The 3-pointer: Lessons learned from No. 10 Alabama’s win over No. 20 UNC

Alabama basketball endured its most difficult road situation since a loss to Purdue at Mackey Arena last month. The Crimson Tide went into a raucous Dean E. Smith Center and this time didn’t let the raucous street environment get them down as they beat No. 20 North Carolina 94-79 on Wednesday.

The Tide’s overwhelming road win was fueled by establishing a favorable tempo to take the UNC crowd out of the game and establish a strong offensive presence for the Crimson Tide. No. 10 Alabama had contributors across the board, including one player making his debut and another returning to his hometown. After losing to Oregon in the Players Era Festival championship game on Saturday, the Tide’s defense stepped up on the road and secured their first true road win of the season.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s matchup against North Carolina.

Only nine free throws were attempted in the opening period between two of college basketball’s elite programs. This led to an open first half in which Alabama came away with the win despite some issues on the glass and defensively.

Alabama didn’t start the game as sloppily as it did against Oregon and Rutgers at the Players Era Festival, which helped it set the pace and gain a foothold in the game on the road. The Tide had only two turnovers before the timeout with less than 8 minutes to play and extended their lead to 13 points.

The Tide struggled with a few giveaways midway through the half and threw the ball up five more times as North Carolina went on a 10-2 run. The Tar Heels stayed in the game by taking advantage of Alabama’s weak transition defense. UNC had 14 fastbreak points in the opening period and grabbed eight offensive rebounds. The Tar Heels defeated Alabama in the game 41-39.

Still, the pace continued to work to the Tide’s advantage. Alabama was able to get open sights in transition, making 8 of 15 layup attempts and getting easy sights against a North Carolina defensive interior that was sorely missing former center Armando Bacot. Alabama continued to have good vision at the rim and made 14 of 23 layups and six dunks.

The Tide’s easy access to the paint also allowed it to hit shooters at the rim after coming into contact with the paint. Aden Holloway was the main beneficiary of the fast pace, leading all scorers at halftime with 12 points on four three-pointers made. He finished the game with 15 after drilling another triple in the second half. Mark Sears also returned to his usual sniper behavior with 17 points and seven assists.

Aside from the Tar Heels’ 10-2 run in the first half, they were largely stifled on the road by a strong defensive performance from Alabama.

Alabama put North Carolina ahead 13 times, including two ties in the opening minutes of the second half that helped the Tide go on a quick 9-0 run that they never gave up. The Tar Heels struggled in half-game sets as Alabama marshaled its defense. UNC shot 40.5% from the field and made just four 3-pointers.

After giving up 14 fastbreak points in the second half, Alabama played better transition defense, giving up just four as the Tar Heels continued to score points. Aside from star guard RJ Davis’ 18 points and freshman Ian Jackson’s 20 points, no player scored more than 12, including Elliot Cadeau, who averaged 14.4 points per game but had just a single point Saturday.

Although turnovers continued to be a problem for Alabama’s own offense, the Crimson Tide’s defensive pursuit of North Carolina enabled a road win. Freshman guard Labaron Philon was a force on defense, finishing the game with three steals as well as strong offensive stats of 15 points, four assists and three steals. Sears also chipped in defensively with two steals.

With a veteran guard, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., out for the season, Alabama went to its bullpen and burned redshirt Pepperdine transfer Houston Mallette against North Carolina. Oats told reporters Tuesday that the possibility was being considered, but made it official when Mallette addressed the game

It didn’t take long for Mallette to prove why Alabama recruited him in the first place and why Oats felt comfortable burning his redshirt. In four minutes of the first half, Mallette made a three-pointer and secured two steals and a rebound.

Although Mallette didn’t play as many minutes as Wrightsell did on a typical night – which makes sense for Mallette, who is a month behind his teammates in terms of playing time – the veteran guard had a strong first performance. He was active on both ends of the court and played with great energy, finishing the night with six points, three rebounds and two steals. Mallette has shown that it can be relied upon against the best competition and in rough road conditions, which is a good sign that the Tide can fill the void left by Wrightsell.

In addition to Mallette and Holloway’s contributions as substitutes, Jarin Stevenson also contributed six points on two made three-pointers. Stevenson seemed comfortable at the Dean E. Smith Center, which is fitting considering the sophomore grew up in Chapel Hill and his mother played for the Tar Heels. Stevenson didn’t let himself be unsettled in familiar surroundings and found his shooting style. Over the last three games, Stevenson was 7 of 11 from 3-point range.

Alabama will return to Coleman Coliseum for the first time in over a month. The Tide has another non-conference Power Five test when it takes on No. 21 Creighton on Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.