Red-hot Bama rolls to second SEC title in three years

Nashville, Tenn. — No. 1 seed Alabama (29-5, 16-2 SEC) cruised to an explosive 82-63 win over No. 2 seed Texas A&M (25-9, 15-3 SEC) in the SEC Men’s championship game. The Basketball Tournament is at Bridgestone Arena.

Alabama matched its biggest win in an SEC championship game with a 19-point differential while scoring the second-most points in an SEC championship game in program history. The Tide will also become the 20th tame school to win the SEC Tournament championship with each winning by double digits and the first since Kentucky in 2015.

Brandon Miller recorded his ninth double-double of the season (23 points, 12 rebounds) as he became the first player with consecutive 20-point, 10-rebound games in the SEC Tournament since Tennessee’s Vincent Yarbrough in 2002. Jahvon Quinerly followed close behind with 22 points in 8-of-14 shooting while they each drained four 3-pointers. The duo became the first Alabama teammates to score 20 points in an SEC Tournament game since Alonzo Gee and Mikhail Torrance against Vanderbilt in 2009.

Charles Bediako also had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Noah Clowney scored nine and grabbed 11 boards.

Dexter Dennis led the Aggies offense with 14 points and three triples while grabbing five rebounds. Despite his slow start, Wade Taylor IV followed with 13 points. Tyrece Radford scored 12 and Henry Coleman had 11 to lead Texas A&M with nine rebounds.

Just moments from the opening tipoff, Sears locked in the first of the Tide’s many threes. Quinerly and Dennis traded 3-pointers before an 8-0 run capped by Bediako’s second-chance dunk and two shots from deep put Alabama ahead, 16-7, bringing the crowd to its feet several times in the first five minutes. .

Both teams were slow offensively with 12 of their remaining 20 points in the first half coming from the free-throw line.

The Aggies faced a deficit as large as 16 after a 7-0 run by the Tide set a 31-15 differential with less than five minutes remaining in the half. Texas A&M scored the last points before the halftime buzzer on a hook shot by Julius Marble to bring them within 11, 34-23, at the break.

The Tide controlled the first half with Quinerly leading the offensive attack, hitting three of Alabama’s six 3-pointers and scoring 13 on 5-of-8 shooting. As a team, the Tide shot 41% from the field in the first half on 11-of-27 shooting.

The game proved to be a physical contest as each team collected 10 errors with three of the Tide’s going to Miller. Meanwhile, Noah Gurley and Bediako hosted a block party in the first half, denying the Aggies a combined five. Bediako also grabbed eight spots in the first half.

By comparison, the Aggies struggled to find a rhythm while recording a season-worst 21% from the field (6-of-29) and the program’s second-worst shooting half against SEC opponents in the past 10 seasons. .

The Aggies took a new approach in the second half, piling on points in the paint; However, the Tide just kept responding with baskets of their own. At the 16:35 mark, Quinerly’s fastbreak 3-pointer sent the crowd into a frenzy because it matched the season for the most threes in a game with four.

With multiple contributors, Texas A&M went on a quick 6-0 run to close the gap, 38-47, but Miller drained one from long range as Alabama fans drowned out whispers of a tumultuous comeback. Moments later, the crowd erupted again as Miller drilled his third three midway through the second half.

Texas A & M coach Buzz Williams called time to regroup, leading to a jam by Solomon Washington and a three-point play by Taylor IV to bring within 10 again, 58-48, with just over nine minutes to go.

But back-to-back threes by Clowney and Miller stopped the Texas A&M run short and brought the Bama fans back to their feet, forcing Williams to call another timeout as roars filled the arena.

This time, Texas A&M’s timeout didn’t derail Alabama’s momentum. Clowney’s dunk gave the Tide a 71-50 advantage at the 5:29 mark. The Tide went on a 20-5 run capped by Miller’s plane to the rim for a flush, making it 77-53 to the sound of the awestruck crowd.

The Crimson Tide rode the remaining minutes to become the 2023 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament champion.

Until Next Time

Little Alabama solidified as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Texas A&M will be waiting for their seeding and their goal in the NCAA Tournament.