Takeaways From Alabama Basketball's Win Over Missouri

Blake Byler's thoughts and observations from the Crimson Tide's sixth consecutive win.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama basketball is on a tear right now. The Crimson Tide came away with its sixth win in a row Tuesday night, defeating Missouri 93-75 to move to 4-0 in SEC play.

Here are a few of my thoughts and observations from Alabama's win:

1. Rylan Griffen takes the game over.

Rylan Griffen has had somewhat of a quiet season on the offensive end. He's been praised for his defensive prowess by head coach Nate Oats, but he's spent much of his sophomore campaign in the shadows of his more veteran teammates like Mark Sears and Aaron Estrada.

That wasn't the case on Tuesday night. Griffen exploded for a career-high 21 points on an insanely efficient 7-of-9 shooting, including making 5-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc.

Twelve of those 21 came on a 4-minute stretch between the 7- and 3-minute marks of the second half as Missouri was still peskily hanging around, only trailing by single digits. 

Over that short stretch, Griffen nailed four 3-pointers, including this lethal between-the-legs stepback, to essentially put the game out of reach for the Tigers.

RYLAN GRIFFEN 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/jTTHRIqZUE

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 17, 2024

"That shooting barrage was probably the best shooting barrage I've seen from anyone on our team this year," Oats said.

It's obvious how much potential Griffen has. He showed flashes as a freshman last season, but in much smaller doses due to the depth of that team. Now, as he continues to gain confidence in his second collegiate year, it wouldn't be shocking to see more of these types of performances as his offensive role role continues to increase.

He's an impressive player, and he's only going to get better.

2. Alabama closed the game without its closer.

Just a few days ago, Mark Sears was essential down the stretch for the Crimson Tide to be able to close out a road win against Mississippi State. Tonight, Alabama once again closed out an opponent, but did it with its closer sitting on the bench.

Sears left the game late in the first half with a 'tweaked ankle,' according to Oats, but returned to attempt to play through it in the second half. The game as a whole was one of Sears' worst this season, as he scored just nine points on 3-for-10 shooting.

Down the stretch of the game, Oats opted to leave Sears on the bench, with his ankle clearly bothering him. That left Griffen on the floor, who as we've discussed had a great game, but he did it with the help of the entire supporting cast.

Aaron Estrada had 21 points, his best game since early in the season. Grant Nelson, who's been in an offensive slump as of late, broke double-figures for the first time in SEC play, scoring 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor. Latrell Wrightsell continued his run of double-figure scoring games in SEC play, adding 11 of his own. 

"I think it shows people we've got a lot of depth. We've got one of the deepest backcourts in the country. When you've got a guy like [Wrightsell] coming off the bench, who could start just about anywhere, plays his role great and dives into his role," Oats said. "We had three really good guards in there."

The depth of this Alabama team has always been clear from the stat sheet, but Sears' pure brilliance this year has kept us from being able to see it in action when a game is coming down to the wire.

Against Missouri, this team proved that while Sears' heroics this season have been excellent, and he's one of the best players in the conference, they still have plenty of guys capable of stepping up in their own rights to make big plays.

3. Alabama once again handled a physical game.

SEC play is brutal. It's one of the deepest conferences in all of college basketball, so night in and night out teams are going to be tested by each and every opponent. 

Last game, Alabama survived a physical battle in a road test against Mississippi State. Looking at the schedule, coming home to play a Missouri team that's 0-3 in league play should feel like a breather, right? Wrong.

Missouri may have been 0-3, but they came to play with everything they had. Alabama may have won by 18, but the game was much closer than what the score indicated. 

From the opening tip, the game was chippy. Wrightsell barked at the Missouri bench after hitting a three. Estrada and Missouri forward Aidan Shaw got into it in front of Alabama's bench, leading to an altercation that Oats had to apologize for. 

Later in the game, Nelson was assessed a technical foul for talking trash after blocking a shot. Wrightsell and Missouri forward Noah Carter were given a double-technical foul.

Bodies flew all game, tempers flared, both teams competed hard. But Alabama was able to emerge victorious, and comfortably. 

The same kind of physicality that bothered Alabama in losses to teams like Ohio State and Clemson back in November is being handled significantly better since SEC play began. One has to think that Oats' decision to test his team against the likes of Purdue, Creighton, and Arizona has aided that — even if it resulted in a few losses.

It's been a slow process, maybe slower than many fans had hoped for, but this Alabama basketball team is starting to come together.

Rylan Griffen’s Scoring Tear Puts Away Missouri for Alabama's Sixth Straight Win