Bama Central

Alabama Basketball Stays Hot on an Icy Tuesday in Tuscaloosa

Propelled by hot shooting, a raucous crowd and Red Panda, the Crimson Tide stayed unbeaten in SEC play.

Joe Gaither

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The Alabama Crimson Tide clung to a two-point lead over the Missouri Tigers basketball team with nearly 14 minutes to play in the second half when transfer forward Grant Nelson athletically rejected an Anthony Robinson shot attempt and came away with possession. 

Nelson, after starting SEC play off slowly on the offensive end, looked down at Robinson after denying his shot and was whistled for a technical foul. 

The 11,569 crowd that braved an Alabama ice-storm to see the Tide play let the officials hear their displeasure and from then on the Crimson Tide ended up cruising to victory. 

Alabama closed the contest on a 45-29 run over the game's final 14 minutes making seven 3-point shots between Rylan Griffen, Latrell Wrightsell and Mark Sears. 

The Crimson Tide ended up posting a 48% 3-point shooting percentage with six different players converting from deep against Missouri and extending its winning streak to six games, giving head coach Nate Oats plenty to be proud of.

While the Alabama basketball program is apparently starting to click on the court it may have been an equally progressive night for the Alabama athletics department as a perfect storm of circumstances could create more changes in the future.

With Tuscaloosa facing a rare "wintry mix" in the weather forecast over the last 48-hours there was significant concern for what Tuesday night's attendance would produce. 

To combat that Alabama's administration announced several logistical changes to incentivize supporters to show up for the conference game. 

"I thought, for the weather out there tonight, I thought our home crowd was unbelievable. I want to thank the students publicly. I think we had almost 3,000 students in there, we need them. They got loud when we needed it. For a time when everybody could have had an excuse to stay in, with the weather, they chose to come out and support us. That means a lot to us. That means a lot to our players. That means a lot to our program, so I wanted to make sure I thank them," said Oats after the game. 

The administration allowed the Coleman Coliseum parking lot to serve as a first-come, first-serve space to limit the amount of exposure fans would have to the bitter elements. Secondly the amount of students allowed in Coleman on Tuesday wasn't limited to the traditional 2,200 capacity. Lastly, Coleman Coliseum public address announcer Tony Giles invited everyone to move closer to the floor during the under-16 media timeout, making for a more engaged atmosphere. 

"I noticed the crowd, it was packed. I appreciate everybody, all the students that came and all the non-students that came. We need that type of energy every single home game and so we have the home-court advantage," said Alabama wing Rylan Griffen. "That's part of the advantage, the fans. I appreciate them coming out. We're going to need them every game."

Did the crowd show up in hopes of seeing new head football coach Kalen DeBoer? Was it because the famous Red Panda was scheduled to entertain the masses at halftime? Or just to encourage the Crimson Tide basketball program as they fight for another SEC regular season championship?

Regardless, it was a raucous crowd that got energized with each altercation between the Tide and Tigers throughout the game. 

It was Nelson's technical foul that ignited the Alabama faithful originally, but a double-technical foul assessed to Alabama's Latrell Wrightsell and Missouri's Noah Carter with 5:22 remaining that sent Coleman Coliseum into a frenzy.

Alabama closed the game on a 21-10 run, leaving the Tigers in the dust and taking a half-game lead over Auburn in the Southeastern Conference standings.

Alabama Football Coach Kalen DeBoer Introduced to Fans at Coleman Coliseum

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Joe Gaither
JOE GAITHER

My name is Joe Gaither, I am a native of Chattanooga, Tenn., and a 2018 graduate of the University of Alabama. I have a strong passion for sports and giving a voice to the underserved. Feel free to email me at joegaither6@icloud.com for tips, story ideas or comments.

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