OU men’s basketball fell to No. 18 Alabama 83-81 on Saturday to extend the team's losing streak to four games.
The Sooners' (11-7, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) loss to Alabama (13-5, 3-2 SEC) marks their first-ever defeat against the Crimson Tide at the Lloyd Noble Center after previously holding a record of 3-0 in the building.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s game:
Defense, interior scoring propel Sooners to halftime lead
OU capitalized on Alabama's less physical frontcourt, building a 44-33 halftime advantage after a tough interior scoring night on Tuesday against Florida.
Sophomore forward Derrion Reid, a former Crimson Tide player, dominated in the paint with 13 points and seven rebounds, including 10 points from close range and three at the free-throw line after attacking the rim. Senior forward Tae Davis added 12 points — six in the paint, the rest from deep and free throws — helping the Sooners tally 22 points in the paint as both forwards exploited driving lanes.
OU's defense was equally sharp in the first half, committing just three fouls while forcing seven turnovers through sticky on-ball pressure and smart anticipation, converting them into seven points.
The Sooners’ perimeter defense also proved to be a difference maker. The Crimson Tide, the nation's fourth-best scoring offense and the team that boasts the most 3-pointers made per game in the league, had a cold opening half, going just 4-of-19 from three and 13-of-35 from the field and missing their last six shots of the half.
The stout defensive effort fueled a 20-5 run after the 8:33 mark and an 11-0 spurt after 4:08, leaving the Sooners with a chance to claim their second SEC and first win over a ranked opponent this season.
Xzayvier Brown heroics trumped by free-throw miss
Junior guard Xzayvier Brown willed the Sooners back into the game with excellent free-throw shooting in the second half, going 8-of-9 from the stripe, with his lone miss proving to be a decisive moment in the game.
The second half was defined by a plethora of scoring runs by both teams, with the game tied nine times and the lead changing 12 times. OU gave up its 11-point first-half lead early in the second half, and from there the two teams traded blows until the final buzzer, capped off by a free-throw-heavy final minute.
The Crimson Tide struggled at the stripe throughout the game, going just 15-of-26 overall and 12-of-22 in the second half. Despite the inconsistency, Alabama made its key attempts late in the game, with junior guard Aden Holloway making two decisive free throws to put them up by three.
OU responded when Brown drove down the court and drew a foul near half court as he was in the act of shooting. Under the NCAA’s continuation rule, a player who is fouled may finish the shot attempt if they are in the process of ending their dribble and heading towards the basket, even if the contact occurs before the shot attempt is released. Because of the rule, Brown was awarded three free throws with the chance to tie the game.
Brown converted his first two, but was unable to convert the third, forcing the Sooners to foul Alabama. This led freshman forward Amari Allen to extend the lead to two, making just one of two free throws.
The loss was capped off by a last-second missed 3-point attempt by senior guard Nijel Pack, who struggled from deep all game, going 2-of-10. Senior forward/center Mohamed Wague was unable to get the putback up before the final buzzer, sealing the Sooners’ loss.
Porter Moser reluctant to rely on bench
One of the most notable aspects of Saturday's game was head coach Porter Moser’s player rotation against the Crimson Tide.
Moser relied on a seven-man rotation, consisting of starters Brown, Pack, Reid, Davis and Wague, along with senior guard Jadon Jones and senior center Kirill Elatontsev.
The lack of bench production in recent games has certainly left its mark on the team, as Moser was reluctant to put in another bench player after Reid suffered an awkward fall after a dunk with five minutes left in the second half.
While Reid returned to the game with under a minute left, Moser relied on the six players left to get the job done, rather than tapping into the bench for a fresh set of legs and giving some of the starters relief.
As the Sooners look to snap their losing streak, their next conference matchup will be against South Carolina (10-7, 1-3) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, on the SEC Network.
This story was edited by Laurie Jones.
