No. 18 Alabama, Miller overtakes No. 12 Michigan State

PORTLAND, Ore. – Alabama’s 18/18 men’s basketball team opened the Phil Knight Invitational with an 81-70 win over 12th Michigan State, moving into the bracket to face 20th UConn on Friday. Brandon Miller took the lead for the Crimson Tide, scoring a top 24 in the game along with 9 rebounds and 2 saves.

The first half was back and forth with nine changes of the lead and four draws. Miller sparked Alabama’s attack by scoring 17 points along with 5 rebounds in the opening stretch. Tide turned hot late in the half, scoring 48.5 percent (16 of 33) in the first half and taking the lead with Miller’s three-pointer at the whistle to take a 42-37 lead at halftime. TB.

Alabama’s defense excelled in defending the 3-point line, as the Spartans hadn’t made a 3-pointer until 13:49 in the second half. Jahvon Quinerly and Alabama’s bench appeared continuously throughout the second half, scoring 16 of Alabama’s 39 points in the final 20 minutes, led by Quinerly’s eight with three rebounds and a pair of ants. create.

Head Coach Nate Oats Post-Game Comments

“It was a great win for us. They (Michigan State) could have easily led 4-0 in this game so I’m proud of the way our players reacted. I think we do. I finished the first half great and had a good fourth half open another minute with two points, and then I think we finished the first half well I think we opened the game well and went into the game. Their lack of depth obviously didn’t need them to have a few in the spin, we were able to wear them out a bit Credit to them, they hit some tough threes and made it to the line. free throws and maybe stay in the game and turn it into a close game, it would be nice to finish a little bit better. It’s a quality win, we’re on the right track.”

Team stats

• Alabama is now 5-0 for the first time since 2017-18
• This was Alabama’s eighth win over a top 15 AP opponent under Nate Oats .
• Tide passes MSU 38-30 inside the paintwork
• Michigan State is the first team to beat Alabama this season (42-40)
• Tide made eight three points while holding Sparta to four
• Alabama’s bench passes Michigan State 24-13
• Tide’s defense held off Michigan State with the lowest goal percentage of the season (0.387).
• MSU’s Joey Hauser scored 9 points against Alabama, the fewest he’s scored in a game this season

First half

• Alabama’s first three goals scored in the game were pitches
• Alabama used the 8-0 scoreline in the opening minutes of the game to lead 8-2
• Alabama’s defense did not allow Michigan State to score until 14:09 of the first half
• Midway through, Sparta took a 7-0 lead to take a 21-15 lead.
• After leading 27-30 with four and a half minutes remaining, Tide overcame Michigan State with a score of 15-7 to end the half.
• Noah Clowney filled the first half stats with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 assist.

The second half

• The Tide scored a hot spot of 50 percent (8-16) in the first 10 minutes to take a 67-49 lead, the game’s biggest lead yet
• Alabama beat Michigan State 24-23 in the second half
• Crimson Tide shoots 40 percent (12-30) from the field while holding Sparta to 33 percent (11-13)
• Tide’s offense scored eight assists out of 12 goals taken
• Nimari Burnett and Quinerly took the lead for Tide in attack in the second round, each scoring eight points

Next

• Alabama will face UConn in the semifinals on the Phil Knight Invitational
• Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CT at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and will air on ESPN