Alabama Basketball: On brooms and cutting down the nets in T-Town

On Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, Auburn led Alabama Basketball by 17 points with 10:27 left in the second half. A 16-0 Crimson Tide run cut the Auburn lead to a single point at 4:57. It was tight the rest of regulation and through most of the overtime period, with Tide putting away the Tigers 90-85.

There were two primary reasons why the Crimson Tide prevailed over Auburn. One was the intensity and noise level of the Coleman Coliseum crowd. Fans with a long history of games in Coleman said the old arena was louder than ever before. How many points was the crowd worth? At least four or five, maybe six or seven.

The other major reason for the Crimson Tide’s sweep of Auburn was Jahvon Quinerly. Alabama’s backup lead guard was sensational. Quinerly was more than Auburn could handle. The Crimson Tide reserve played 36 of the 45 minutes, making 7-of-12 shots and 8-of-9 at the foul line to the Tide in scoring with 24 points. Even more impressive were his six assists, two rebounds and three steals – and no turnovers.

After the game, Nate Oats said,

"I can’t be more proud of JQ. I told him and I told the team we’re getting the March version of JQ."

Alabama Basketball Warriors

Every Crimson Tide player was a warrior against a desperate and determined Auburn team. Brandon Miller, Noah Clowney and Mark Sears scored 17 points each. Three blocks by Miller and two by Clowney were pivotal, especially in getting the game into overtime.

Auburn shot 60% outside the arc and outrebounded the Tide by one. Bruce Pearl’s plan to slow Brandon Miller was solid, but it didn’t account for Quinerly.

Speaking about winning the SEC Regular Season Championship, an emotional Nate Oats said,

"I just couldn’t be more proud of this group. Obviously, it’s a heartbreaking situation that’s never lost on us, but the kids have worked hard. Winning the SEC is not an easy thing to do.We still have things we want to accomplish ahead of us, but these guys have worked so hard and I’m proud of them."

What cannot go unnoticed was the Crimson Tide’s second-half and overtime level of effort and intensity. According to Oats, “Alabama trailed Auburn by 10 blue-collar points at halftime and finished the game up by 15.” The Tide’s Hard Hat Award went to Brandon Miller.

Note. Game stats provided by Stat Broadcast

Now with 11 SEC Regular Season Championships, Alabama is No. 2 in conference history, tied with LSU and Tennessee.