TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — If you envisioned a Tennessee basketball win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa this offseason, it probably included massive performances from Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament. It hasn’t always looked that way this season but it did Saturday night with the Vols outlasting the Crimson Tide 79-73.
Here’s three quick takeaways on Tennessee’s fifth straight win over Nate Oats and Alabama.
Tennessee’s Stars Played Like Stars
Collectively, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament turned in their best performance of SEC play. And as the Vols’ frontcourt continued to underwhelm, Tennessee needed every bit of it.
Ament has been playing better as of late but it has often taken him time to ease into games. That was not the case against the Crimson Tide where he scored six points in the first six minutes of the game. Ament’s aggression was a continuous theme throughout the game.
The five-star freshman got to his spots and played through contact as well as he has all season on his way to a career-high 29 points. Ament did a lot of other things well too, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists.
Gillespie has been far more consistent than Ament this season, so his performance was much closer to his norm. But the senior point guard was still very good, totaling 24 points and four assists with just one turnover.
The Maryland transfer was also solid at the free throw line late which helped seal the game. Combined, Gillespie and Ament went for 53 points.
Tennessee’s Rebounding Starts Slow and Steadily Improves
The Vols lost last week against Kentucky in large part due to terrible defensive rebounding in the second half. They picked up right where they left off in the opening minutes against the Crimson Tide. Alabama got four offensive rebounds before Tennessee grabbed its first defensive rebound, leading to points on its first seven offensive possessions of the game.
That issue was not nearly a prevalent the rest of the way as the Vols started to do a better job on the glass. Still, Alabama finished the game with 10 offensive rebounds and a 26% offensive rebound rate.
The numbers are not great for Tennessee but not terrible overall. It was a bigger issue because Alabama is not a good rebounding. It’s been its biggest weakness all season and while Charles Bediako played well, he rebounded poorly.
Tennessee, on the other hand, is built to be a good rebounding team. As the game went on they started to find more success on the glass. They ended up winning the battle 42-33 but it was not a fantastic showing.
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The Vols’ Defense Tightens Up Late
For most of the game, Tennessee struggled to get stops and particularly struggled to slow down Alabama star Labaron Philon.
With 5:21 remaining in the game, Alabama had 70 points and trailed by just two points. Then Tennessee’s defense turned it up to another level. The Crimson Tide scored just three points in the final 5:20 as Tennessee found a way to take control of the game and get to the finish line.
Tennessee got stops, capped with defensive rebounds, on six of Alabama’s final seven possessions. The Crimson Tide missed three-pointers on their final five offensive possessions.
And in the end, Tennessee’s defense held Alabama to one of its worst offensive performances of the season. The Crimson Tide’s 73 points were their lowest of the season.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee is back in action in the midweek when they face travel to Athens to face No. 21 Georgia.
