Published Nov 18, 2022
The 3-pointer: Three takeaways from Alabama's 104-62 win against JSU
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James Benedetto  •  TideIllustrated
Staff Writer
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@james_benedetto

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama's fourth win of the season came with plenty of storylines as the Crimson Tide dominated in every statistical aspect of the game en route to a 104-62 victory against the Gamecocks.

Brandon Miller continued to lead the charge on offense tallying a game-high 28 points in the win which also set a new career-high and is his second collegiate game where he scored 20 or more points.

Tide Illustrated whittled it down to three storylines. Here are three takeaways from Alabama's 104-62 win against Jacksonville State.

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Hot 3-point shooting

It may be safe to say Alabama's 3-point shooting woes have all but dissipated. After shooting less than 15% from deep against Longwood and in the charity scrimmage against Southern Illinois, The Crimson Tide has found its range by dialing up 21 3-pointers on 46 attempts, good for a 46% clip from deep. Friday's 3-point bombardment is now the fourth-highest mark in the SEC. Oats currently holds three of the top four marks in the conference with Auburn being the only other team.

"This is the style of play we have established," Oats said. "We want to give our shooters room and we want to open the floor up for our guards. Teams are going to have to pick how they guard us. If you want to take away all of the threes, you're going to leave the lane open so we can get to the rim and we have guys that can finish at the rim. If you want to collapse and take away the lane we have some shooters that can make some shots.

Nimari Burnett and Mark Sears led the way from behind the arc, going a combined 9-for-16 from three in the first half. Sears' touch from behind helped him to a team-high 16 points in the first half en route to 18 points. Friday's performance served as a bounce-back game on offense as the Ohio transfer was held to just nine points against South Alabama on Tuesday.

While Sears, Burnett and Miller had the hot hand from behind the arc, Oats said Rylan Griffen and Noah Clowney can shoot better than they have shown so far this season. With a better performance from those two and the additions of Jahvon Quinerly and Dom Welch, Oats believes Alabama can have even more production from behind the 3-point line.

"I don't think this is the last time this year we have 20 (made 3-pointers) to be honest with you, either," Oats said. "We're going to take them."

New season-high in assists

With a barrage of scoring, a bevy of assists followed as Alabama recorded a season-high 23 assists in the game. The Crimson Tide tied the previous season-high of 14 assists in the first half alone. The mark didn't last long as early in the second quarter, as Brandon Miller's dish to Jahvon Quinerly's first 3-pointer set the team's new season-high mark en route to six points in the win.

"We moved the ball a lot better," Sears said. "Once you do that, shooters are going to make their shots."

It was Quinerly's most extensive action this season after recovering from an ACL tear in March. Oats said Quinerly wasn't going to be on a minutes restriction against Jacksonville State and the senior made the most of his opportunities, tallying a team-high eight assists in the win.

With the return Quinerly, Oats said he has a knack for "finding guys in their shooting pockets, " allowing shooters to remain in rhythm as they catch and release. Oats added that if the pass is too high or too low, it may alter the rhythm.

"It was good to get Quinerly back in tonight too," Oats said. "I think the ball moves a little bit better, he's got a little pop to his game and he finds guys. I think the ball movement was definitely aided with him back in the game."

Burnett's breakout game on offense

Earlier this season, Oats compared Burnett's shooting to Steph Curry and Trae Young. A lofty compliment as the Texas Tech transfer didn't record a 3-pointer until the third game of the season, but after getting the proverbial lid off of the basket, fans got to see what Oats was talking about against the Gamecocks.

Burnett set a new career high in scoring on Friday, tallying 18 points while going an efficient 5-for-6 from behind the arc. It's his third-career game where he tallied more than double digits while setting new career marks in 3-pointers made and attempted.

While Burnett's offensive production was positive, he also continued to show off on the defensive end of the floor, tallying a 54.3 stop percentage which was tied for the fourth-highest on the team.

"It definitely feels good to have a good game for The University of Alabama," Burnett said. "I've been working so hard for the last two years, the last three years, all of my life. To have a good one in my college career feels good. The work always pays off so keep going."