No. 4 Alabama Gets Back to Blue Collar Basketball in Thrashing of Vanderbilt

Two players diving for the ball early in the first half set the tone for what kind of effort the Crimson Tide would give against the Commodores.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — What did Nate Oats want to see from his team after suffering the biggest loss of his tenure as the Alabama basketball head coach? Effort. 

Max effort is one of the three core tenants that comprise blue collar basketball for Oats alongside continuous growth and selfless love. 

He was not pleased at all with the way the Crimson Tide performed in its last outing at Oklahoma, and the coaching staff plus multiple players challenged the team to respond. They answered the bell according to Oats. 

The strong 3-point shooting helped, and there were some highlight reel dunks and alley oops that had the Coleman Coliseum crowd on its feet, but the highlight for Oats was the effort of his team. 

The final score would not indicate anything other than the fact that Alabama was in complete control over Vanderbilt in the 101-44 win. And that would be true, but for a brief period at the very beginning of the game, the Commodores actually held a 5-0 lead. 

The Crimson Tide tied it up shortly after, and on Vanderbilt's next offensive possession, Jaden Bradley and Noah Clowney set the tone for what type of night it was going to be for Alabama. 

Clowney and Bradley both got on the floor for a loose ball. After securing the steal, it got passed ahead to Brandon Miller, who nailed a 3-pointer to go ahead 8-5, and Alabama never looked back. 

"When those guys went to the floor, we knew those guys were bought in," Oats said after the game. "'This is what we're going to be about tonight,' I think is what it screamed early in the game... If we’re going to be blue collar and make plays like this, it’s going to be rewarded on the other end."

Great defense always leads to great offense

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— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) February 1, 2023

Miller's 3-pointer was part of a 21-0 run for the Crimson Tide to put away the Commodores before the game could even really get started. 

Alabama turned Vanderbilt over 16 times Tuesday night with 10 steals, a season high for conference play. (The Crimson Tide had 11 steals against Jackson State on Dec. 20.) The 16 turnovers led to 27 points for the Crimson Tide. 

The blue collar effort combined with the high shooting performances from the floor helped the Crimson Tide reach its largest margin of victory in an SEC game ever. 

"I feel like with our guys diving on the floor, making all the effort plays, I think that brings energy to the team just to go out there and get another win against a good team," Miller said. 

Even when Alabama's lead ballooned up to 20, 30, 40 and even 50 points in the second half, players were still diving for loose balls, going hard for rebounds, pushing the ball in transition and having active hands in passing lanes trying to get steals instead of just coasting to an easy victory. 

Vanderbilt shot just 3 of 30 from beyond the arc, and Oats challenged his team to still be able to win games even if they shoot that poorly because the effort will make up for it. 

"It was great to see shots drop, but if we’d have played this hard and shot 18 percent from 3, I’d have been good with it," Oats said. "I feel like we still would’ve won because we were playing that hard.”

Firing on all cylinders Tuesday night showed who Alabama is, and what it can be. While the Oklahoma game displayed some flaws and a disappointing lack of effort, the performance against the Commodores was another example of the ceiling of this team and just how dominant it can be when it gives max effort on defense and hits shots on offense. 

Nimari Burnett, who had 16 points and four rebounds, said the performance at Oklahoma exposed some complacency within the team. The players knew they had to start playing harder.

"We needed that loss," Burnett said. "It’s going to help us get better. It’s helping us get better, and it revealed some things that we need to work on. And we had a good comeback today.”

The game against Vanderbilt kicks off a three-game stretch against lesser opponents with LSU and Florida up next before a tough two-game road swing at No. 25 Auburn at No. 2 Tennessee. Whatever the opponent or the setting, Oats wants to see the type of effort he saw Tuesday night. 

"We've kind of shown who we are, and I think we're a tough, hard-nosed blue collar, gritty team," Oats said. 

See also:

Nimari Burnett Has Breakout Game After Return From Injury

No. 4 Alabama Smashes Vanderbilt to Complete Season Sweep

Who Will Step Up For Alabama Basketball In The Second Half of SEC Play? Just A Minute