Alabama Basketball Gets Big Win Over UCLA 56-50

This was the one they had to have.  The Alabama men's basketball team needed a quality win to improve their NCAA Tournament chances before the start of SEC play.  After losses to Wichita State, Iowa State and Xavier, they had to beat UCLA. And they did.  Anthony Grant got probably his biggest win as Alabama's head coach since 2012 as the Tide finished off the Bruins by a score of 56-50 in front of over 13,000 fans in Coleman Coliseum.

UCLA came into the game with a record of 8-4, but their last loss was an embarassing 83-44 blowout to the sensational Kentucky Wildcats.  They scored just 7 points in the first half of that game.  This one didn't start much better for the Bruins, as they shot just 17.9% for 17 points in the first half.  Alabama shot 33.3% and led 29-17 at halftime.  Much of that was due to a fantastic effort from junior guard Ricky Tarrant, who had 18 points at the break.  The Tide also held the Bruins without a 3-point basket in the first half while making three themselves.

Things went the other way quickly as the secong half began.  UCLA opened on a 8-0 run before a Riley Norris 3-pointer made the score 32-27.  For most of the half, the teams traded baskets, but the Bruins were able to chip away at the lead little by little.  With 2:15 left to play, UCLA tied the game at 48-48.  However, despite shooting just 60% on free throws for the game, Alabama made 6 of 8 from the stripe down the stretch while holding the Bruins to just two more points.  UCLA had a few chances for late 3-pointers, but missed badly both times, including an airball with 16 seconds left to play.  On the next possession, a rebound by Michaels Kessens seasled the win for Alabama.

It was a historic day for this team as senior guard Levi Randolph had 15 points and went over 1,000 points scored for his career at the Capstone.  He became the 47th player in Alabama men's basketball history to reach that mark.  The player of the game though was Ricky Tarrant, who had 24 points on 7-17 shooting. Rodney Cooper and Jimmie Taylor each had 7 rebounds for the Tide.  Alabama got good production from their bench, which outscored UCLA's bench 10-2.

Alabama moves to 9-3 on the season. They host North Florida on January 2nd before opening SEC play at home against Texas A&M on the 6th.  Alabama can enter league play with ten wins, including wins over PAC-12 teams Arizona State and UCLA, as well as Southern Miss and South Florida.  Though the Tide are far from a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, they have a quality showing out of conference and take valuable momentum headed into conference play.