š SEC Tourney: Bama drops semi-finals game to UK.
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Collin Sexton breaks Alabamaās freshman single-season scoring record after recording his third 30-point game of the season
ST. LOUIS, Mo. ā After trailing by 10 at the half, the Alabama men's basketball team exploded in the second half, using a 50-22 performance to knock off No. 1-seed and No. 15-ranked Auburn, 81-63, on Friday afternoon in the 2018 SEC Tournament Quarterfinals round in the Scottrade Center.
With the win, Alabama reaches the SEC semifinals for a second consecutive year and captured its sixth win over an Associated Press Top-25 team this season (6-2).
"After a very disappointing game on the road at their place, it was very disheartening how we finished that game," head coach Avery Johnson said. "And then for us to be involved in a five-game losing streak and weather all of that adversity and be where we are right now speaks to the character and the core of our team. So I just want to take my hats off to our team, their intestinal fortitude, the character of the team, and they were playing against a really good team today that obviously won a lot of games in our league and has had a nice year. But this is about Alabama, and we humbly understand that we played a very good basketball game in the second half today and showed what we're made of and our potential.
Freshman Collin Sexton remained red-hot during play in this year's SEC Tournament, dropping his third 30-point game of the season, scoring 31 points, and set the Alabama freshman scoring record in the process. The Mableton, Ga., native surpassed former great James "Hollywood" Robinson's rookie scoring record of 554 points set in the 1990-91 season. Sexton currently has 569 points this season.
Sexton also surged into Alabama's tournament record books, as his 31-point performance ranks third all-time in points scored in a conference tournament game, while his two-game total of 58 points currently ranks fourth all-time in total points scored at an SEC tournament.
Sophomore Dazon Ingram and junior Donta Hall also reached double figures, as Ingram collected 14 points and seven rebounds, while Hall added 11 points and six rebounds for the Tide before exiting the game late after with an injury after taking a nasty spill on the court. Sophomore Braxton Key pulled down a team-leading 10 rebounds to go along with nine points in the victory.
"This is no magic formula," Johnson said. "I have two outstanding guards. They're outstanding. They play with a lot of heart. They breed a lot of confidence into our team. And even in the first half today, when we didn't play our best basketball, they'll tell you, I didn't raise my voice. I used understandable English, no bad words, and we just talked about how we needed to improve in the second half, and they did it."
Alabama won the rebounding battle, 44-33, including 26-12 in the second half, and had 36 points in the paint compared to 22 by the Tigers.
The Crimson Tide turned in an enormous second half, outscoring the Tigers 50-22, shooting 56.0 percent from the floor to average 50 percent for the contest (26-of-52). On the defensive end, the Crimson Tide swarmed the Tigers, keeping Auburn from scoring a field goal for the first 10:12 of the second half, allowing the Tide to use a 20-1 run to begin the dominate second half.
In the first half, Alabama shot 44.4 percent from the floor (12-of-27) and controlled the paint, 20-12, in the first half, but Auburn's 7-of-19 three-point shooting and 21-18 edge in rebounding gave the Tigers the 41-31 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Crimson Tide stormed out of the locker room scorching hot, erasing its 10-point deficit and capitalizing on a huge 20-1 burst, shooting 7-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-8 from deep to lead 51-42 at the 12:11 mark and never looked.
Three Tigers reached double figures as Heron led the charge with 18 points, while Murray and Brown contributed 15 points and 11 points respectively.
Alabama Menās Basketball Uses Second-Half Surge to Knock Off No. 1-seed Auburn, 81-63, in SEC Quarterfinal - Alabama Athletics
ST. LOUIS, Mo. ā After trailing by 10 at the half, the Alabama men's basketball team exploded in the second half, using a 50-22 performance to knock off No. 1-seed and No. 15-ranked Auburn, 81-63, on Friday afternoon in the 2018 SEC Tournament Quarterfinals round in the Scottrade Center.
With the win, Alabama reaches the SEC semifinals for a second consecutive year and captured its sixth win over an Associated Press Top-25 team this season (6-2).
"After a very disappointing game on the road at their place, it was very disheartening how we finished that game," head coach Avery Johnson said. "And then for us to be involved in a five-game losing streak and weather all of that adversity and be where we are right now speaks to the character and the core of our team. So I just want to take my hats off to our team, their intestinal fortitude, the character of the team, and they were playing against a really good team today that obviously won a lot of games in our league and has had a nice year. But this is about Alabama, and we humbly understand that we played a very good basketball game in the second half today and showed what we're made of and our potential.
Freshman Collin Sexton remained red-hot during play in this year's SEC Tournament, dropping his third 30-point game of the season, scoring 31 points, and set the Alabama freshman scoring record in the process. The Mableton, Ga., native surpassed former great James "Hollywood" Robinson's rookie scoring record of 554 points set in the 1990-91 season. Sexton currently has 569 points this season.
Sexton also surged into Alabama's tournament record books, as his 31-point performance ranks third all-time in points scored in a conference tournament game, while his two-game total of 58 points currently ranks fourth all-time in total points scored at an SEC tournament.
Sophomore Dazon Ingram and junior Donta Hall also reached double figures, as Ingram collected 14 points and seven rebounds, while Hall added 11 points and six rebounds for the Tide before exiting the game late after with an injury after taking a nasty spill on the court. Sophomore Braxton Key pulled down a team-leading 10 rebounds to go along with nine points in the victory.
"This is no magic formula," Johnson said. "I have two outstanding guards. They're outstanding. They play with a lot of heart. They breed a lot of confidence into our team. And even in the first half today, when we didn't play our best basketball, they'll tell you, I didn't raise my voice. I used understandable English, no bad words, and we just talked about how we needed to improve in the second half, and they did it."
Alabama won the rebounding battle, 44-33, including 26-12 in the second half, and had 36 points in the paint compared to 22 by the Tigers.
The Crimson Tide turned in an enormous second half, outscoring the Tigers 50-22, shooting 56.0 percent from the floor to average 50 percent for the contest (26-of-52). On the defensive end, the Crimson Tide swarmed the Tigers, keeping Auburn from scoring a field goal for the first 10:12 of the second half, allowing the Tide to use a 20-1 run to begin the dominate second half.
In the first half, Alabama shot 44.4 percent from the floor (12-of-27) and controlled the paint, 20-12, in the first half, but Auburn's 7-of-19 three-point shooting and 21-18 edge in rebounding gave the Tigers the 41-31 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Crimson Tide stormed out of the locker room scorching hot, erasing its 10-point deficit and capitalizing on a huge 20-1 burst, shooting 7-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-8 from deep to lead 51-42 at the 12:11 mark and never looked.
Three Tigers reached double figures as Heron led the charge with 18 points, while Murray and Brown contributed 15 points and 11 points respectively.
Alabama Menās Basketball Uses Second-Half Surge to Knock Off No. 1-seed Auburn, 81-63, in SEC Quarterfinal - Alabama Athletics
Max
Member
Auburn basketball: āBad body languageā describes Tigers and their coach
ST. LOUIS ā It was all going so well for Auburn. The SECās regular-season champion was handling rival Alabama after 20 minutes in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday, up 10 but it felt like more.
And then the Crimson Tide dropped the hammer so hard on the Tigers in the second half that it reduced Bruce Pearl to tired clichƩs and postgame peacocking on an Alabama strength coach. Auburn and its leader looked shell shocked after the 81-63 loss.
Is this what it looks and sounds like when a coach hoping 25 wins is enough to survive an FBI investigation starts to worry that the whole thing is about to fall apart?
āIt was a tale of two halves,ā Pearl said, offering up a hackneyed line that would earn him an āFā in Sportswriting 101. But he aināt wrong.
In the first half, the Tigers hit seven 3-pointers, got 15 points from Desean Murray and led Alabama 41-31. Then the Tide outscored them 28-3 to start the second half, shooting 76 percent and outrebounding them 26-12 while the Auburn went 1 for 14 from three.
āThey came down and flipped the table on us really quickly,ā Pearl said. āSecond half, they definitely hit us in the mouth first, and I think that always hurts. I think thatās hurt us lately, coming out in the second half. So thatās something we do gotta go back and look at and just try to fix it as much as possible.ā
The Tigers (25-7) didnāt really need any wins here in St. Louis, but an early exit by way of blowout loss to the rival Tide ā with Alabama likely punching its own NCAA Tournament ticket in the process ā is not the ideal confidence-booster heading into the tournament. Thatās where all it takes is one off night or one opponentās star going bonkers to beat you and end your season.
Kind of like freshman sensation Collin Sexton, who shredded Auburn for 31 points Friday.
āBody language wasnāt great,ā Pearl said. āWhen they made their run, I could just see that it bothered us more than it should have.ā
Heās one to talk. After the game, Pearl had what appeared to be a minor (and incidental) collision with an Alabama staff member, followed by a conversation between them ā which led to Pearl screaming like a mad man and needing to be gently moved away from the scene by security guards.
āA gentleman just was in my path and I had to try and negotiate around him,ā Pearl explained afterward. āI think he may have clipped me, and then he said something to me. Of course, I should be able to walk off the floor without having somebody stand in front of me and try to make contact with me.ā
Of course, Pearl should also have more composure than to act like a mad man over it. But he looked rattled Friday, and the Tigers followed his lead. Not a great look for an Auburn team that has already made history but would like to make a lot more starting next week.
Auburn basketball: Bruce Pearl, Tigers both embarrassed themselves against Alabama
ST. LOUIS ā It was all going so well for Auburn. The SECās regular-season champion was handling rival Alabama after 20 minutes in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday, up 10 but it felt like more.
And then the Crimson Tide dropped the hammer so hard on the Tigers in the second half that it reduced Bruce Pearl to tired clichƩs and postgame peacocking on an Alabama strength coach. Auburn and its leader looked shell shocked after the 81-63 loss.
Is this what it looks and sounds like when a coach hoping 25 wins is enough to survive an FBI investigation starts to worry that the whole thing is about to fall apart?
āIt was a tale of two halves,ā Pearl said, offering up a hackneyed line that would earn him an āFā in Sportswriting 101. But he aināt wrong.
In the first half, the Tigers hit seven 3-pointers, got 15 points from Desean Murray and led Alabama 41-31. Then the Tide outscored them 28-3 to start the second half, shooting 76 percent and outrebounding them 26-12 while the Auburn went 1 for 14 from three.
āThey came down and flipped the table on us really quickly,ā Pearl said. āSecond half, they definitely hit us in the mouth first, and I think that always hurts. I think thatās hurt us lately, coming out in the second half. So thatās something we do gotta go back and look at and just try to fix it as much as possible.ā
The Tigers (25-7) didnāt really need any wins here in St. Louis, but an early exit by way of blowout loss to the rival Tide ā with Alabama likely punching its own NCAA Tournament ticket in the process ā is not the ideal confidence-booster heading into the tournament. Thatās where all it takes is one off night or one opponentās star going bonkers to beat you and end your season.
Kind of like freshman sensation Collin Sexton, who shredded Auburn for 31 points Friday.
āBody language wasnāt great,ā Pearl said. āWhen they made their run, I could just see that it bothered us more than it should have.ā
Heās one to talk. After the game, Pearl had what appeared to be a minor (and incidental) collision with an Alabama staff member, followed by a conversation between them ā which led to Pearl screaming like a mad man and needing to be gently moved away from the scene by security guards.
āA gentleman just was in my path and I had to try and negotiate around him,ā Pearl explained afterward. āI think he may have clipped me, and then he said something to me. Of course, I should be able to walk off the floor without having somebody stand in front of me and try to make contact with me.ā
Of course, Pearl should also have more composure than to act like a mad man over it. But he looked rattled Friday, and the Tigers followed his lead. Not a great look for an Auburn team that has already made history but would like to make a lot more starting next week.
Auburn basketball: Bruce Pearl, Tigers both embarrassed themselves against Alabama
In other threads we've seen conversations about past successes with the Tide, where they rank all time in the SEC, and other little notes. Here's one to note.
In SEC tourney play the Tide holds an 8-2 record against Auburn.
I saw one writer mention the wins saves Bama a trip to Dayton and then he casually drops in a nugget about Anthony Grant: "...but Fridayās win quite possibly saved UA a trip to Dayton and the āFirst Fourā of play-in games. Guess the Dayton Coach Anthony Grant reunion for the teamās upperclassmen may have to wait till some other time."
In SEC tourney play the Tide holds an 8-2 record against Auburn.
I saw one writer mention the wins saves Bama a trip to Dayton and then he casually drops in a nugget about Anthony Grant: "...but Fridayās win quite possibly saved UA a trip to Dayton and the āFirst Fourā of play-in games. Guess the Dayton Coach Anthony Grant reunion for the teamās upperclassmen may have to wait till some other time."
Max
Member
This from an Aubie just a few days ago.
Eagle5
First Round Draft Pick
Gold Member
Joined:Nov 6, 2001
Messages:24,408
Likes Received:14,049
Between drags of filterless Camels, basketball-savvy bammers have to be asking themselves . . .
"WHY? WHY? HOW DID WE LET J. J. BEAT US TO THE HIRE OF THE CENTURY IN THIS STATE IN BASKETBALL? Who was the idiot that wanted to give Anthony Grant the '14-'15 season? One call from Nick to Emmert and the Bruce show cause is ex-sponged {bammerism}."
"And THEN, dammit, Bruce wouldn't even return our calls when we made a move to double his salary to leave the Barn after '14-'15 and come to Bama when we fired Grant. Said he wouldn't dream of leaving the Barn."
"And now, despite our program procurement outlay with 1 and Buh-Bye Sexton, we can't have nice things like the Barners in March, and Jerry Palm doesn't even post our team's name among the last four OUT."
"And what's WORSE, is that even if we pull off the unlikely beating the Aggies Thursday, our reward is to get our a$$e$ spanked by BRUCE and the Barn. Really don't want that on our NIT resume!"
"And we can't really play the probation move against the Barn to kill the roll they're on, because hell, we're in the crosshairs as bad or worse, and Emmert is not head of the FBI."
Eagle5
First Round Draft Pick
Gold Member
Joined:Nov 6, 2001
Messages:24,408
Likes Received:14,049
Between drags of filterless Camels, basketball-savvy bammers have to be asking themselves . . .
"WHY? WHY? HOW DID WE LET J. J. BEAT US TO THE HIRE OF THE CENTURY IN THIS STATE IN BASKETBALL? Who was the idiot that wanted to give Anthony Grant the '14-'15 season? One call from Nick to Emmert and the Bruce show cause is ex-sponged {bammerism}."
"And THEN, dammit, Bruce wouldn't even return our calls when we made a move to double his salary to leave the Barn after '14-'15 and come to Bama when we fired Grant. Said he wouldn't dream of leaving the Barn."
"And now, despite our program procurement outlay with 1 and Buh-Bye Sexton, we can't have nice things like the Barners in March, and Jerry Palm doesn't even post our team's name among the last four OUT."
"And what's WORSE, is that even if we pull off the unlikely beating the Aggies Thursday, our reward is to get our a$$e$ spanked by BRUCE and the Barn. Really don't want that on our NIT resume!"
"And we can't really play the probation move against the Barn to kill the roll they're on, because hell, we're in the crosshairs as bad or worse, and Emmert is not head of the FBI."
im4uainva
Member
That's pretty much the same kind of arrogance they displayed after the IB. This just causes me to enjoy life just a little more. I'm pleased with how Bama has overcome the issues this year, and will go where they haven't been in a long time. ROLL TIDE!
? Why would hall be out? He finished the game fine and besides for juggling the ball a few times played a great game
JoseyWalesTheOutlaw
Member
#80
Member
Hall went to the locker room after his fall hitting his head on the court did not return. Possible concussion I would guess.
In concussion protocol last night and this morning. I've not seen anything definitive yet.
@Destiny's Child
I don't know. If Hall is indeed out I'd expect to see Giddens, Reese, and Smith to take his minutes. They are really short if both are out. Right now all I'm seeing is speculation. I texted one guy I know and he said, "sleeping, I'll hit ya right back." He's in St. Louis so he should hear soon.
Personally, I'm waiting to see who is out there for the early shoot-around (assuming they'll still have one this morning.)
Caption of that freeze frame: Really Bruce, I'd keep walking. He'd kick your ass.
The only thing better than watching the Tide roll yesterday would have been to watch Pearl being pummeled. The first two games of this tourney have salvaged what would have been a much worse week. I kept my youngest who has Flu A.... again. I didn't even think you could get it twice.
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