E116 BH Alabama loses at home to Tennessee 79 73 Quick Reaction in Hoops

Описание: E116 BH Alabama loses at home to Tennessee 79 73 Quick Reaction in Hoops Alabama playing without two starters loses to Tennessee at home 79 to 73 in tough loss where Bama fails to score in the last 3 mins of the game to run its record to 3-3 in the SEC and 13-6 overall as Bama fails to execute on offense and rebound on defense at the end of the game. Alabama played without Aden Holloway and Amari Allen who both sat out with injuries, and at crunch time, it showed. The big story pre-game was Charles Bediako playing, but the bigger factor was Bama not having Holloway and Allen. And Nate Oates has a Rick Barnes and TN problem as Alabama has now lost 5 in a row to TN. It is another bad home loss to drops Bama to projected seed of 5 or lower for the tournament.
The Tennessee Volunteers defeated No. 17 Alabama 79-73 on January 24, 2026, at Coleman Coliseum. Despite leading 39-36 at halftime, the Crimson Tide struggled offensively in the second half, get outrebounded by TN and shot just 34.5% from the field and going scoreless over the final 3:11 of the game. During the key last four minutes of the game, Alabama missed six 3-pt attempts and made only one three (going 1 for 7 in the last 4 mins) and attempted zero 2 pt shots in that time period and let Tennessee outrebound Alabama as well. Alabama’s three point shots during those last four mins of the game were not clean, good looks, but rather contested shots. And Bama failed to run its offense to just get a good open shot from where ever to get points. It was a failure to execute at the end and also TN played aggressive, tough halfcourt defense.
First Half Recap – bama up 39-36 Alabama led 39-36 at halftime after a dominant display in the paint and an emotional spark from the return of Charles Bediako. Despite being shorthanded, the Crimson Tide controlled much of the first 20 minutes before a late Tennessee rally tightened the score. • Closing the Gap: Tennessee outscored Alabama 24-17 over the final ten minutes of the period. Ament had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but his shot hit the front of the rim, leaving Alabama with a three-point cushion at the break. Second half – Tennessee outscored Alabama 43-34 in the second half to secure a 79-73 comeback victory. The Volunteers erased a 39-36 halftime deficit by opening the period on an 11-2 run, taking a 47-41 lead just minutes into the half.
Decisive Run: With 7:34 secs left, TN led 64-63, Tennessee responded to Alabama's with a 6-0 run burst, fueled by Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Ament, to extend their advantage to 70-63 with 6:34 to play. • Bama then went on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 72-70 with 4.42 left. Then TN scores 5 consecutive points to take a 77-70 lead with 4 minutes to go. • The Closing Drought: Alabama then cuts the lead to 77-73 following an Aidan Sherrell three-pointer at the 3:11 mark, the Tide's offense completely stalled and went scoreless to the end. Alabama went scoreless for the final 3:11, missing their last five field goal attempts while Tennessee's defense, anchored by Felix Okpara, sealed the game with late blocks and rebounds -- LaBaron Philon with 26 pts, 4 rebs, 7 assists, but had 3 TO’s and only shot 2 for 9 from three. Other notables: Latrell Wrightsell had 14 pts Charles Bediako had 13 pts, 3 rebs, 2 steals, and 3 blocks MIA’s No other Bama player scored in double figures
TBB had 8 pts and 5 rebs and was effective on defense against Nate Ament, but was not matched up against him enough -- London Jemison, Aiden Sherrell, Houston Mallette, Jalil Bethea, and Noah Williamson all had quiet nights TN only had two players in double-figures
Led by Nate Ament with 29 pts, 7 rebs, and 3 assists as Ament made clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch in the 2nd half to lead TN to victory over Bama And Ja’kobi Gillespie had 24 pts, 3 rebs, 4 assists, and 2 steals in a strong performance Key Team Stats TN outrebounded Bama by 9 rebs 42-33 Bama shot 43% from the field, and just 23% from 3. Tough shooting night for Bama and the free throw shooting was bad. Poor shooting from three and getting outrebounded were the drivers of Alabama’s loss. Bama is not playing like a final four or even elite 8 team if you judge them by the way Bama played against Oklahoma.
Bama still on pace to make the tournament, but their ability to get a top four seed in a region is slipping. Need to start stacking wins again.
There is no great team in the SEC, but there are a bunch of really good teams. Up next: Alabama (13-6, 3-3 SEC) will next face Missouri at home on Tuesday, January 27.