By SCOTT FELTS
Tennessee traveled to Alabama’s Coleman Coliseum on Saturday night to take on the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide in a series that has seen 10 of the last 12 games end in a single digit scoring margin.
Alabama (13-6, 3-3) built a 10 point lead in the first half on Tennessee (13-6, 3-3) but couldn’t overcome a career-best game from talented freshman Nate Ament in a 79-73 win for the Vols in Tuscaloosa. The Vols have now won five straight in the series for the first time since a stretch from 1968 to 1972.
How did Tennessee score this crucial road win? Let’s go Beyond the Box Score to find out.
Starting Shuffle: Vols forward JP Estrella got his first career start on Saturday. Jaylen Carey returned to the bench after making just his second start of the season in the January 17th loss to Kentucky. Estrella finished with six points and five rebounds in 26 minutes. Carey had two points and five boards off the bench but suffered an injury late in the game.
Average Builder, Ament: Nate Ament came in averaging 19 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while going 22 of 26 from the free-throw line over Tennessee’s last three contests. He did nothing to hurt those averages or his contribution to the Vols by finishing with a career-high 29 points, seven boards and a 7-for-9 shooting effort from the line.
Two Man Scoring Show: Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who had 24 points, and Ament have been doing most of Tennessee’s scoring early and often. Ament has scored the first points for the Vols in eight games this season and Gillespie has done so six times, with no other Vols scoring first more than once. Gillespie has been the leading scorer in nine games and Ament in six; again no other Vols have led the team more than once.
Bediako’s Back: Charles Bediako, a 7-foot center who previously played for Alabama from 2021-2023, declared for the NBA draft, and played in the G League as recently as January 17, played in his first game for the Tide since he was granted immediate eligibility to return to the court pending a hearing next week for full season eligibility. Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge Jim Roberts, who along with his wife Mary Turner Roberts are listed as athletic donors to the Crimson Tide with lifetime contributions between $100,000 and $249,000, made the ruling. Mrs. Roberts is also representing former Alabama teammate Darius Miles, who is standing trial for capital murder in a 2023 shooting. Ironically, Miles’ trial is currently delayed because the defense team has accused the judge of being biased against the defense and is seeking to have the judge recused. Bediako scored eight points in 11 minutes in the first half and finished the game with 13 points and three boards in 25 minutes.
Labaron Leads: Alabama sophomore guard Labaron Philon Jr., a preseason first team All-SEC selection came in leading Alabama with 22 points, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He scored 11 in the first half on just 3-for-9 shooting and finished the game as Alabama’s leading scorer with 26, shooting 7 of 20 from the field and 10 of 11 from the foul line.
Freeze Out From 3: The nationwide winter storm made its way into Coleman Colosseum for both teams trying to fire up the 3s. Tennessee finished 6-for-18 (33%) and Alabama was a dismal 6 of 26 (23%). Both teams went 1-for-6 from 3 in the first 12 minutes.
Wonderful Wrightsell: With Alabama’s second- and third-leading scorers, Aden Holloway (17.7 ppg) and Amari Allen (11.7 ppg) both missed the game due to injuries, senior guard Latrell Wrightsell, who has missed his own share of games this season, stepped up and outperformed his 10.8 point season average in the first half with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting. The second half was more wrong than Wright, however, as he scored three points on 1-for-4 shooting, finishing with 12 while going 5 of 12 from the floor.
Up Next: On Tuesday night, the Tennessee Volunteers will travel to Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia, to take on the Georgia Bulldogs (16-4, 4-3) who lost 87-67 to Texas earlier on Saturday.
Tip Ins: Tennessee, Alabama, and Houston are the only schools to make the last three Sweet 16s. Tennessee, Alabama, and Duke are the only three teams to make the Elite 8 in the past two NCAA Tournaments. … After 90 straight appearances in The Associated Press poll, Tennessee currently finds itself unranked for the first time since the final poll of the 2020-21 season. … Through 19 games Tennessee has registered 13 or more assists 16 times, coming up two short of that total on Saturday.