Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball vs Mississippi State

Blake Byler's thoughts and takeaways from Alabama's quarterfinal round win over Mississippi State at the SEC Tournament.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The college basketball postseason is finally here, and 1-seed Alabama basketball opened SEC Tournament play with a resounding 72-49 win over 9-seed Mississippi State. 

Here are some of my thoughts on the win:

1. Lineup change leads to a faster start.

It's been well documented that over the past few weeks, Alabama has started games much slower than it would like, even having to attempt to overcome double-digit deficits in its past three games.

In an effort to combat this, head coach Nate Oats inserted SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year Jahvon Quinerly into the starting lineup over freshman guard Jaden Bradley, oddly enough at Bradley's request.

"I'm a team guy, I just wanted to help our team get to a better start, and I feel like JQ could do that," Bradley said in the locker room after the game. 

Firstly, that shows incredible maturity from a freshman that's started every game since December, and it speaks volumes of the team-first culture that Oats has created at Alabama. 

On the court itself, the results were obvious, too. Alabama held a 7-point lead just before the under-12 timeout, a much different result than the previous few weeks. 

Quinerly's presence on the court gave the Crimson Tide more of a driving threat, an extra shooting presence, and someone with next-level vision to find open teammates. He scored eight of his 10 points before the under-12 timeout, being a primary catalyst for the fast start.

As March continues, Alabama needs to continue to start games aggressively, as most teams will be more offensively equipped than Mississippi State to keep up with the Crimson Tide. Today's game was as good of a result as Alabama could have hoped for though, bucking its negative trend emphatically.

2. Charles Bediako had his best game of the season.

Last week, sophomore center Charles Bediako was named to the SEC All-Defense team, and he showed exactly why against Mississippi State.

Bediako recorded five blocks in the game including four in the first half, making life exceedingly difficult for Bulldog guards attempting to penetrate the lane.

His length as a 7-footer and the discipline he has developed as a shot-blocker were on full display, as he used his length to force smaller players to alter their shots into misses or to turn weak layup attempts into easy blocks. Five blocks tied his season high, and they anchored Alabama's defense that helped build its lead in the first half. 

He was also excellent on the offensive end, scoring 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field. His 11 points were his highest since scoring 14 against North Carolina back in November. 

Bediako's play has slowly improved all season, but it all came to a head with glaring results during Friday's win. He was incredibly active on both ends, even coming up with a steal and a drawn charge, and will continue to be essential to Alabama's success with his rim protection.

3. Noah Gurley steps into larger role.

All season, Noah Gurley has played significantly less than he typically has his entire career. 

Before coming to Alabama, Gurley was an all-conference performer in the SoCon at Furman, and was a typical starter for the Crimson Tide last season. 

With the influx of new talent from high school and the transfer portal, Gurley has been relegated to more of a bench role, even having not played in a few games at all down the stretch of the season. 

Despite his reduced playing time, Gurley's commitment to the team never waivered. He stepped up in the locker room, be heralded as a leader by Oats and teammates alike, giving younger players pep talks in huddles and always staying engaged with the team. 

On Friday, Oats gave him some early minutes and he looked exactly like what he is: a calm, seasoned veteran. 

Gurley scored 11 points in his 21 minutes of action, his most points since Jan. 31 and his most minutes since Jan. 11. He made three of his four 3-point attempts, his most since Nov. 27. 

Just like Bradley's decision to suggest starting Quinerly to Oats, Gurley is another example of the team-first culture surrounding this Alabama team. No matter how much he's played this season, Gurley has continually been a steady presence on the sideline, in the locker room, and anywhere he's been needed all season.

4. A few more things...

• Bediako wasn't the only defensive presence for Alabama. The 49 points scored by Mississippi State were the Bulldogs' lowest point total of the entire season. 

• After struggling the last few games with an excessive number of turnovers, the Crimson Tide only turned it over seven times on Friday. Keeping the turnover number down has been one of the biggest keys leading to blowouts for Alabama, and it once again proved true.  

• The win moved Alabama to a 27-5 record on the season, breaking its 26-game win total from the 2021 sweet sixteen team.  

See also:

Alabama Blows Out Bulldogs on Way To SEC Tournament Semifinals

“Birthday Chuck”: Bediako Stars in No. 1 Alabama’s Quarterfinal Win Over No. 9 Mississippi State

Jahvon Quinerly Impactful in Return to Alabama Starting Lineup