SEC basketball’s highest-ranked team, No. 4 Alabama took care of business against Vanderbilt 78-66 to improve their record to 16-2 on the year.
Leading the way for the Crimson Tide was freshman phenom, Brandon Miller, who scored 30 points while securing his fourth double-double of the season.
This is nothing new for the 6-foot-9 inch forward as he dropped 31 points on 11 of 15 shooting in just his last game against LSU. For the season he is averaging 19.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Having led by 23 points at one point, the Crimson Tide let the Commodores claw back a bit and this game wasn’t without a little bit of drama.
Vanderbilt brought the full court press within eight points in the final couple minutes but it was too little too late.
Neither team shot the ball all that well from the field, but it was the Commodores who struggled mightily.
Vanderbilt starters, outside of junior guard Tyrin Lawrence who scored 20 points, only combined for 5 points.
As a team they only shot 30.1% from the field but were able to stay in the game with free throws as they went 16 for 20 (80%).
SEC basketball-leading Alabama defeats Vanderbilt, 78-66
By the numbers:
Alabama starts 6-0 in the SEC for the seventh time in program history but for the first time under current head coach Nate Oats.
Vanderbilt shot way too poorly to even compete in this game, especially from the three point line as they shot 6 for 33 (18.2%)
Alabama went 8 for 30 from three (26.7%) and 28 for 64 from the field (43.8%).
Looking ahead:
So far this season Alabama has built an impressive resume with wins against the odds on favorite, Houston, and an undefeated SEC record. Not to mention their only losses are to UCONN and Gonzaga, both of which were before Christmas. They end the month facing Missouri, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt again.
But most importantly the Crimson Tide will need to recover from the shocking actions and dismissal of a former teammate.
Vanderbilt, despite the loss, showed a lot of heart and didn’t give up. They drop to 9-9 but are still in the middle of the pack in the SEC and the rest of their games this season are within the conference.