By Kenneth Cross
NASHVILLE – Alabama’s Brandon Miller played consistently from start to finish in three consecutive wins this weekend as the No. 4 Crimson Tide completed the hat trick and knocked off No. 25 Texas A&M, 82-63, to win Sunday’s SEC Championship in Bridgestone Arena.
Miller, the Tournament MVP, scored 23 points and hauled down 12 rebounds in 30 minutes although he was just 5-of-20 from the floor with four of those five being three-point field goals.
“His length, his size, his skill, (he) can really shoot,” said Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams. “He’s a mismatch nightmare. He’s a positionless player who has size and has the same versatility on the other end.”
Miller scored 10 of his points in the second half as he followed a pair of free throws with a three-point field goal on each occasion. He nailed another triple in an 11-0 run that gave Alabama a 69-48 lead with 6:02 to play.
Guard Jahvon Quinerly played consistently as his 22 points in 34 minutes on 8-of-14 shooting construed a monumental effort for Alabama as well as himself. He scored 10 of his points in the first half as the Crimson Tide broke for halftime with a 34-23 lead.
“Quinerly stepped up well both times we have been here in Nashville,” said Alabama coach Nate Oats. “If we had an NBA team, I would tell him to go try to get on the NBA team – 6-0 in Nashville. He shows up up every time he comes here.”
Texas A&M struggled shooting the ball throughout the first half. The Aggies could get inside off the dribble or reverse passing, but could not make the closer shots they found. The Aggies missed their last 11 shots and were 2-of-17 over the 13:25 of the first half when dynamic guard Wade Taylor only had a pair of free throws while Tyrece Radford made only 1-of-8 shots in that opening 20 minutes.
“I think the things that hurt us today was their offensive rebounds,” said Williams. “We had done a good job, but in conference play, we didn’t give up nearly as many offensive rebounds as we did today.”
The Aggies were outrebounded, 50-37 while, Alabama scored 21 points on 14 offensive rebounds. Texas A&M gave up 10.6 offensive rebounds per game on the season (285th/CBB).
Alabama’s defense held Texas A&M to three scores in it’s last 14 field goal attempts while they finished 9-of-13 from the field as Noah Clowney led the Tide’s attack with a pair of dunks.
It was Texas A&M’s second consecutive trip to the SEC Tournament’s championship game as they lost a 75-60 decision to Tennessee a year ago.
“I wish we would have been better today,” Taylor commented as he finished with 13 points and was only 3-of-11 from the floor. “I think what has transpired is remarkable. I am very thankful for the seat I have been able to sit in over the last months.”