Alabama Men’s Basketball Defeats South Florida 82-71

The Alabama men's basketball team defeated the South Florida Bulls 82-71 at Coleman Coliseum in a dominant game that saw the Tide lead by as many as 16 points in the 2nd half.  The win gives Alabama a 5-1 record, and the Tide scored 80 or more points for the fourth time this season. Senior guard Rodney Cooper led the Tide in scoring with 20 points.  Ricky Tarrant (17), Levi Randolph (14) and Justin Coleman (11) also scored in double figures for the Alabama.  Sophomore forward Jimmie Taylor led the Tide with 11 rebounds, the only player in double figures on rebounds for either team.  Tarrant started at point guard for the first time this season.

The game opened with a quick 6-0 run by Alabama that forced South Florida to take an early timeout.  The Tide led at the half 43-32, although they only shot 45.5% from the field.  Hitting 9 of 11 free throws helped Alabama build a double-digit lead.  The Tide began the second half at a much slower pace. Fouls also became a problem as the Tide were in the penalty with over 9 minutes left to play in the game.  However, Alabama also showed some quick offensive fire power, including a terrific off-the-backboard alley oop from Tarrant to Randolph.  After the Bulls cut the lead had been cut to 71-63 with 3:58 left to play, Alabama responded offensively to go up 82-66 with one minute remaining.

Junior guard Retin Obasohan set out with a lower leg injury.  Freshman guard Justin Coleman hurt his knee during the 2nd half.  Both will be treated in practice and their statuses for Saturday are unknown.

Alabama travels to Xavier on Saturday for a another chance at a quality win in out-of-conference play. They return to Coleman Coliseum on December 13th to play Tennessee Tech.