Alabama
14-3,3-1SEC
#21 Ole Miss
15-2,4-0SEC
No. 4/5 Alabama Falls to No. 21/21 Ole Miss, 74-64, for First Conference Loss
1/14/2025 9:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide put up season-low 64 points against the Rebels
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 4/5 Alabama men's basketball team fell to No. 21/21 Ole Miss Tuesday night, 74-64, inside Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide held a four-point lead at halftime (36-32) but was outscored 42-28 over the final 20 minutes to result in the first home loss.
Alabama (14-3, 3-1 SEC) had a pair of players in double figures, including Aden Holloway (15) who led a 31-point effort from the bench, and Mark Sears (11).
The Rebels (15-2, 4-0 SEC) were led by Malik Dia with 23 points and 19 rebounds.
Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"Obviously not one of our better showings, I have to give Ole Miss credit. They came ready on the road and we did not come ready. I've got to figure out how to do a better job making sure our guys are ready to go. Our first 10 possessions, we had seven turnovers. We've had some issues with turnovers throughout the year, this defense turns people over and we didn't have our guys ready to go. Maybe the most disappointing thing throughout the night was our lack of effort on the offensive glass. Our guys didn't realize that's what's been keeping our offense going. Our offense hasn't been great this year, but our offensive rebounding rate has been saving us in some of these games.
"Ole Miss's defense is very good. Coach (Chris) Beard has always had great defensive teams. Their switching defensively definitely messed with us. As a staff, I thought we had our guys ready to go, we obviously did not; we have to do a better job. For the few times we were able to make them pay, we stayed super stagnant. We only had 11 assists to 21 turnovers. Defensively, we had some mistakes and should've been better, but we lost this game on the offensive end. We lost the game with our turnovers, our lack of effort on the offensive glass, guys that we count on to get offensive rebounds came through with nothing for us tonight. We got to do a better job making sure our guys, mentally, are ready to go and understand how tough these games are every night in the SEC."
Team Stats
- The Rebels had 23 more shots on the night than the Crimson Tide (70-47)
- UA had 21 turnovers compared to just seven committed by Ole Miss, helping the Rebels own a 19-10 edge in points off turnovers
- Alabama's bench totaled 31 points, led by Aden Holloway's 15
- Nate Oats' squad scored nearly half of its points in the paint (30), connecting on just five three pointers in the loss
- The Crimson Tide shot 20-47 (43 percent) from the field and 5-20 (25 percent) from three and 19-26 at the charity stripe
First Half
- Alabama struggled to find success early on, committing five turnovers in just over three minutes of action
- Points came at a premium to start the matchup as well, with both teams combining for just six points at the first media timeout
- After allowing a small lead by the Rebels, the Crimson Tide fired back with an 9-0 run to retake the lead, featuring a pair of corner threes by Chris Youngblood (15-10)
- Alabama cooled off after the big run, however, going scoreless for nearly two minutes and allowing Ole Miss to tie the game back up at the third media timeout of the half
- Following the break, both teams traded baskets for the remainder of the first period, but the Crimson Tide remained ahead (36-32)
- Aden Holloway led the team in scoring with nine points at the half
- Alabama's defensive effort in the first half caused a 14-40 shooting performance from the field by the Rebels
- The Crimson Tide bench accounted for 21 points in the half, outscoring the 15 points put up by the starting group
Second Half
- Alabama struggled offensively to open the second half, scoring just four points in four minutes, meanwhile Ole Miss retook the lead at the first media timeout (41-40)
- Following the break, the Crimson Tide scored just one field goal in five minutes, meanwhile the Rebels' lead bloomed to double digits at the nine-minute mark at 56-46
- After a timeout by Ole Miss, Alabama was able to cut the lead down to a five-point margin with 7:47 to go in the half (56-51)
- However, the momentum was cut short after the Rebels went on a 5-0 run to push the lead back to double digits once again just before the final media timeout
- Despite Alabama's efforts to cut the lead down, Ole Miss sank its final eight foul shots to secure the victory
Up Next
- Alabama will close out the week on the road to face No.8/9 Kentucky on Saturday at Rupp Arena
- Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN
