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Alabama defeated North Carolina 94-79 in Chapel Hill on Wednesday night.
For the Crimson Tide, it was their first game since Nate Oats announced a season-ending injury for sharpshooter Latrell Wrightsell. Despite not having arguably their best shooter in a hostile environment, the Crimson Tide had very few issues offensively against the Tar Heels.
Here are 3 takeaways from Alabama’s victory over UNC:
Efficient offense
Alabama’s shooting splits in this game were excellent. The Tide shot 49% from the floor, 36% from 3-point range and 92% from the free throw line.
Mark Sears led the way with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, but he wast just 1 of 6 Alabama players who scored in double figures. Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway, notably, poured in 15 points apiece.
Holloway’s night was especially encouraging, as he went 5-of-9 from 3-point range. Holloway didn’t shoot it well from range during his freshman season at Auburn, but he’s hitting over 38% of his 3-point tries so far this season. If he can be an effective spacer, it would be huge for Alabama’s efforts to replace Wrightsell’s role in the rotation.
Elite perimeter defense
The No. 1 reason why Alabama was able to blowout North Carolina on Wednesday night was the 3-point line. The Tar Heels were dreadful from beyond the arc, making just 5-of-28 attempts (18%).
North Carolina guard RJ Davis was especially putrid from downtown, going just 1-for-11.
Alabama’s 3-point defense has been a strength so far this season. The Tide have allowed opponents to shoot just 27.9% from 3-point range so far in 2024-25.
SEC dominance
The SEC is dominating the SEC/ACC Challenge so far this week. This win is another notch in the SEC’s proverbial belt after getting off to a 9-1 start in Day 1 of the challenge on Tuesday.
It’s not just been this week, though. The SEC has been extremely strong all throughout nonconference play. As of publication, the SEC has a KenPom rating of +19.62. That’s the highest mark of any conference since the Big 12 in 2017.
Alabama will be in action again on Saturday against Creighton.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
