Alabama wins SEC Tournament after dominant performance over Texas A&M
Going into Sunday, the Alabama men’s basketball team had already won the SEC regular season title after going 26-5 (16-2 SEC). Now, the Crimson Tide can add SEC Tournament champions to their resume following a dominant 82-63 victory over Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon.
The 19-point win means Alabama won each of their three conference tournament games by double-digit points. Things got started with a 23-point win against Mississippi State in the quarterfinals. Then, UA followed that up with an 11-point victory against Missouri in the semifinals.
Sunday was a statement though.
Alabama had lost to Texas A&M 67-61 less than two weeks ago to wrap up the regular season. Sure, it was on the road, but that marked the sixth consecutive loss to the Aggies dating back to Dec. 30, 2017. Being able to bounce back and get a statement win against that same team makes it even more impressive.
Brandon Miller and Jahvon Quinerly were both fantastic, scoring a game-high 23 and 22 points, respectively. Miller also added a game-high 12 rebounds, giving him two double-doubles for the SEC Tournament. The freshman phenom also had a game-high four assists, making it one of his most complete performances of the season.
Sophomore center Charles Bediako also had a double-double while putting up 12 points and 13 rebounds. His five blocks gave him 11 for the three SEC Tournament games, which averages out to 3.7 per game. His presence, especially on the defensive end as a rim protector, gives this Alabama team yet another weapon.
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Here’s the SEC All-Tournament Team:
- Brandon Miller, Alabama (MVP)
- Jahvon Quinerly, Alabama
- Charles Bediako, Alabama
- Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M
- Ezra Manjon, Vanderbilt
- D’Moi Hodge, Missouri
Noah Clowney came close to having his fourth double-double of the season as well, scoring nine points with 11 rebounds. Early foul trouble put him and Bediako in trouble, but both guys were still able to make an impact. Bediako did end up fouling out, however.
We’re still waiting on Mark Sears to get out of his shooting slump, though. Over his last four games dating back to the first Texas A&M matchup, the Ohio transfer has only scored a total of 20 points while combining for 4-of-27 (14.8%) from beyond the arc. He only scored three against the Aggies on Sunday.
Otherwise, it was an impressive performance from Alabama. Now, we wait to see where the Tide end up in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. They’ll certainly be a No. 1 seed, but can they land the top overall seed? Stay tuned for Selection Sunday coming up at 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 ET).
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