Even without star sophomore guard Labaron Philon, Alabama basketball only needed one half to put Mississippi State to bed on Wednesday night in Coleman Coliseum to earn its 7th consecutive victory, 100-75.
The Crimson Tide overwhelmed the Bulldogs with a ridiculous 3-point barrage, connecting on 16-of-27 from deep in the first half to build a 63-33 lead. Alabama cooled off considerably in the second half (6-of-23), but the job was already done.
With Philon out, it was Aden Holloway leading the offense, and the junior finished with his first double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and dishing out 10 assists. He also added seven rebounds and momentarily appeared to be flirting with a triple-double.
Freshman Amari Allen picked up some of the scoring slack with a big night from three (6-of-7) to lead Alabama in scoring with 23 points. Latrell Wrightsell (18), Aiden Sherrell (11), and Taylor Bol Bowen (10) also finished in double figures in scoring.
Defensively, Alabama did an excellent job on Mississippi State star Josh Hubbard, holding one of the leading scorers in the SEC to just 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the floor. It was a collective effort, with Holloway, Wrightsell, and, as predicted by Nate Oats, Jalil Bethea getting the bulk of the work on him and keeping him uncomfortable.
Alabama stole extra rest for Labaron Philon while dominating Mississippi State
Getting much-needed rest for Philon, who has been dealing with a nagging leg injury for a few weeks now, could be critical for the Crimson Tide's ability to potentially knock off Tennessee on the road on Saturday in a game where Alabama could effectively clinch a double-bye in the SEC Tournament.
It was a calculated gamble by Oats, one that paid off. Alabama didn't need Philon to easily handle Mississippi State in a game that was never really in doubt. The Tide built a 10-point lead at the first media timeout and never really looked back.
It was Alabama's seventh straight win. After a blowout loss at Florida on February 1st, Alabama was just 4-4 in SEC play, and where the season was going to go at that point was anybody's guess. But Oats and company rallied the troops, and with three games left, Alabama is 11-4 in the league and alone in 2nd place behind the Gators.
Alabama will now face back-to-back SEC road games, going to Knoxville on Saturday and then Athens on Tuesday, before finishing the regular season at home against Auburn on March 7th.