Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball vs Auburn

Blake Byler's thoughts and takeaways from Alabama's SEC championship-clinching win.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Just when we though we'd seen it all, No. 2 Alabama basketball wowed us again with a 17-point comeback to defeat rival Auburn and clinch the SEC regular season championship. 

Here are some of my thoughts from one of the wildest games of the season:

1. One of the best atmospheres ever in Coleman Coliseum. 

There was a lot on the line Wednesday night. Firstly, Alabama had the chance to sweep its archrival, one year after watching Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl wave a broom around and crane kick on the Neville Arena floor after sweeping Alabama a season ago.

Secondly, Alabama had the chance to secure a perfect 15-0 record in Coleman Coliseum for the season for the first time since 2011. Lastly, and most importantly, Alabama had the chance to secure its second SEC regular season championship in three years.

With so much at stake, the buzz in Coleman was palpable. Students starting lining up outside the arena for the 6 p.m. tip before lunchtime, and by the time students began to enter, the line stretched all the way to Hackberry Lane. The entire student section was filled to the brim over an hour before tipoff and the sellout crowd brought the energy from the very beginning.

Couple all of that with the magnitude of a 17-point deficit being erased, and the sounds of screaming fans decked in crimson were deafening. 

The game had everything. Hot shooting, electric finishes, silencing blocks, trash talk, scuffles, ejections, you name it. Oh, and not to mention overtime.

The spirit of the fans, the legacy of the game, the ear-splitting volume of the arena, it all made for one of the most unforgettable games Coleman Coliseum has ever seen.

2. Jahvon Quinerly cemented his Alabama legacy.

I wrote about this in detail after the game here, but you can't speak enough about the resolve and resiliency of Jahvon Quinerly this season. 

He returned from last season's ACL injury in virtually record time, and played in many early-season games while not 100 percent in order to get his feet wet and work back to full speed. This, naturally, led to some inconsistent play and an overwhelming amount of criticism from Alabama fans.

Despite that, Quinerly has been the life vest that kept Alabama afloat in its past two comeback wins, scoring a combined 40 points in those games. 

Even more than that, his effort in last night's win to secure his second SEC regular season championship at Alabama cements his name as an Alabama basketball legend. 

In a performance that looked eerily similar to the run that earned him the 2021 SEC Tournament MVP, Quinerly was Alabama's go-to when it needed a bucket. His downhill speed once again looks like it did before the injury, as does the brilliance of his finger-rolls and creative finishes around the rim.

Alabama head coach referenced this being the "March version of JQ," and if this remains a constant like Oats seems to expect, Alabama is going to be that much tougher to beat the rest of the way.

But like I said in last night's story, regardless of how the season ends, Quinerly will forever live on in Alabama basketball lore. After joining the Crimson Tide when Oats first arrived, he's become synonymous with an era that has produced two SEC regular season titles, an SEC Tournament championship, and potentially more accolades on the way.

And not to mention, he still has another year of eligibility and is undecided on his status for next season. Only time will tell what else he can accomplish in his time at the Capstone.

3. No issues finding offense outside of Miller.

The past two games, Alabama had become somewhat reliant on the superhuman efforts of freshman star Brandon Miller.

Last week, he combined for 65 points across two games, including a 41-point explosion against South Carolina where he scored over half of Alabama's points.

On Wednesday, superhuman Miller wasn't what we saw. Instead, he was fairly lackluster on the offensive end. 

Sure, it may sound crazy to call a 17-point performance "lackluster," but the efficiency was one of Miller's worst outputs of the season. He made an abysmal 3-of-12 shots from the floor, and never truly found himself in a shooting rhythm. To his credit, though, he did nail 10 of his 11 free throws.

Without Miller consistently making shots from the floor, Alabama turned to its trio of Quinerly, Mark Sears and Noah Clowney for offense.

Quinerly, who I discussed earlier, was spectacular the entire game. Sears made three of his eight shots from beyond the arc, and also showcased a few crafty finishes on some tough drives to the rim. Clowney was excellent at cleaning up the offense boards, as well as consistently being in the right position to receive slick passes from guards on drives. 

Miller can't be, and won't be the leading scorer on efficient shot making for every game in the month of March. What Alabama proved against Auburn was that even without an on-game from Miller, while facing a massive deficit, other faces could step up and make game-winning plays.

Teams reliant on one superstar run the risk of being bounced early once tournament play begins. With Alabama though, it was a wealth of riches at its disposal to beat you with. 

4. A few more things...

• Alabama has now shot less than 30 percent from 3-point range for three straight games. Very uncharacteristic for a team that shoots roughly 35 percent from three as a team on the season. 

• Oats now has three combined SEC regular season and tournament championships since joining the conference in the 2019-20 season. Only three other coaches have one, being Pearl, John Calipari and Rick Barnes. 

• While Miller didn't have the best offensive game efficiency-wise, his defense was superb. He blocked three shots in the game, protecting the rim like a true center, which Alabama needed after the ejection of Charles Bediako. 

See also:

How Brandon Miller's Final Home Game Became Part of Alabama Lore

Beaten But Not Broken: Alabama Basketball’s Heartbreaking Two Months Ends in Emotional Win

BamaCentral Courtside: No. 2 Alabama 90, Auburn 85 (OT)