Full-Court Press: Takeaways From Alabama Basketball at Vanderbilt

Blake Byler's thoughts and takeaways from Alabama basketball's road win in Nashville.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After a completely unforeseen start to the week, the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide traveled north to take on Vanderbilt in Memorial Gymnasium. 

Alabama came away with a 78-66 victory over the Commodores in a hard-fought game that showed immense amounts of courage and toughness. 

Here are some of my thoughts from the game.

1. Once again, a challenge was answered.

This was nothing like some of the previous challenges this year's Alabama basketball team had faced. After Sunday's news broke that forward Darius Miles had been charged with capital murder following a shooting near campus early Sunday morning, there is no telling how the players in that locker room felt.

Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse said he was surprised the game was even played, and honestly, I agree with him. 

How can we expect a group of 18- to 22-year-olds to process news like that in time to go on the road and play in a difficult environment, much less live up to the standard they had set with their play over the past few weeks?

While they didn't play the sharpest game of the season, what Alabama did on Tuesday night was remarkable. The team showed up focused, looked ready to play from the tip, and even overcame a few hardships throughout the game thanks to the pesky nature of the Commodores who never seemed to go away.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats said after the game that players were breaking down in the locker room, and that it felt like they could let out a sigh of relief now that this game was behind them. Oats added that there of course were some on-the-court things to be cleaned up, but for Alabama to go into Memorial Gymnasium and win by double digits after the past few days? 

That speaks volumes about this team's leadership, toughness, and mental strength.

2. Brandon Miller has a case for the best player in the country.

I mentioned this after the LSU game, but Miller keeps on opening up more and more of his game. 

This time, back in his home state and near his hometown of Antioch, Miller once again put on a show scoring at least 30 points in his second straight game. 

His offensive game has opened up, as both Saturday and Tuesday Miller showcased a newfound ability to finish at the rim that wasn't present in non-conference play. Earlier in the season Miller would show hesitation when attacking the rim and wouldn't always go up strong to finish at the basket. Now, Miller looks comfortable driving and finishing with either hand, using his 3-point shot to get defenders off balance and open up driving lanes. 

Just as Miller looks more and more comfortable as a singular basketball game goes on, he's looked more and more comfortable as this season has gone on. 

He's already been incredible, but I don't think we've seen the best of Miller yet.

3. Mark Sears and Jaden Bradley always pick up the other's slack.

Alabama has a luxury this year with the privilege of having both Sears and Bradley in the backcourt. 

Sears has gotten more attention lately, especially following his 26-point outburst against Arkansas last week. But against Vanderbilt, Sears had one of his worst performances of the season. After picking up two fouls in the early minutes of the game, he finished with only three points on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor.

Thankfully for Alabama, there is another uber-talented point guard waiting in the wings. 

Bradley has been in somewhat of a slump recently, having not scored in double figures since Jan. 3 against Ole Miss. That all changed Tuesday night when Bradley went for 12 points, three rebounds and three assists in a well-rounded game that helped propel Alabama over the Commodores. 

Bradley did an excellent job driving to the rim and finishing difficult shots from wild angles that we've seen him finish all season. It was even more important in this game, with Sears struggling the way that he was.

I've talked about the depth of this Alabama team in this series before, but this instance embodies it perfectly. When Alabama's 15 point per game point guard has a bad night, its other point guard picks up the slack and the Crimson Tide still wins by double digits.

4. This is one of the best starts we've seen from any SEC team in a long time. 

Alabama currently sits at 6-0 in the SEC, and has won every SEC game by double figures. That's just the fourth time in the history of the conference that someone has accomplished that feat. 

Additionally, this is the first time Alabama has started a season 16-2 since the 1970's, when the legendary C.M. Newton was head coach at the Capstone. 

We've seen teams win a lot of games to open SEC play before, but very few have been as dominant as Alabama has been this year. This is uncharted territory for Alabama fans, so make sure you enjoy it. 

5. A few more things...

• The once-thought-to-be curse in Memorial Gymnasium appears to be no longer. Alabama has won four in a row over Vanderbilt in Nashville dating back to 2019.

• Giving up 15 offensive rebounds when Vanderbilt was missing Liam Robbins is not ideal for Alabama, but is something that can be fixed as we've seen the Crimson Tide have excellent games rebounding the ball in the past. 

• Alabama shot 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the final minutes. Yet another thing that signifies this team's composure and maturity. 

See Also:

Alabama Basketball's Feelings After Vanderbilt Win: Relief

Miller, No. 4 Alabama Win Ugly at Vanderbilt

A Hero’s Homecoming: Brandon Miller Shines in his Return to the Music City