Alabama basketball rebounded strongly after its debacle in Oklahoma, which remains Bama’s only loss in 2023. The Crimson Tide went into overdrive against Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, defeating the Commodores by a final score of 101-44. The win’s 57-point margin was Alabama’s largest over an SEC opponent in school history.
Bama started quickly with an early 21-0 run and never let up. The Tide beat Vandy by 28 points in the first half and went into the dressing room with a 43-15 lead. Bama then outdid himself in the second half, beating the Dores by 29 to put his stamp on the record win.
Alabama Basketball: Total Annihilation
The Alabama basketball shot 59 percent from the field, connected on over 46 percent of its three-point shots, passed its opponent and kept Vanderbilt on just 25 percent shooting. The Crimson Tide also had 29 assists on 36 field goals, which is an assist ratio of over 80 percent.
Brandon Miller led five Alabama players by double digits with 22 points and eight rebounds. The freshman phenom hit six threes and threw a thunderous dunk that demoralized an already deflated Vanderbilt team.
Center Charles Bediako also helped set the tone in the suit with several dunks of his own. Bediako did his part to boost Bama’s field goal percentage by going 5-5 from the field.
Sophomore Nimari Burnett lost four triples and scored 16 points in just 15 minutes of play. If Burnett truly returns to his form, he’ll only add more firepower to arguably the best bench unit in college basketball. He started the season as a starter and is an elite three-and-D type on the wing.
Other members of this strong second team include newcomer Rylan Griffen and veteran forward Noah Gurley. Griffen contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Gurley added 11 points, four rebounds and two blocks.
Point guard duo Mark Sears and Jahvon Quinerly both took on the moderator role against Vanderbilt. Sears and Quinerly combined for just 12 points on 3-7 shooting but had 15 assists in the game. Quinerly’s 7:1 assist-turnover ratio is the best ATR he’s posted since early December.
In this game, Alabama Basketball once again looked like the team it was for most of the season. It seems like the rough patch is behind the Crimson Tide, who improve to 19-3 and 9-0 in the SEC.
Alabama meets LSU Saturday afternoon in Baton Rouge.