Alabama
21-12,8-10SEC
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Mississippi State
27-5,16-2SEC
Top-Seeded Alabama Cruises Past No. 9 seed Mississippi State, 72-49, in SEC Tournament Quarterfinals
3/10/2023 4:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide advances to Saturday’s semifinal against Missouri
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 4/5 Alabama men's basketball team cruised to a 72-49 win over Mississippi State in Friday's Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Bridgestone Arena. The Crimson Tide's 23-point victory over the ninth-seeded Bulldogs was its third-largest margin of victory in the UA's tournament's history.
The Crimson Tide led from start-to-finish, building a 20-point halftime advantage and extended its lead to as many as 25 points in the second half. Alabama finished the game with 21 assists and 12 made three-pointers, both of which stand second-most in an SEC Tournament game in program history, while its 37 three-point attempts set a program tournament record.
The Naismith College Player of the Year semifinalist with the three-pointer gives him 6 points and 6 rebounds!
— Alabama Men's Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 10, 2023
??: https://t.co/eG9sBeWaMq#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/jQagugOE1b
Freshman Brandon Miller, who was named as a Naismith Trophy semifinalist prior to the contest, led Alabama with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Jahvon Quinerly made his first start of the season and finished with 10 points, four assists and a pair of steals. Noah Gurley added 11 points off the bench while Charles Bediako added 11 points and five blocks in the win.
The Tide improved to 27-5 this year, matching the program record of most wins in a season, while Mississippi State falls to 21-12 on the year.
HEAD COACH NATE OATS POSTGAME COMMENTS
"It was a good start to the tournament. We obviously didn't play very well last time we were out at Texas A&M, so we needed to bounce back. We've bounced back off losses pretty well all year. I think the margin of victory after a loss is 20-plus points. We did that again today. The question is can we continue to play like this for the next two days. But I thought our guys were very focused. They were really into the defensive end, which is what we needed. We made a change in the lineup, obviously. Took our Sixth Man of the Year in the SEC (Jahvon Quinrely) and put him in the starting lineup. I just thought we were struggling offensively to start games. We get to the end of the four-minute media timeout, have two points, three points. Lastly, it was Charles' birthday today. Our guys are great. They gave him a big, huge birthday celebration this morning, sang to him. He finished with five blocks on his birthday, too. I thought he controlled the paint pretty well. He won the hardhat for all the blue-collar points."
TEAM STATS
- Of the 11 players who saw action in Friday's contest for the Tide, only one player did not score (Jaden Bradley)
- Charles Bediako's five blocks in the contest were the second-most by an Alabama player in SEC Tournament history
- The Tide finished with a 3-to-1 assist/turnover ratio in the contest, collecting 21 assists compared to seven turnovers
- Led by Noah Gurley, the Crimson Tide's bench outscored its counterparts 25-8
- UA outscored MSU 20-2 in fast break points
FIRST HALF
- Leading 18-13 at the 12:03, the Crimson Tide would hold the Bulldogs to just 3-of-19 shooting from the floor and outscored them 23-8 the remainder of the half to take a 41-21 lead into the locker room
- The Tide's 41 first half points is the most in five games since UA's 54 points against Georgia
- Brandon Miller filled the stat sheet with 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists
- Alabama shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from three-point range and 46 percent (16-of-35)
- In comparison, Mississippi State finished the half without making a three (0-of-5) and shot just 26 percent (8-of-31) from the floor
SECOND HALF
- Mississippi State was not able to get any closer than 14 points, 57-43, with just over five minutes remaining
- The Tide outscored the Bulldogs 15-5 the rest of the way to result in the final score
- UA finished the half with nine assists on 11 made baskets
UP NEXT
- Alabama has reached the SEC semifinals for the second time in the last three years as it takes on the Missouri Tigers
- The contest will tipoff at noon CT and air live on ESPN
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
