Usually, scoring 96 points in regulation is enough to earn a win in the NCAA Tournament. That is unless your opponent shoots 56.5% from three on 23 attempts. 

That’s what happened when Alabama took down Charleston 109-96. The Crimson Tide held various leads of 30 points or more, but after building those leads, but focused more on individual stats rather than playing to maintain that lead. 

“We’ve had this issue with this team all year. I think they play the scoreboard too much,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “We built a 31-point lead and we quit guarding, which is a little frustrating.” 

Although effectively decided, Charleston outscored Alabama 30 to 14 in the final 7:30 of play. They had slowly been eating away at the lead but ran out of time before it became too stressful for the Crimson Tide. 

From the get-go, Alabama’s offense clicked. In the first half alone, they scored 51 points and shot over 53% from deep. Mark Sears, the game’s leading scorer, had 20 points in the first half. 

Sears ended his night dropping 30 points, shooting 9-of-13 from the field and sinking 9-of-11 free throws. He had the goal to come out of the gates aggressive and succeeded in the effort. 

“We’ve had this issue with this team all year. I think they play the scoreboard too much,” Oats said. “We built a 31-point lead and we quit guarding, which is a little frustrating.” 

Defense came from neither side, as Charleston just could not keep up with the prowess of their adversaries. For the Cougars, six different players scored in double digits, including two players off the bench. 

Ben Burnham led the way, scoring 19 points in just 25 minutes while shooting just 11 times from the field. Burnham’s biggest flaw in the game came from his early foul trouble. With three fouls in the first half, he only played in 11 minutes.

In the second half, he played a much better and cleaner game. Scoring 13 of his 19 points in 14 second-half minutes, he had just one more foul while still playing tough defense when players would drive in. 

Even then, even the back-end bench players got into the game. In such a dominating win, 12 different players scored at least two points, with six scoring above seven. 

Scoring came easy for the Tide, who ended the game shooting 56.5% from deep, led by Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who shot 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. Wrightsell Jr. scored a second-best 17 points, 11 of which came in the first half. 

“That’s hard to do with nobody in the gym. I mean, I felt like every time it left their fingers, the ball was going in. They hit us in the mouth,” Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey said. 

No one can stop a team shooting as lights out as the Tide shot, with them leading in 32:40 of game time. They scored on 62% of their possessions, with Sears leading the charge offensively. 

Despite the large deficit in their face, Charleston had a lot of support in the crowd. From those who traveled and those who root for the underdog, every shot, whether close or while being blown out, had impactful crowd reactions. 

“We work every day and to have that support behind the entire city is incredible. [We’re] really fortunate to have a great fan base behind us,” Charleston guard Reyne Smith said. 

Alabama got through the additional support for Charleston and now enters the second round as one of the hottest offensive teams in the Tournament. If playing tighter and more direct defense is a possibility, the Crimson Tide are in the position to make a deep run.

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BRANDON WILLMAN

Mouhamed Dioubate shoots a fading layup, March 22, in Spokane, Wash.