Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball vs Florida
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball continued to roll on Wednesday night, with the No. 3 Crimson Tide destroying Florida to the tune of a 97-69 victory for its 11th consecutive SEC victory.
Here are my thoughts on the mostly masterful display we saw from head coach Nate Oats squad:
1. Alabama's backcourt was exceptional.
Alabama's point guard trio of Mark Sears, Jaden Bradley and Jahvon Quinerly gave Florida fits all night, combining for 38 points.
Quinerly, who I wrote about after the game, is starting to play his best basketball at just the right time for Alabama. He facilitates the offense incredibly well, and has posted five assists or more in three straight games.
He has also gotten incredibly confident in his 3-point shot, making him a nightmare for defenders having to choose whether to step up and take away the three or sag back to prevent a lightning quick blow by that either leads to a layup or a slick pass.
Quinerly's ability to create for others has been key to offensive success, and one of the biggest beneficiaries has been Sears. Sears has arguably thrived the most for Alabama when playing with another point guard off the ball, and shot 4-for-6 from downtown against the Gators on mostly catch-and-shoot opportunities from kick outs. He has officially broken out of his dry spell from deep, and he also has a uniquely physical style of play in the paint for his size that allows him to finish tough layups around the basket.
Lastly, Bradley had the best game he's had since about mid-January on Wednesday night. He had hit what many would call the "freshman wall" as of late, and I had even advocated on this series to move him out of the starting lineup in favor of a wing like Nimari Burnett or Rylan Griffen.
He scored eight points in the game on perfect shooting from the field and the free throw line, and looked as comfortable as he ever has directing his teammates as a facilitator. He matched Quinerly's five assists, and played hard defense to go along with it.
The old saying is that guard play wins in March, and as that illustrious month approaches Alabama's guards are trending in the right direction.
2. Someone is always making shots.
Alabama has five players making at least 33 percent of their threes: Sears, Burnett, Griffen, Quinerly, and of course Brandon Miller.
If it feels like Alabama has shooters everywhere on the floor, that's because it does. Even two of Alabama's bigs, Noah Clowney and Noah Gurley, are capable of hitting threes despite shooting just 27 percent from long distance.
The last two games, it was the Burnett and Griffen show from downtown. The duo had made waves coming off the bench and putting on an electric shooting display while other Alabama players had been going through some shooting slumps.
On Wednesday, Burnett and Griffen combined to shoot just 2-for-9 from beyond the arc, and it didn't matter. This time, Sears, Miller and Quinerly combined to make 11 threes in their 19 attempts. Oh, and Alabama nearly won by 30.
The bottom line is, Alabama has so many shooters that only a few of them have to be hitting for the Crimson Tide to open the floodgates and dominate a game.
Alabama ranks just 146th nationally with a respectable 34.85 percent clip from three as a team. The difference is the sheer volume of threes that Alabama attempts, coming in third nationally in 3-point attempts per game.
The Crimson Tide attempts so many threes — many of which are high-quality looks — that it doesn't matter when one or two guys aren't hitting, because someone always is.
And whenever a night comes where everyone is hitting? Just pack it up.
3. Alabama has been remarkable at home this year.
Quietly, the cavernous insides of Coleman Coliseum have become one of the most challenging environments to play in college basketball this season.
Alabama ranks eighth in the country currently with a 12-game home win streak, all from this season, and the majority haven't even been remotely close.
The Crimson Tide has won its 12 home games this year by an average of nearly 26 points per game. Only two of those victories have come by single digits — Memphis and Mississippi State — and a whopping nine of those wins have come by at least 20 points.
Simply put, when teams come into Coleman Coliseum this year, it doesn't matter whether they're from a mid-major or the SEC, they're probably going to get blown out.
Alabama only has three home games left, the latter two against two of the best teams in the SEC in Arkansas and Auburn, so we'll see if Alabama continues this trend of overwhelming dominance at home.
4. A few more things...
- Alabama's 11-0 start in conference play tops its 10-0 mark from the 2021 season, and is its best start in the SEC since the 1955-56 team went 14-0.
- Florida's Colin Castleton had an excellent game with 29, but that isn't necessarily a poor reflection of Charles Bediako or the Alabama interior defense. Bediako played well in good position for most of the night, and even amassed four blocks over the course of the game.
- Despite giving up 46 points in the second half, Alabama has still held every SEC opponent it's played under 70 points.
- As of today, Alabama ranks No. 2 in the country in both the NET and KenPom, its highest-ever ranking in both metrics.
See also:
BamaCentral Courtside: No. 3 Alabama 97, Florida 69
