Alabama basketball overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to get its first-ever program win in Norman, Oklahoma, 83-81.
Nigel Pack had a chance at a game-winner, but hit the back iron with the Tide holding on.
Alabama basketball had entered the game 0-5 as a program on the road against Oklahoma and 0-2 in the Nate Oats era before the win against the Sooners.
“I can’t tell you the full story because that wouldn’t be appropriate for the camera,” said Labaron Philon, what Oats said at halftime in the locker room.
Former Alabama basketball players Derrion Reid and Mohamed Wague had good games, with Reid scoring 16 and 9 and Wague with 6 and 6.
It was announced the day before the game that Keitenn Bristow would be out for the foreseeable future with a right ankle injury.
Taylor Bol Bowen returned to the floor and was still in pain from the left-hand injury, all taped up. Bol Bowen was not able to play much cause of foul trouble and did not get any shots up.
With the win, Alabama will have no midweek game with a week of preparation and much-needed rest before the season gets a little more hectic.
Philon led all scorers with 23 and was clutch down the stretch.
“He’s made big shots. He’s played well down the stretch, I mean, to me, he’s a gamer,” said Oats.
After the game, Alabama basketball is now 17th in KenPom, with the 2nd-highest offensive efficiency in the country.
In the Net rankings, Alabama is now 5-4 in quadrant 1 games.
Aiden Sherrell has been that guy for the Tide
Aiden Sherrell has made a big leap in his Sophomore campaign and had another big game after scoring 22 points last game, posting 21 points to propel the team to victory while being the anchor down low.
“He’s been really good at running the interior of our defense. He impacts the game, both sides of the ball, really well,” said Oats.
Sherrell had five points on the Tide’s 12-0 run out of half, and whether it be in the pick-n-roll game or putbacks, the Sooners really had no answer.
Sherrell won the hardhat after the game.
Houston Mallette, energy guy
Houston Mallette came off the bench and did exactly what the Tide needed with a spark, whether it was leadership on the floor, veteran hustle steals, or rebounds to keep possessions alive.
Mallette finished with 12 points, knocking down 3-7 from deep.
Mallette hit a couple of free throws late to help fend off a late Sooners rally, and has been the glue guy for this Alabama Basketball team.
“He got our energy where it needed to be,” said Oats on Mallette.
Effort levels
Alabama basketball has yet to put together a complete 40-minute game during SEC play. It has continued to have lapses in effort, leading to careless turnovers or bad shots that allow the opposing team to get easy baskets.
When the Tide is playing hard, it is a very tough team to beat, and when it did against the Sooners, especially for the full 20 minutes of the second half, it really had full control of the game and was able to do whatever it wanted to on the offensive side of the ball.
Coach Oats is still trying to get his team to play the full 40 minutes.
“I’ve got to do a better job as a coach of getting these guys motivated to give us better effort for 40 minutes. But we did enough to get a win,” said Oats.
Next for Oklahoma (11-7): at South Carolina (Tues., Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. EST)
Next for Alabama basketball (13-5): vs. Tennessee (Sat., Jan. 24 at 8:30 p.m. EST)