You knew it was coming.
After putting South Carolina at No. 1 for the first time ever in this week’s SEC power rankings, it was inevitable that the Gamecocks would follow it up with one of their strangest games of the season.
And after dropping Alabama from No. 4 to No. 10 following an 0-2 week that included a head-scratching loss to Auburn, it was inevitable that the Crimson Tide would score their biggest win of the season.
Welcome to the ridiculous world of SEC basketball.
It was clear from the beginning that it wasn’t South Carolina’s night. Frank Martin’s team couldn’t hit anything early, and it resulted in a 3-for-30 shooting performance in the first half.
That’s 10%. The team with the best record in the conference shot 10% in a half.
Go figure.
The weirdness didn’t end there. Despite only shooting 26%, somehow the Gamecocks got this thing to four overtimes. Alabama’s shot selection wasn’t great in the several chances that it had to win, but the Crimson Tide managed to get it right when it mattered.
Although I picked South Carolina to win, it seemed obvious going in that this wasn’t the worst matchup in the world for Alabama. When this team has struggled this season, it has typically come against teams that play at a high pace and find ways to hit a lot of threes.
The Gamecocks came into the game third in the SEC in three-point shooting, but only went 5-for-31 (16%) in this one.
Even Sindarius Thornwell couldn’t save South Carolina despite scoring 44 points, grabbing 21 rebounds and shooting 33 free throws.
Meanwhile, Avery Johnson Jr. scored a career-high 23 points for Alabama and made huge plays when his team needed them the most. You also have to give both Ar’Mond Davis and Riley Norris a ton of credit for getting scores at the right time as well.
So, what does this mean for a Crimson Tide team that seemed to be spiraling? Let’s be honest: We have no idea.
With the way the SEC has played out thus far this season, Alabama could get swept by LSU and Missouri next week and have this win mean nothing.
However, it’s obviously a win that puts this team back on the NCAA bubble. Arkansas is the latest team to spiral out of control, so that leaves Alabama in sole possession of fourth place in the league. And without question, this team will earn a nice bump in the RPI (came in at No. 77) by scoring a win over the No. 18 RPI team on the road.
Bouncing back from adversity is something that Avery Johnson has talked about all season long. His team could have easily kept going in the wrong direction after the blowout loss at Arkansas and the deflating loss to Auburn.
Instead, all Alabama did was respond with a victory that won’t soon be forgotten.
With a struggling Kentucky team on the horizon (and the aforementioned LSU/Missouri combo), this was simply a massive win for the Crimson Tide in terms of moving back into the NCAA tournament picture.
Something tells me they won’t be staying in that No. 10 spot in the power rankings for very long.
Blake Lovell has worked in sports media for over 10 years. He currently covers SEC football and basketball for various publications.