Alabama men’s basketball won somewhat comfortably against South Carolina.
Plenty went right in the 88-68 victory over the Gamecocks on Wednesday in Columbia, South Carolina. Alabama shot 55%, outrebounded the Gamecocks, saw the bench outscore South Carolina 39-4 while scoring more points in the paint, fast break points and 3-pointers.
But there was something with which Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats was displeased.
Free throws.
“Would have been better if we made some free throws tonight,” Oats said. “That was a disaster for us. But everything else … It was good enough to win tonight.”
Alabama finished 10-for-20 (50%) from the charity stripe, which was the lowest total of the season so far. The previous low was 51.4% against Kent State late in December.
Not a mark Oats wants, but it didn’t make a difference in the game. All the other ways Alabama scored, particularly in the first half, made free throws a non-factor. As a result, No. 5 Alabama (13-2, 2-0 SEC) beat South Carolina (10-5, 0-2).
“First road game for us in the SEC,” Oats said. “I thought our guys answered the bell pretty well.”
The free throws might have been a disaster, but there was plenty else that Oats liked. That includes the defense, which limited South Carolina to .971 points per possession.
“I thought our defense was significantly better for the whole 40,” Oats said.
Oats specifically praised the efforts of Mo Dioubate. He finished plus-19 while matched up mainly against Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina’s leading scorer and a likely first-round NBA Draft pick.
“I thought Dioubate did a great job guarding him,” Oats said. “He really impacts the game in a big way,” Oats said.
Boyles-Murray tallied six points, four of which came from free throws, while finishing 1-for-6 from the field. He also had two turnovers.
“We got a lot of good efforts from a lot of people,” Oats said. “Good road win for us.”
Next up, Alabama will face No. 10 Texas A&M on the road on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN)
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.