Nate Oats had a lot to say last week about his teams performance as of late. He didn’t hold back.
That translated on the court today as the Crimson Tide (10-3) (1-0) took on No. 14 Tennessee at home in the SEC conference opener.
In earning a 73-68 win, Alabama begins conference play with a 1-0 record and a third win over a Quad 1 opponent in the NET rankings.
Furman transfer Noah Gurley recorded his best game of the year in the win, tallying 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Jahvon Quinerly finished the game with 18 points. Jaden Shackelford provided 12 points for the Tide while Keon Ellis contributed nine.
As a team, the Tide shot good enough at 43.3% FG. The three balls weren’t dropping much tonight, hitting on just 22%, but they dropped when it mattered toward the end. Ellis hit a pair of critical threes down the stretch to put Alabama up by two with :46 on the clock.
In the end, the real battle was on the boards. Alabama held the advantage at the end with a 43-35 edge.
The Crimson Tide defense looked much improved in this one relative to the lack thereof in the previous three contests.
Tennessee hit on just 34% of their shots from the floor, including 24% from three-point range.
Alabama continues onward with a 1-0 record to start SEC competition.
Next up for the Crimson Tide is a road game in Gainesville against the Florida Gators on Jan. 5.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!
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