With Taylor Bol Bowen, Latrell Wrightsell, and Keitenn Bristow joining Collins Onyejiaka and Davion Hannah in street clothes, Alabama faced off with Mississippi State on the road on Tuesday night looking to shake off a two-game losing streak with only eight scholarship players available.
Things looked bleak early as the Bulldogs raced out to a 29-15 advantage in the first 12 minutes of the game, but the Crimson Tide overcame that sluggish opening and dominated the game from there.
Alabama outscored Mississippi State 21-5 to close the first half and take a surprising 36-34 lead into the locker room. They continued the run into the second half, ultimately going on an extended run of 34-7, building a double-digit advantage and never looking back on the way to a 97-82 win at the Hump.
The most important observations from Alabama's win over Mississippi State
1. A career night for Labaron Philon
The thing about having a superstar is that when things aren't going well, you can just get them the ball and get the hell out of the way. Alabama's offense opened the game with no real purpose to anything they were doing. It was bogged down and unable to get much going.
So Philon just took over, leading to a career night for the sophomore sensation.
Philon scored a career-high 32 points. He did his damage from all over the court. The Bulldogs couldn't stop him at the rim unless they fouled him. And he converted 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also found his jumper, connecting on 3-of-5 from three.
He also added four rebounds and three assists in the Alabama rout.
2. A career night for Aiden Sherrell, too
Aiden Sherrell brought terrific energy to the offensive end from the opening tip for the Crimson Tide. He was aggressive looking to score, and he made State pay for fouling him. He knocked down 10-of-11 from the foul line on his way to a career-high 22 points and five rebounds.
It was Sherrell's second 20+ game of the season. He matched the early physicality that Mississippi State played with and was a major part of the script flipping after a rough start.
3. Another double-double for Amari Allen
If Nate Oats could get everyone to play with the effort on both ends that Amari Allen does night in and night out, there might not be a better team in the country. The freshman brings it every game, no matter what.
For the second straight game, and the fourth time this season, Allen put up a double-double. He only scored 13 points on just 4-of-10 from the floor. But he grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the way for the Tide, keying a needed effort on the glass as Alabama outrebounded Mississippi State.
4. Alabama showed its toughness against Mississippi State
It would have been really easy for Alabama to mail in this performance in Starkville, especially with how the game started.
With back-to-back losses, and only eight scholarship players available, Alabama had to dig deep to win a game on the road that it needed to stay alive in the SEC Championship race.
And that's what they did. Shaking off an early 14-point deficit to ultimately win the game by 15 points. It's the type of win that can get the Crimson Tide rolling again, and hopefully, they'll get healthier before the trip to Norman on Saturday.