The 3-pointer: Three takeaways from Alabama's win over South Carolina

Brandon Miller refused to let Alabama lose.

Carried by the freshman's new career-high 41 points, the No. 2 Crimson Tide survived an upset scare in Columbia winning 78-76 in overtime on Wednesday.

"We didn't do a lot of things well and still found a way to beat a pretty talented team and they played well tonight," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. "On the road, it's not easy to do, so give our guys a lot of credit."

Here are three takeaways from Alabama's win over South Carolina.

From getting booed immediately when he touched the ball, to chants of "guilty" and "lock him up" raining down from the South Carolina student section, it was anything but an easy trip to Colonial Life Arena for Miller. The freshman forward started out slow, not scoring a field goal until the 13:51 mark of the first half. Once that basket went in, Miller turned it on, recording 10 of Alabama's 16 points to close out the first 20 minutes of play.

The Antioch, Tennessee native tallied a game-high 15 points in the first half on just 5 of 9 shooting. While he remained effective from the field, Miller put his stamp on the game early thanks to his two-hand dunk over two South Carolina defenders, capping off a 7-0 run by the freshman alone.

"He is one of the most mentally tough kids I've ever coached," Oats said. "It's not a surprise. I mean 41 points we didn't expect that but not surprised he came ready to play."

Wednesday marks the third game in his last four where rim protector, Charles Bediako made his presence felt on the offensive end of the floor. Bediako scored seven points while going 3-for-3 from the floor while adding five rebounds in just 11 minutes of playing time.

Bediako had similar starts against Tennessee and Auburn where Alabama looked for the 7-footer on pick-and-rolls. In the Crimson Tide's road trip to Auburn, Bediako scored four points on 2 of 3 shooting while hauling three rebounds, a block and a steal in the first half. Just a few days later, Bediako did it again on the road against Tennessee, tallying four points, four rebounds and two blocks.

With Miller's scoring barrage, South Carolina's GG Jackson refused to be outdone by his fellow freshman, tallying a team-high 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting in the first half. Thanks to the Columbia native, the Gamecocks were an efficient 43% from the field, but in the second half, Jackson struggled to get going.

The freshman scored six points on just 2 of 7 shooting but the Gamecocks continued to find production from their guards. Meechie Johnson, who beat the buzzer with a half-court shot in the first half, exploded for 10 points thanks to 4 of 6 shooting.