Alabama basketball tramples Ole Miss, avoids trap game with Kentucky next

Alabama basketball saw the trap and walked right past it.

Nothing snared. Really not even a stumble.

Facing an Ole Miss team that had lost three of its past four games, Alabama could have easily looked past the matchup with a premier matchup with Kentucky coming up this weekend on a national broadcast.

Last year's Alabama team might have stumbled Tuesday, but the Crimson Tide did not this year.

No. 7 Alabama defeated the Rebels 84-62 at Coleman Coliseum. Brandon Miller led all scorers with 17 points. He also had five rebounds.

Here are observations and takeaways from the game between No. 7 Alabama (12-2, 2-0 SEC) and Ole Miss (8-6, 0-2).

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Alabama shakes off slow start

The Crimson car just took a second to get started. It sputtered for a moment, then it roared.

Alabama missed six shots in a row at one point in the first few minutes, and Ole Miss was hanging around with a one-point lead at the first timeout.

That didn't last long. Out of the timeout, Jaden Bradley hit two free throws, Noah Clowney made a 3-pointer, and off Alabama went.

By the time the first half ended, Alabama had a 44-23 lead. As a team, the Crimson Tides was shooting 17-for-30 from the field (57%) and 5-for-8 from deep (63%).

There were some style points involved, too. Miller slammed home a dunk off a feed from Rylan Griffen, and Charles Bediako had a dunk of his own just a few minutes before that.

There was hustle involved, too. Mark Sears missed a shot at the 4:45 mark, grabbed his own rebound then scored right after.

All the scoring proved difficult for Ole Miss to overcome in the second half.

When Alabama's offense is clicking, most can't keep up.

Crimson Tide reverses trend

For all the good Alabama has enjoyed this season, turnovers have been a frequent blemish.

The Crimson Tide was averaging 17.1 turnovers per game heading into Tuesday. Alabama hadn't had fewer than 10 turnovers at all this season.

That all seemed like a thing of the past against Ole Miss. Alabama seldom gave the ball up, which is what fueled the colossal lead and helped the Crimson Tide keep it.

Alabama had only seven turnovers.

There just weren't near as many opportunities for Ole Miss to sneak back into the game, even if it had wanted to do so.

Defense stout vs. Matthew Murrell

Murrell had little to no impact for much of the day. Ole Miss' leading scorer, who was averaging 14.8 points per game, seldom heard his name called.

One of the conference's top 10 scorers, Murrell was quiet and didn't shoot well. He finished 4-for-13 from the field and 0-for-5 from deep for nine points total.

Alabama's success against Murrell was just one part of a solid defensive effort. Overall, Ole Miss averaged only .861 points per possession.

Up next

Alabama will play host to Kentucky on Saturday (noon, ESPN) at Coleman Coliseum.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball tramples Ole Miss, avoids trap with Kentucky next