BamaCentral Courtside: No. 6 Alabama 73, Tennessee 68
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 6 Alabama basketball is headed to the SEC tournament championship game after defeating Tennessee 73-68 on Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena.
The Crimson Tide trailed at halftime and was down by as much as 15 points at the 16:56 mark of the second half, but a 14-0 run by Alabama put the team right back in it and a strong finish put the team on top in the final minutes.
Senior wing Herb Jones finished the game with a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Jones led the team in both categories and also led the team in assists with four.
In total, the Crimson Tide had only two players score in double digits including Jones and sophomore guard Jahvon Quinerly, who finished the game with 19 points.
Freshman guard Josh Primo was unable to play in the game due to an MCL injury in his left knee that he suffered against Mississippi State on Friday. In his place, junior guard Keon Ellis started on the court for the Crimson Tide. Ellis finished the game with seven points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes.
Overall, Alabama struggled on offense; the Crimson Tide shot just 37-percent from the floor and 25-percent from beyond the arc. Ultimately it was its defense that propelled the Crimson Tide past the Volunteers.
Alabama will now face LSU on Sunday in the SEC title game (Noon CT, ESPN).
BamaCentral's own Tyler Martin and Joey Blackwell break down the Crimson Tide's SEC tournament semifinal victory from Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville in the video at the top of this page.
