Alabama has gotten used to being on the right side of blowouts this season on its way to the No. 2 ranking in all of men's college basketball. But Saturday's road trip during the SEC/Big 12 Challenge was one for the Crimson Tide to forget as the program suffered its worse loss in nearly seven years.
Oklahoma had its second best overall shooting percentage along with its highest 3-point shooting rate of the season as its offense controlled the game on the way to an upset over the visitors. The Sooners led by as many as 32 points and finished with a 93-69 victory, ending Alabama's nine-game winning streak.
Alabama (18-3) had trouble slowing down Oklahoma's offense from the opening tip. The Sooners had a stretch of five consecutive made 3-pointers to help open up a double-digit lead with just under eight minutes to go in the opening half. Things only got worse for the Crimson Tide from there as Oklahoma made 13 of its final 14 shot attempts in the first half to take a 17-point lead into the break.
The Sooners stayed hot enough in the second half, finishing 57.6 percent from the field. It is the best a team has shot against Alabama this season, surpassing Gonzaga's 57.6 percent performance in the Tide's last defeat. Oklahoma's nine 3-pointers tie the most allowed by Alabama this season and the 69.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc is the highest mark allowed by the program since 2010.
On the offensive end, Alabama did not have an answer. The Crimson Tide shot just 37.9 percent from the field and finished 6-of-22 from beyond the arc. It was the team's third straight game shooting below 40 percent and the fourth straight game shooting below 30 percent on 3-pointers. Alabama finished with a season-low six assists.
During an eight-minute stretch during the second half, Alabama missed 11 consecutive shots which allowed the Sooners to put the game away.
Brandon Miller finished with 11 points and shot just 4-of-14 from the field, his worst shooting performance since going 0-of-8 against Houston. Miller was 1-of-4 from deep, extended his streak to 12 straight games with at least one made 3-pointer.
Rylan Griffen led the Crimson Tide with 15 points, which included three made 3-pointers, and added seven rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Jahvon Quinerly scored 12 points before fouling out while Mark Sears added 11 points.
Oklahoma (12-9) became just the third team this season to outrebound Alabama. The Sooners also finished with an advantage on points in the paint and points off turnovers.
Grant Sherfield led the way for the hosts, scoring 30 points and dishing out six assists. Jalen Hill added 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting. The team's 93 points was its highest scoring output of the season.
Alabama will return to conference play Tuesday night when it hosts Vanderbilt as the Crimson Tide seeks its second win over the Commodores this season. The game is scheduled to tip off at Coleman Coliseum at 7:30 p.m.