Alabama Basketball: Crimson Tide outlasts Auburn on the road

Alabama basketball walked into Neville Arena on Saturday, and walked out with a hard-fought victory a few hours later. The Crimson Tide defeated Auburn 77-69 to improve to 22-3 and 12-0 in the SEC. Alabama is now 11-1 in true road games, and 6-0 in conference road games.

This rivalry game was hard-fought throughout, and saw the home team dictating the pace early. Alabama was able to knot the game up at 37-all heading into halftime, but it stayed tight well into the second half. Over the final six minutes of the game, Auburn finally went cold and the Tide used a 16-7 spurt to pull away.

The new faces, who aren’t exactly new anymore, led Alabama basketball once again. Freshman Rylan Griffen notched a team-high 16 points. Junior guard Mark Sears recorded 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Brandon Miller managed 13 points, six boards, and three assists on what was an off day, and still made a handful of splash plays that showcased his ability. Fellow freshman Jaden Bradley added 12 points to give Alabama four players in double figures. Griffen, Sears, Miller, and Bradley are all in their first seasons in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama didn’t shoot the ball well from the perimeter (6-21 for 28.6 percent) or from the free throw line (13-23 for 56.5 percent). Still, the Tide’s defense and proficiency in the paint were enough to secure the win.

Bama shot an absurd 82 percent (23-28) on two-point fields. This level of effectiveness allowed it to shoot 59 percent from the field for the game despite struggling from the perimeter.

Meanwhile, the Alabama defense held Auburn to just 32 percent shooting. The Tide has shown the ability to play lockdown defense at times this season, and it suffocated Auburn’s offense in this game. Limiting the Tigers to 32 percent meant Auburn couldn’t generate enough points to win despite getting 13 more shot attempts than Alabama.

With the win, Alabama widened its lead in the SEC regular season race. Should Texas A&M lose to LSU on the road tonight, Bama would have a three-game advantage over the field.

On Wednesday night, Alabama basketball will travel to Knoxville to play another difficult game at Tennessee. The Volunteers have spent time ranked in the top-5 nationally this season, but have not played well lately. Tennessee has lost two of its last three games, and is on the ropes again against Missouri. This recent slippage will likely rob Alabama of what should’ve been a top-10 matchup in Knoxville.

Still, the Vols currently sit in third place in the SEC, and should be expected to bring their best against the white-hot Crimson Tide.

The next game is a big one for Alabama basketball, but the team and fan base alike should spend the rest of the weekend enjoying a satisfying win on the Plains.