Alabama Basketball Drops SEC Home Game To Ole Miss: 3 Takeaways

Alabama basketball lost to Ole Miss in front of sold-out Coleman Coliseum on “Blue Collar Night” in a game where it got out-matched physically.

Alabama basketball drops out of a tie for first after dropping a game for the first time in Coleman Coliseum 74-64 to Ole Miss in a game where the Rebels got up 70 field goal attempts to Alabama’s 47.

The Tide were without Freshman Derrion Reid, who was out with an ankle injury and was questionable heading into the game.

Aden Holloway led the team in scoring with 15 points on 7-18, shooting 4-10 from three and 9-10 from the free throw line.

Alabama lost the blue-collar plays by 89.5 to 72.5.

“Maybe the most disappointing thing of the night, in my opinion, was our lack of effort on the offensive glass. I don’t know If our guys realize that’s what’s keeping our offense going. We haven’t shot it well this year,” said head coach Nate Oats.

Takeaway #1: Turnovers were the difference in the game

Alabama had 21 turnovers on the night and struggled to start both halves out because of turnovers in the first four minutes of the halves. In both halves, Alabama had nine turnovers between the first half and second half before the first media timeout.

Alabama’s wings and bigs struggled to take care of the ball, with Jarin Stevenson, Grant Nelson, Clifford Omoruyi, and Mouhamed Dioubate combined for 13 of the 21 turnovers.

The turnovers seem to waver from the team’s low effort levels, and the defensive game plan from Ole Miss and Chris Beard was perfectly executed.

“It’s disgusting, to be honest with you. With the amount of fifth year seniors we have, to have guys not come ready to play. And it starts with me. I’m gonna have to look in the mirror, see what I did and didn’t do,” said Oats on the lack of effort.

Takeaway #2: Malik Dia dominates 

The Tide had no answer in guarding the undersized 6″9 big Malik Dia, who finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds.

In the second half alone Dia has 11 and 11, and whoever was matched up on him could not stay in front of the Belmont transfer.

Overall, it was a bad matchup for the Tide because Dia is not your traditional back-to-the-basket big and although did not hit any threes, but hit tons of fadeaway midrange jumpers.

Clifford Omoruyi could not stay in front of Dia and did not get as many minutes only finishing with 13 minutes.

Takeaway #3: Ole Miss guards dominate

The experienced backcourt of  Jaylen Murray, Sean Pedulla, and Matthew Murrell was too much for the Tide on both ends of the floor.

Pedulla finished with only 12 points but hit a dagger three in the last four minutes when Alabama was trying to climb back, but that put the game out of reach.

Murrell had 11 points, but when a basket had to be scored consistently, he answered with a bucket of his own.

The small, crafty guard of Murray kept getting to the paint and knocked down some threes from the outside to finish with 13 points.

The Rebels held Mark Sears to 11 points, with every bucket having to be earned. The Rebels did a good job running the Tide off the three-point line, attempting 20 threes on the game.

Next up for Alabama (14-3, 3-1): at Kentucky (14-3, 3-1) – Jan. 18 at Noon EST

Next up for Ole Miss (15-2, 4-0): at Mississippi State (14-3, 2-2) – Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. EST