Alabama basketball routed previously undefeated Oklahoma 107-79 to win its SEC opener on Saturday night in Coleman Coliseum.
The Crimson Tide played perhaps its most complete game of the season on both ends of the floor. Alabama paired an elite defensive effort in the first half, holding the Sooners to just 0.74 points per possession with a dominant effort on the glass. Alabama outrebounded Oklahoma by a margin of 23 (50-27).
Alabama's dominance on the offensive glass allowed it to still score in triple digits despite only connecting on 9-of-29 (31%) from three.
Alabama was led in scoring by guards Mark Sears (22 points) and Labaron Philon (16). But Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi led the way inside with great efforts on both ends of the floor. Nelson finished with a double-double and had four stocks (steals plus blocks).
Omoruyi probably had his best game with the Crimson Tide to date, finishing with 10 points and 7 rebounds. He also blocked a shot and was disruptive all night on the interior.
With the win, Alabama improved to 12-2 on the season and handed Oklahoma (13-1) its first loss of the season.
3 Takeaways from Alabama's rout of Oklahoma
3. Alabama's dominance on the glass continues to help it overcome poor outside shooting
Alabama has not shot the three the way it hoped to so far this season. That continued on Saturday against the Sooners, with Alabama hitting just 31% from downtown. But for those who might be confused as to how Alabama was still top five in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency metric, this game showed you how.
Alabama dominated Oklahoma on the glass, outrebounding the Sooners 50-27. Alabama had 22 offensive rebounds which led to a 25-4 edge in second-chance points.
Grant Nelson continues to fight hard on the glass. He had 11 rebounds to lead the way for the Tide. Chris Youngblood finished with eight boards, including a team-leading four on the offensive glass.
2. Mark Sears was much more in control
Outside of a brutal end-of-half possession going into halftime where Alabama ran the "Mark Sears dribbles out the clock and then tries to create with six seconds on the shot clock" offense, which failed miserably (again), Sears was totally in command of this game.
While he was only 1-of-6 from three, Sears still scored 220 points. More impressively, Sears finished with 10 assists for a double-double. He also didn't turn the ball over a single time. He looked a lot more like the preseason National Player of the Year than we had seen so far this season.
Sears is beginning to play a little bit more off the ball with Labaron Philon's emergence, which I think has been a net positive for him and for Philon.
This version of Sears is what Alabama needs in order to reach its lofty preseason goals.
1. This Alabama team is a legitimate national title contender
Some Alabama fans had been disappointed by the start of the season for the Crimson Tide, despite it finishing non-conference play with an 11-2 record and quality wins over the likes of Illinois, Houston, North Carolina, and Creighton. But Alabama had not looked like the version of the Crimson Tide most expected to see.
But Alabama's roster also hasn't been together for long with an injury to Chris Youngblood keeping him out for the first eight games of the season. Latrell Wrightsell's Achilles injury forced Nate Oats to burn Houston Mallette's redshirt, and he's still working his way into game shape, too.
For Alabama, it was elite on both ends of the floor for long stretches against Oklahoma. It looked like a top five team, and a team that is capable of winning the whole thing.
Alabama will play its first SEC road game coming up on Wednesday with a road trip to South Carolina.