Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball at South Carolina

Blake Byler's thoughts and takeaways from Alabama's dramatic overtime win.

The eyes of the college basketball world were on Columbia, South Carolina Wednesday night as the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide faced one of its most difficult challenges all season, both on the court, and off.

Alabama came away with a 78-76 win in overtime over South Carolina, here are some of my thoughts from the game:

1. Brandon Miller's effort was superhuman.

I covered this in more detail in my postgame story, but I would be remiss to talk about this game without mentioning the unreal display Brandon Miller executed against the Gamecocks.

Likely due to the off-court events that transpired Tuesday, along with the mental and emotional obstacles that arose from the intense backlash of national headlines, Alabama's team looked mostly lost during the game. 

Even ESPN's Seth Greenberg, who called the game on ESPN2, noted that Alabama's pregame shootaround had a distinct lack of energy.

That didn't stop Miller from shouldering the load and carrying his team to a much-needed victory. His 41 points were the most by an Alabama player since Collin Sexton dropped 40 in the 3-on-5 game. He did everything. He made threes, he got to the rim, he knocked down his free throws.

Oh, and he scored both the game-tying and game-winning buckets.

Alabama's second-leading scorer had just 10 points. Miller accounted for over 52 percent of Alabama's scoring.

Whenever South Carolina made a run, Miller answered. He did everything in his power to physically will his team to a win when nobody else showed up, the mark of a true superstar.

And given how the public perception of Miller had shifted in light of recent events, that makes his performance all the more impressive. 

2. Charles Bediako played his role well on both ends.

OK, when I said that no one else showed up for Alabama, that wasn't entirely true. Charles Bediako was the only piece of Miller's supporting cast that looked consistently solid on both ends of the floor.

And many people forget, due to the events of the week, that Bediako was dealing with a knee injury that people thought could've held him out of the Tennessee game just a week ago.

For the game, Bediako scored 10 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor. He also grabbed nine rebounds, but perhaps most notably, he made his presence felt on the defensive end.

After Alabama's loss to Tennessee, Oats mentioned that Bediako's playing limitations hurt the Crimson Tide, and that they seriously missed his interior rim protection. That rim protection was on full display on Wednesday, as he blocked two shots an altered many more at the rim, bolstering Alabama's defensive efforts.

This season, Bediako's defensive positioning and discipline have been much improved, as he has worked tirelessly on the art of contesting shots without giving up cheap fouls.

If Alabama is going to make a deep run in the postseason this year, Bediako has to be playing at a high level. And right now, he's on track to be.

3. Once again, Alabama gutted out an exceedingly difficult win.

This season has been unforgettable for Alabama for a number of reasons. Being 23-4 and 14-1 in the SEC is incredible, but the way it's gotten there has been equally impressive.

I've talked at length already about some of the difficult environments Alabama has faced, from the Fertitta Center to Neville Arena. Nearly every time, the Crimson Tide has shown its poise and stunning menta toughness for a young team, continually emerging victorious.

But Wednesday night, it truly felt like the stars were aligning for a massive upset.

Not only was the national spotlight on the game due to the week's events, but South Carolina came ready to play. The Gamecocks were locked in are ready to knock off the No. 2 team in America, and Alabama wasn't ready to defend its ranking.

South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson made three separate 30-plus-foot 3-point shots — one from halfcourt as the halftime buzzer sounded — which led Greenberg to remark about parallels to the miraculous shots the Gamecocks were hitting in their upset of Kentucky earlier this season.

If there was going to be an upset of massive proportions, this was the time. But Alabama overcame, like it has time, and time again this season.

It really makes you wonder, what can't this team overcome at this point?

See also:

Miller’s 41 points lead No. 2 Alabama Over South Carolina in Overtime

Everything Nate Oats Said After Alabama Beat South Carolina in OT

Brandon Miller Displays Generational Performance in Alabama's Overtime Win