to just 25 percent shooting. The Crimson Tide also recorded 29 assists on 36 made field goals for an assist rate of over 80 percent.

Brandon Miller led five Alabama players in double-figures with 22 points and eight rebounds. The freshman phenom hit six three-pointers and threw down a thunderous dunk that demoralized an already-deflated Vanderbilt team.

Center Charles Bediako also helped to set the tone in the paint with several dunks of his own. Bediako did his part to boost Bama’s field goal percentage, going 5-5 from the field.

Sophomore Nimari Burnett drained four triples, scoring 16 points in just 15 minutes of playing time. If Burnett is truly returning to form, he only adds more firepower to arguably the best bench unit in college basketball. He began the season as a starter, and is an elite three-and-D guy on the wing.

Other members of that potent second-team include freshman wing Rylan Griffen and senior forward Noah Gurley. Griffen contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Gurley added 11 points, four rebounds, and two blocks.

The point guard duo of Mark Sears and Jahvon Quinerly both assumed the facilitator role against Vanderbilt. Sears and Quinerly combined for just 12 points on 3-7 shooting, but accounted for 15 assists in the game. Quinerly’s 7-1 assist-turnover ratio is the best ATR he’s posted since early December.

In this game, Alabama Basketball once again looked like the team it has been for most of the season. It appears as though the rough patch is behind the Crimson Tide, who improve to 19-3 and 9-0 in the SEC.

Alabama will take on LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday afternoon.