Alabama Basketball Demolishes South Carolina in First SEC Road Game

The Crimson Tide obliterated the Gamecocks 88-68 after a dominant performance in the first half.

Jan 8, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) makes a three point basket against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images / Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

No. 5 Alabama men's basketball won its first SEC road test over South Carolina 88-68 on Wednesday evening in relatively easy fashion.

One big reason for this being a must-see matchup was due to the reunion with former Alabama and current South Carolina forward Nick Pringle, who was a part of the Crimson Tide's Final Four run last season. Alabama head coach Nate Oats said during Tuesday's press conference that like most players facing their former team, Pringle will likely tell the Gamecocks about the Tide's play style to try and gain an advantage well ahead of tipoff.

However, this was not the case early as Alabama cruised to a commanding 45-28 halftime lead. Crimson Tide Preseason All-American guard Mark Sears quickly lived up to that status as he started the game 6-of-7, with 16 points including 4-of-4 on attempts from behind the arc.

Sears' effort certainly rubbed off on the rest of the team in the first half as Alabama's 60 percent from the field (18-of-30), including a 6-of-11 clip from downtown. In addition to 13 assists, the Tide also grabbed six offensive rebounds, which led to seven second-chance points, scored 22 points in the paint and recorded five steals and three blocks.

Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi and conference-leading three-time SEC Freshman of the Week Labaron Philon also had a very solid first half on both ends of the floor to help contribute to the massive lead.

The start to the second half was a bit slower for Alabama, as after a poor play, Oats took out the entire starting five. One of the replacements was guard Aden Holloway who scored seven straight points for Alabama to regain the Tide's momentum and build a more comfortable 56-39 lead with 15 minutes to go in the second half.

The importance of depth played a role in this one as Holloway led Alabama to 36 bench points while the Gamecocks had four. Furthermore, South Carolina's secondary group didn't score a bench point until there were less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

From there on, both teams traded buckets, but Alabama's tremendous start kept the Tide composed and Gamecocks unable to make a massive comeback. Even when Alabama had scoring droughts, its defense prevailed in making sure South Carolina didn't chip away. Forwards Grant Nelson and Mouhamed Dioubate, among others, played a key role here as Gamecocks forward Collin Murray-Boyles, SC's leading scorer coming into the game, finished 1-of-6 from the field.

In short, Alabama's first half was significantly better than the second, but the Crimson Tide's defense in the latter portion of the night made the offensive performance not matter as much. Of course, consistency in both halves will be important for the rest of the gauntlet of an SEC slate.

“Good first road game for us in the SEC," Oats said during the postgame press conference. "I thought our guys answered the bell pretty well. We came out of the gate good early. Mark [Sears] was really good early. I think he scored or assisted on 17 of our first 25. He looked like a Player of the Year candidate to start the game...We got a lot of good efforts from a lot of people, so good road win for us."

Alabama improves to 13-2 (2-0 SEC) while South Carolina slides down to 10-5 (0-2 SEC).