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Alabama is coming off a 94-79 victory over North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVY) – It was time to bounce back on the hardwood Wednesday night as the No. 10-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide went to No. 10 and picked up an impressive 94-79 win over No. 20 North Carolina .

Alabama (6-2), fresh off a tough loss to the Oregon Ducks in Saturday’s Players Era Festival championship game, looked poised and focused in this ranked-versus-ranked matchup against the Tar Heels (4-4) as part of this year’s series ACC-SEC Challenge.

The two teams met for the first time since their Sweet Sixteen duel during last season’s NCAA Tournament, a game Alabama won 89-87 on March 28. Wednesday’s game was nowhere near as close either on the scoreboard or in the quality of play, and what the Tide put on the floor showed that too.

Mark Sears led Alabama with 20 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway each scored 15 points apiece, Clifford Omoruyi and Derrion Reid had 11 each, and Grant Nelson had 10. It was the fourth straight game for the Crimson Tide in which at least five players scored double-digit point totals.

Ian Jackson led North Carolina with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, with RJ Davis scoring 18 points and Seth Trimble adding 12 points. The Tar Heels, suffering their third straight loss on Wednesday, shot just 5-of-28 from beyond the arc while Alabama hit 12 three-pointers to help them pull away.

The win for the Tide is their first true road win of the 2024-25 season and their third straight win over an opponent ranked in the top 25, a first in three seasons for the program.

Alabama will be at home at Coleman Coliseum on Dec. 14 when they host Creighton (6-3), which posted a 76-63 upset win over No. 1 Kansas (7-1) on Wednesday. North Carolina will open ACC play on Saturday when they host Georgia Tech.

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