For the majority of the first half, and the first chunk of the second, things looked bleak for Alabama basketball at home against Darius Acuff and No. 20 Arkansas. Acuff and the Razorbacks gashed the Crimson Tide for 57 first-half points, shooting over 60% from the field to build a 10-point lead after the first 20 minutes.
Arkansas extended that lead to as many as 14 in the second half. With under 13 to play, Arkansas led 75-62. And then the momentum shifted.
Alabama finally stacked some defensive stops and then poured it on Arkansas offensively, repeatedly getting into the paint and scoring bucket after bucket. It was, of course, star sophomore guard Labaron Philon who led the charge.
Philon scored 24 points after halftime on his way to a career-high 35 points and 7 assists to lift the Crimson Tide to a 117-115 double overtime victory over Arkansas in a critical game in the SEC race and for NCAA Tournament positioning.
It was a message that Philon delivered to his teammates in the middle of the storm that might have been just as vital as his on-court performance.
"We've been through a lot of adversity this season," Philon said postgame. "I told my guys, don't break, we can flip this in a hurry."
Labaron Philon told his Alabama teammates the Tide's run was coming against Arkansas
Alabama's offense is ruthlessly efficient, ranking No. 3 in KenPom's offensive efficiency metric. And it wasn't three-point shooting that sparked things for the Crimson Tide. Alabama shot just 10-of-29 (34%) from three. It was the aggression to attack the rim where Alabama did its most damage. Led by Philon and sophomore center Aiden Sherrell (26 points, 13 rebounds), the Tide bludgeoned the Hogs in the paint for 58 points.
Trailing 75-62 with less than 13 minutes to play, Alabama went on a 23-4 run to take an 85-79 lead with 5:38 to play. The Crimson Tide couldn't close the deal in regulation, but it never stopped fighting and never got discouraged, even after Arkansas scored the first five points of the first overtime period following Darius Acuff's game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation.
Some big-time shot-making by senior wing Houston Mallette, and more Philon, Sherrell, and freshman Amari Allen, ultimately proved too much as Alabama showed its championship grit to earn a pivotal win that will resonate in the SEC standings and the NCAA Tournament pecking order.