No. 8 Alabama basketball survives scare from Vanderbilt on Senior Day

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 8 Alabama basketball opened its Senior Day with a ceremonial starting five. However, Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt was anything but a formality.

In a battle between the top and bottom teams in SEC standings, Alabama was tested before finally holding on for an 82-78 victory. With the win, Alabama (18-5, 13-1 in the SEC) can now clinch the SEC regular-season title with a victory at Arkansas on Wednesday. The Tide’s last regular-season conference title came in 2002. Vanderbilt moves to 6-11 (2-10) with the loss.

"We're fortunate to get a win," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. "I'm happy for the seniors on Senior Day to get the win. I'm proud of them for what they've done for the program."

Saturday’s noon tip continued a recent run of slow starts for Alabama in early games. A Tide defense that came into the day ranked second in defensive efficiency according to the Ken Pomeroy rankings allowed Vanderbilt to start the game 8 of 12 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from beyond the arc as the Commodores lead by as many as seven points in the first half.

That hot start soon faded for Vanderbilt as it closed the half shooting just 2 of 14 from the floor while allowing Alabama to take a 33-29 advantage into the break. The Tide suffered another lackluster start to the second half, falling down by three points before Herbert Jones capped off a 10-0 run to give Alabama a 48-41 lead with 12:33 to play.

However, Alabama failed to put away Vanderbilt, allowing the Commorders to retake the lead before a corner 3 from Alex Reese put the Tide back up 66-65 with 5:23 remaining. Alabama would not relinquish its lead from there, proceeding to its predicted victory over the conference’s bottom dwellers.

Struggles in early games are nothing new for Alabama. The Tide’s only two losses in the calendar year have come in 11 a.m. tipoffs against Oklahoma and Missouri.

Alabama celebrated Senior Day by coming out with an all-senior starting five that featured regular starters Jones, Reese and John Petty Jr. as well as the return of Jordan Bruner, who has missed the last nine games with a meniscus injury he suffered on Jan. 12. Senior walk-on Tyler Barners was the fifth starter, making his first career start for the Tide. He recorded a rebound before checking out of the game with 17:07 left in the half.

Bruner, who started all 13 of Alabama’s games before his injury, recorded six rebounds on the afternoon. The 6-10 forward played with a brace on his left knee while logging 19 minutes. Friday, Oats alluded to Bruner’s return, stating the forward had been taking on an elevated role in practice and was “very close” in terms of recovery.

"It's huge, we need him back," Oats said. "He plays great for us, you know him and [James] Rojas is getting healthier again. If we can have all three of those guys available if we have to go big and play two together we can.

"I thought Reese played well. Bruner, his stat line wasn't great, but he hasn't played for over a month. I expect him to be a little rusty. It was big for us to get him game minutes before we go to Arkansas and play."

Alabama won despite shooting 26 percent (10 of 39) from beyond the arc. Saturday’s showing came after the Tide recorded a school SEC scoring record in a 115-82 victory over Georgia last weekend. In that game, Alabama shot 60 percent (18 of 30) from beyond the arc.

"That's what our team's about," Petty said. "We're about pulling games out even though we ain't shooting the ball well or doing what we do best. That's what our team's about. We had to come out. Like Coach said, it was an ugly win, but it doesn't matter how ugly it was because it was a win. We're proud of our team."

Jaden Shackelford led Alabama with a season-high 27 points, including 19 in the second half. Jahvon Quinerly scored 15 points while Reese chipped in 10 points to round out the Tide's double-figure scorers.

Alabama's potential title-clinching game at Arkansas is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN 2.

"It means a lot, especially going what we went through here during our four years," Jones said. "Then seeing where we were picked to finish in the preseason and now we have a chance to win the SEC on Wednesday, it means a lot to our team and shows the work we put in is paying off."

Roughly 35 minutes before tipoff Saturday, Reese came to his head coach with an idea. Despite playing an integral role for the Tide over his four-year career, the senior asked to start Senior Day on the bench in favor of Barnes.

Originally, Oats hadn’t thought about starting the senior walk-on. Although after some consideration, the head coach decided to start both players, handing Barnes the first start of his college career in front of his family inside of Coleman Coliseum.

“Tyler, I could tell by his face when I told him he was going to start, he was super excited,” Oats said. “He’s a great kid. I know he doesn’t get to play much, but you see him on the side.”

Alabama started in a zone defense with Barnes on the court. While the Louisville, Ken. native missed his only shot of the game, he recorded a rebound before checking out of the game with 17:07 remaining in the half.

Following the game, Oats praised Reese for his contributions both on and off the court. Along with his 10 points on the afternoon, the senior forward also hit two clutch 3s and led the team with a plus-minus of 23.

“It shows what Reese is at, he’s all about the right things,” Oats said. “He’s about the team. He’s not about himself, and it’s good to get rewarded with a good game.”