Alabama basketball avoids scare against Arkansas, wins in OT

The Alabama men’s basketball team has finished up its regular season with a narrow 92-88 win over Arkansas in overtime. After coming into Saturday as a 14.5-point favorite over the Razorbacks, the Crimson Tide had to battle for the victory, but this team found a way to get it done to move to 21-10 (13-5 SEC).

How It Happened

If you can believe it, Alabama didn’t take its first lead of the game until there was only 4:23 left… in overtime. At one point in the first half, the Crimson Tide had even gotten down by 15 points, but it was able to close the deficit to only six (42-36) at halftime.

Then in the second half, it was a constant back-and-forth in the sense that UA would close to the gap to only one possession, but then Arkansas would create separation again. In fact, that happened on five separate occasions, and at one point, the Razorbacks had even extended their lead back to double digits (58-48 with 10:29 left in regulation).

Alabama then countered by going on an 8-0 run, and from there, it was anyone’s game. A few made three-point shots late between transfers Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Grant Nelson ended up sending this one to overtime, and the Crimson Tide were able to get things done with the extra five-minute period and avoided three-straight losses to close the regular season.

Players of the Game

Mark Sears once again put up a game-high 22 points, which is right in line with his season average (21.1), and he also added six assists. Let’s talk about some of these other guys though, as Nelson and Nick Pringle each posted a double-double. In fact, the two combined for 24 points, a whopping 23 rebounds and five blocks.

I also want to highlight Wrightsell in his first full game back from a head injury that had sidelined him for 2.5 weeks before he returned in a limited role against Florida on Tuesday. On Saturday, the Cal State Fullerton transfer put up 20 or more points for only the second time this season. By going 4-of-8 from three-point range, that means he’s shooting 56% (14-of-25) from deep in his last three full games. And with Rylan Griffen missing this one due to an injury, Wrightsell’s return to a regular role was a welcomed sight.

Key Stats

Alabama has been struggling mightily from beyond the arc. Going into Saturday, the team had been a combined 14 of 60 (23.3%) from deep in those back-to-back losses against Tennessee and Florida. With only 2:44 left in the game and UA down seven points (72-65), the team was once again struggling with the three ball (5-of-22 or 22.7%). Then things changed, and Bama got hot.

It started with that made three-pointer from Wrightsell with 2:32 left to go in the second half. Including that make, Alabama hit four of its last eight three-point attempts between the final minutes of the second half and overtime. After a rough stretch of three-point shooting, maybe this will act as a confidence-boosting close as Nate Oats and company enter postseason play. We’ll find out soon enough, but it was an encouraging finish to say the least after what’s been a rough stretch of shooting.

What’s Next

The regular season is over, which means the SEC Tournament is the only thing standing in Alabama’s way of knowing what seed it’ll hold going into the NCAA Tournament. And with Saturday’s victory over Arkansas, the Tide have now secured a double-bye in SEC Tournament, which is much-needed with the team feeling the effects of a brutal stretch to close out the regular season schedule. Stay tuned for more information on seeding.

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