After the 12th, 13th and 15th-ranked teams all lost to lesser-ranked opponents, Saturday’s chaotic start to the college basketball roster continued into the afternoon roster as lesser-ranked Oklahoma lost to 93 -69 over No. 2 Alabama in the SEC/Big 12 Challenger game in Norman, Oklahoma. OU had a 29-second lead in its own arena and was strong on both ends to send home the red-hot Crimson Tide, its biggest loss since Nate Oats took over the program.
Alabama (18-3) this season did something similar to OU (12-9) Saturday against its opponent — the Tide entered the day with the third-best scoring rate of any power conference program — in recent The 2023 winning streak began with an average of 25.8 points per game over Ole Miss, Kentucky, Arkansas and LSU.
After a three-game losing streak going into the day with almost nothing going right, almost everything was working for OU against the Tide. Nevada transfer guard Grant Sherfield added fuel to the fire with a season-high 30 points and six assists. He also got a lot of help, as Jalen Hill scored 26 points as the team went 9-for-13 from 3-point range against an Alabama defense that ranked No. 1 in the country in 3-point percentage this season. two.
The defense is where OU wins its war, against an Alabama offense that has as much pace and explosive scoring as any team in the country. Bama freshman Brandon Miller averaged 19.5 points per game, scoring 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting while the team shot 6-for-22 from beyond the arc.
Here are some highlights of the game.
Tide remains projected #1 seed in Bracketology
A loss to an unranked team — and a whopping 24 points — doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in its future prospects. But the Crimson Tide’s projected No. 1 seed in March Madness remains intact, according to CBS Sports bracket specialist Jerry Palm, who said they will now remain the No. 2 seed in his projected bracket despite the loss.
“Going into the weekend, there was some disagreement between the top two teams, Purdue and Alabama, and the rest of the teams at the top of the standings,” Palm said. “It’s not the gap we had in 2021 when Baylor and Gonzaga dominated college basketball, but it’s still a significant gap. Alabama’s blowout loss at Oklahoma has closed some gaps, but the Crimson The strength of the Tide’s résumé, which includes six wins in Quad 1 and seven wins in the current group projections, is still good enough to keep them in second place overall for now.”
Hill, Sheffield duo energized for OU
Hill scored a career-high 26 points, while Sheffield scored a career-high 30 at Oklahoma State, one point short.The duo combined for 20 of OU’s 34 field goals and combined for 31 first-half points, two fewer than Bama’s half. as a team. Their scoring also opened up opportunities for easy watching elsewhere, with Tanner Groves scoring 14 easily and nine different players scoring at least one goal.
Alabama’s Miller stays quiet in loss
The key to opening Alabama’s offense this season has centered on Miller’s scoring and shooting, as he scored 11 points against OU — his lowest in 10 games and his first in a game all season. Three-Low Total – 14 total field goals. He’s gotten little help from his teammates — the team is shooting 37.9 percent from the field — but he’s held back by OU and could set the blueprint for how to tactically move this dynamic Alabama team forward. .
