The 3-pointer: Three takeaways as Alabama survives its trip to Auburn

AUBURN, Ala. — No. 3 Alabama is leaving the Plains with its perfect SEC record intact. Playing in front of the most hostile environment it has seen this season, the Crimson Tide quieted the raucous inside Neville Arena, beating Auburn 77-69.

The victory saw Alabama (22-3, 12-0) match its best record through 25 games, tying the 1975-76 team. Auburn (17-8, 7-5) continued its mid-season slump, suffering its fifth loss in six games.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s win.

Alabama shot 62.5% from the floor in the first half but didn’t have a lead to show for it at the break. Auburn’s perimeter defense swarmed the Crimson Tide beyond the arc, daring players to drive to the lane. While Alabama took advantage at the rim, it struggled to fully capitalize thanks to turnovers and a feisty Tigers defense that forced the Tide deep into the shot clock.

"They played hard," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. "Their physicality on Brandon [Miler] probably affected him. We turned the ball over more than we have recently. I think a lot of that was due to them being up into us."

Alabama went 3 of 9 from beyond the arc in the first half. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide was uncharacteristically passive in its own perimeter defense early on, allowing Auburn to make five of its 13 shots before the break. Alabama came into the game allowing just 5.3 made 3s per game.

Alabama’s 3-point struggles continued in the second half as it went 3 of 12 from deep to finish 6 of 21 for the game. Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, the Tigers cooled off from deep after the break, closing out the game 2 of 11 from deep to finish 7 of 24 on the afternoon.

Alabama's presence in the lane ultimately proved too much as it outscored Auburn 44-20 in the paint while converting 20 of its 24 shots at the rim. The led to the Crimson Tide outshooting the Tigers 59% to 32% from the floor on the afternoon.

"They take away the 3s," Oats said, "but when you shoot 83% at the rim that's pretty impressive."

Alabama outshot Auburn, but the Tigers were able to make up for it at the free-throw line. Auburn finished the game 22 of 26 from the stripe while Alabama slumped to 13 of 23, including 9 of 17 in the second half.

Green was fouled twice from beyond the arc over the span of two minutes early in the second half. The junior connected on five of those six free-throw attempts to help Auburn come out strong out of the break.

Green finished with a game-high 24 points, going 6 of 8 from the line. He was one of three Tigers with five or more made free throws, joining K.D. Johnson (6 of 6) and Allen Flannigan (5 of 6).

Jaden Bradley had a solid game for Alabama, scoring 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting. However, the freshman struggled from the line, hitting just 2 of 6 free-throw attempts.

Rylan Griffen picked the right day for his best game in an Alabama uniform. The freshman came off the bench to lead the team with 16 points, including 11 after the break. He shot 5 of 7 from the floor, including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. The sharp-shooting guard has now scored in double figures in four of his last five games, going a combined 13 of 24 from deep over that span.

Griffen played hero late in the second half, contributing on both ends of the ball to help Alabama pull away.

With 5:59 remaining, he hit a pair of free throws to put the Crimson Tide up 63-62. He then blocked a 3-point attempt from Green on Auburn's ensuing possession before connecting on a 3 on the other end to extend Alabama's lead to 66-62.

"Rylan was huge," Oats said. "We don’t win this game without Rylan. I really felt like he did the best job defensively on Wendell Green."

Mark Sears also came up big, recording 15 points and six rebounds while also notching three steals. He shot 5 of 7 from the floor, including 2 of 3 from the deep. After breaking out of a midseason slump, the junior is 9 of 14 from beyond the arc over his last three games.