For the first time in 19 years, Alabama men’s basketball will end the regular season at the helm of the SEC.
Coach Nate Oats’ two-year turnaround in the tide reached a milestone Saturday night, when Alabama beat Mississippi State, 64-59, to win the school’s eighth regular season conference title and the first since 2002.
The achievement secures first place in the SEC tournament next month in Nashville, where Alabama has a chance to win its first tournament championship since 1991.
“Very proud of our boys,” said Oats. “It is not easy to win a SEC championship. I thought our kids played a lot – the hardest we’ve played in a long time. “
Alabama won the right to cut the nets at Starkville’s Humphrey Arena, avoiding a late game in the state of Mississippi. The Bulldogs lost 13 at halftime, but Alabama never increased that advantage, and the margin dropped to possession in the final minutes.
“The attack was not easy,” said Oats. “Give the state of Mississippi a lot of credit. They made it difficult to score in [them]. They held on and played a tough game. Our kids, to hit the ball like we did and play as hard as we did with the kids diving for lost balls and collecting – I thought our defensive effort was the best we’ve had in a long time. “
Alabama’s 32 percent shot and 64 points were both low for a win this season.
“A lot of guys didn’t play very well personally on the offensive side tonight, and nobody really cared,” said Oats. “They wanted to win. Everything about your teammates and celebrating with them. “
Junior striker James Rojas hit a three-point basket in the corner with 43 seconds left, with the basket – just the second for Alabama in the final nine minutes – giving Tide a six-point advantage and breathing space.
Oats arrived in his post-game videoconference “drenched” at a celebration in the locker room.
“I went in there and they threw a lot of water at me,” he said. “They were already celebrating before we left the ground. They were excited about it. They knew what was at stake. We didn’t talk about – we were just focused on the game – but they knew.
“They [were] dancing and having fun. It’s big. This does not happen very often. “
Jahvon Quinerly was the offensive engine for Alabama, leading with 19 points from 3 out of 5 three-point shots. The second year made 20 of 33 attempts at three points in the last seven games.
“I thought Quinerly was great,” said Oats. “His pace was great. I think it’s the best I’ve seen him play. I think part of that was he attacked and went to the ground for a lost ball. He has deflections. He was playing harder. When his effort is so difficult in defense, his speed and skill level decrease – he has a lot to deal with in the transition. We want to play fast and he is pushing the ball hard. “
Senior Herb Jones added 14 rebounds, the second highest in his four-year college career. Jones joined senior teammates John Petty and Alex Reese to finally celebrate the conference championship after all four players remained in Tuscaloosa during a coach change.
“You think of these elderly people in Alabama,” said Oats. “Coming to the University of Alabama is like a dream come true for children who grew up in Alabama, now to win a SEC championship in their senior year – you see everyone else, how excited they are to have this program delivered to right direction.
“You look at those three guys who have been here the whole time. They could easily have kept it in one direction. They wanted to change. They wanted to change the Alabama basketball narrative. They wanted to change what people thought about Alabama basketball. And they did that. “
Jones, Petty and Reese were part of a 2017 recruiting class, which also included Collin Sexton, who became eighth in the NBA draft.
“We survived here for a long time and worked hard,” said Petty. “We see our results. I think it shows a lot about our character, and our determination and dedication. “
Mississippi’s 59 points were tied as the lowest number Alabama allowed in a SEC game this season. The Bulldogs hit 1 out of 12 in the three-point range and 58 percent in free throws, while being defeated by Alabama 45-40.
Alabama improved to 14-2 in the SEC game with victory on Saturday, putting the conference title out of Arkansas’s reach. The Razorbacks, after stopping Tide from winning Wednesday night, improved to 11-4 with their ninth consecutive league win on Saturday.
“We went to Arkansas and it wasn’t us,” said Petty. “We went back to practice and looked at ourselves in the mirror and said, ‘Who are we? How did we get here? What did we do to get here? ‘So I feel like tonight we are playing hard in defense again – little things like missing balls, diving on the floor and things like that. “
Alabama, ranked 6th in the Associated Press poll, and 20th, Arkansas, topped the conference ranking this season. In a league traditionally dominated by Kentucky, Tide took advantage of a year off against the Wildcats by defeating them twice while simultaneously sweeping LSU and taking down both Tennessee and Florida.
Alabama’s victory preserved the chance to match the program’s 16-2 league record in the 1986-87 season. Tide hosts Auburn on Tuesday night before playing next Saturday in Georgia.
Alabama is the first SEC school since Florida in 2006-07 to win the regular basketball season title and the football title in the same academic year. Alabama did this most recently in 1975-76.
Mike Rodak is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.