How Alabama basketball used its depth to defeat No. 1 UNC in four overtimes

Alabama basketball had to call on its depth on Sunday like never before this season.

First, starter Noah Clowney left the game with an injury after playing only three minutes. Meanwhile, star scorer Brandon Miller wasn't scoring and got in foul trouble quickly.

Oh, and No. 1 North Carolina was the opponent. That's more than enough of a helping of adversity for one afternoon.

Despite those challenges, No. 18 Alabama found a way to stay with UNC. In fact, the Crimson Tide led at halftime, even with Miller not having scored any points before the break.

No problem, said Mark Sears. No problem, said Charles Bediako. Noah Gurley. Jahvon Quinerly. Jaden Bradley. Alabama got help from a variety of players to keep it close down to the very last minute, forcing multiple overtimes.

Then in an absolute battle, Alabama managed to hang on to win in the fourth overtime 103-101 over No. 1 UNC on Sunday in Portland, Oregon, in the third-place game at the Phil Knight Invitational. It's the first win over an AP No. 1 team since 2004 for the Crimson Tide.

Here are takeaways from the game between Alabama (6-1) and North Carolina (5-2).

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Mark Sears steps up in regulation

Someone needed to step up when Miller was a non-factor. Enter Sears.

He had the hot hand from beyond the arc early in the game. By halftime, Sears had hit four 3-pointers. In one half, he tied his game-high in the Jacksonville State matchup. The Ohio transfer missed only one deep in the first half.

He led all scorers with 14 at the break, propelling the Crimson Tide to a 37-34 halftime lead.

Sears hit another triple later in the second half that snapped a 10-0 run from UNC and brought Alabama within 63-58. He sunk another 3-pointer with about seven minutes left to bring the Crimson Tide within 69-68. Then hit another when he scored to make it 75-74 UNC with 3:17 left.

Sears finished regulation having shot 7-for-10 from deep with 24 total points.

The efforts from Sears as well as fellow point guard Jahvon Quinerly in regulation helped keep Alabama in a game in which UNC could have easily ran away at times.

Leaky Black serves as UNC's counter to Brandon Miller

The graduate forward had the challenge of defending the nation's leading scorer among freshmen. Black handled it well.

Miller didn't score a point in the first half, and he committed three fouls before the break. Miller went 0-for-5 from the field and 0-for-2 from deep in the first.

Miller broke his scoring slump early in the second with two free throws and a 3-pointer, but then he committed his fourth foul with 16:03 remaining. That kept him out of the game until 8:56 remained.

Miller finished 2-for-11 from the field in regulation with seven points. He had a final stat line of 4-for-21 from the field and 2-for-8 from deep with seven rebounds.

Miller did hit an important 3-pointer in the third overtime, though, to bring Alabama within two.

Otherwise, whether it be Black's defense or foul trouble, Miller became a non-factor for much of the game when he has otherwise been dominant for the Crimson Tide throughout the season. This just wasn't Miller's game.

Charles Bediako a hero in overtimes

The Crimson Tide couldn't get much anything going offensively in the first period of bonus basketball. Quinerly was taking all kinds of shots, but he only made one of five in the first overtime. UNC couldn't do much either, though. So the game went to a second OT.

Then Bediako, who had eight points and eight rebounds in overtime, started going to work. He dunked twice, and he also fought for a defensive rebound. Bediako also had a block with about 90 seconds left. Alabama had a four-point lead late in the second overtime but it couldn't hang on. UNC tied the game, and Quinerly got blocked on a shot as time expired. Tied 89-89, it forced a third overtime.

Quinerly later tied the game 96-96 with two free-throws with about 30 seconds left. UNC had a possession where it looked like it would go for a last-second shot, but Sears and Bradley's defense gave Alabama the ball back with three seconds left.

Bradley tried to pass the ball in, but it wasn't touched. So it went back to the same spot for UNC with three seconds left. Still, the overtime period ended without a winner.

In the fourth overtime, Bediako scored off a layup to give Alabama a one-point lead in the final minute. Then on UNC's ensuing possession, Bediako was initially called for goaltending. That would have automatically given UNC a one-point lead, but the officials reviewed it and called it a block.

Bradley hit a free-throw to add to that lead late, and it was enough for Alabama to hang on and win.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball depth steps up, beating No. 1 UNC in 4 overtimes