Since the arrival of Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats, the Tide have been waiting on their time to come. With what Oats did at Buffalo prior to coming to Tuscaloosa, it was clear that he could bring a team from low spots to national prominence.
That time is finally here for Bama hoops fans, as Alabama won at least a share of the SEC regular season championship Saturday after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 64-59.
Jahvon Quinerly has become one of the most important pieces to the Bama offense in the late-season, along with fellow guard Jaden Shackelford. Saturday was no different, as Quinerly led the team in scoring with 19 points in the win.
Shackelford actually did end up being second in scoring this game with 15 points, along with grabbing six boards on the night.
However, just reading stat lines does not always show the entire story of a game. The unsung hero for the Tide on Saturday was without a doubt James Rojas. Although he had a modest stat line of nine points, six rebounds and zero assists, Rojas was one of the keys of the game.
Rojas played very stingy defense when it mattered. Also, he was able to drain a three-point shot with under a minute left to put the dagger in the Bulldogs by putting Bama ahead by two possessions.
It is worth noting that Rojas has only hit four threes this year while attempting 22 long-distance shots, making him 18% from deep on the season.
Coach Oats is known to give his players the freedom to shoot whenever they feel necessary. That is a lot of freedom, but it does come with one stipulation: You have to play hard on defense to have free-range to shoot the ball.
Rojas, Quinerly and Shackelford all played great defense all game. Coincidently, these three also had great offensive performances. That is the system Oats has put in place in Tuscaloosa.
Senior Herb Jones, a fan favorite, went 1-9 from the field with only two points total, but he was a menace at the rim. While going 0-3 from downtown, he had 14 total rebounds on the night. His defense was also tough, and he made sure to make things hard on Mississippi State, especially in the paint.
Alabama’s next matchup is against an improving Auburn team in a big rivalry game. Auburn is coming off of a big win over Tennessee. However, freshman star Sharife Cooper’s status for the game is in question as he deals with an injury.
Cooper played his first college game against Alabama in Auburn Arena earlier this season and had a great night. However, even if he is available for the Tigers, Oats and the Tide will be ready for Cooper this time at home.
The two teams are set to square off Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Hayden Crigler is a contributing college football and college basketball writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him through email: [email protected] or on Twitter: @hayden_crigler.
