Alabama is starting to look like a second-half juggernaut-and that’s not by accident. Head coach Nate Oats has been hammering home a message in the locker room, and lately, his players are delivering it loud and clear.
Over their current three-game win streak, the Crimson Tide have been flat-out explosive after halftime, averaging a scorching 58 points in the second half alone. That surge helped power wins over Texas A&M, Auburn, and most recently, Ole Miss.
Wednesday night’s 93-74 win over the Rebels was a perfect example of Alabama’s Jekyll-and-Hyde halves. The Tide managed just 32 points before the break-a season low-but came out of the locker room on fire, dropping 61 in the second half while shooting 12-of-22 from beyond the arc. That’s not just a hot hand-that’s a team flipping a switch and taking control.
Leading the charge was Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who poured in 21 points and tied his career high with seven made threes on 13 attempts. Not bad for a guy who was a game-time decision after tweaking his right knee in the previous outing.
Wrightsell’s been on a tear lately, hitting 22 of his last 42 attempts from deep over a five-game stretch. For a sixth-year guard who missed all of last season’s SEC slate due to injury, this resurgence has been nothing short of inspiring.
“I’m super proud of Wrightsell,” Oats said postgame. “One of the smaller guards had to come out of the starting lineup, and he stepped up.
Did it for the team. That kind of selfless attitude?
It gets rewarded.”
Wrightsell’s return to form adds another weapon to a Crimson Tide offense that already features the SEC’s leading scorer in freshman guard Labaron Philon Jr., who’s putting up 21.4 points per game. Philon’s been electric all season, and with Wrightsell heating up, Alabama’s backcourt is becoming a serious problem for opposing defenses.
Next up, Alabama (17-7, 7-4 SEC) heads back to Tuscaloosa for a Saturday night matchup against a struggling South Carolina squad (11-13, 2-9). The Gamecocks are in free fall, having dropped five straight and 25 of their last 29 conference games dating back to last season. Their latest setback came in a 78-59 home loss to Missouri.
In that game, South Carolina actually trailed by just four at the half, but the second half told a different story. They were outmuscled on the boards 44-28 and gave up 16 second-chance points-numbers that had head coach Lamont Paris delivering a halftime message with a dose of sarcasm.
“I told them, ‘Great job holding them to 23 in the first half,’” Paris said, recalling his speech. “They looked confused.
I said, ‘Yeah, 23-plus 11 more on second-chance points. You were in the right spots, getting stops, but you’ve got to finish with a rebound.’”
South Carolina’s offense continues to lean heavily on Meechie Johnson, the lone bright spot in an otherwise tough stretch. Johnson, who was part of that 26-8 Gamecocks team that climbed as high as No. 11 in the rankings two seasons ago, finished with 13 points against Missouri and leads the team with 16.3 points per game.
History isn’t on South Carolina’s side heading into this one. Alabama has won 20 of its last 22 home games against the Gamecocks, including eight straight. You have to go all the way back to Valentine’s Day 2009 to find South Carolina’s last win in Tuscaloosa.
That streak, combined with Alabama’s second-half surges and the emergence of a healthy Wrightsell, makes Saturday’s matchup feel like an uphill battle for the visiting Gamecocks. But in the SEC, nothing’s ever a given-especially when pride, momentum, and postseason positioning are all on the line.