It was the first win for the Crimson Tide over a ranked opponent since January 18, 2011, when Alabama downed then-No. “This is what you call a team victory”.
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“We played three really good teams with relatively short practice”, said Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery, who got his 100th win at the school. Despite three Trojans fouling out and Jordan McLaughlin not playing in the second half due to a broken nose, USC outscored Xavier 50-33 to cut the final margin to 10 points.
Alabama guard Retin Obasohan (32) fights for the rebound with… The Tide used free throws to close the gap, with nine of its last 11 points coming at the line.
To further widen their lead, the other two parts of the senior trio, Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff, combined for 15 of Iowa’s next 18 points to take a 23-11 lead (8:16 in 1st). Two straight 3s by Miles Davis and Trevaughn Bluiett early in the second half kick-started the Muskies momentum as Xavier went on a 13-0 run and this game was suddenly a blowout, 43-28 with 13:20 left. The Tide then went 1-of-7 shooting over the next six minutes to fall behind 48-45.
And unlike the rest of the preseason top 25 – unlike the rest of the nation’s high-major programs – Wichita State won’t have a chance to load up on quality wins during league play. Nikola Jovanovic added 20 points and 12 rebounds, Elijah Stewart scored 20 points and Julian Jacobs had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Trojans (2-0). Once stabilized, Grady was loaded onto a stretcher and taken via ambulance to a nearby trauma center for evaluation.
“The good news is we get to pick up Anton Grady and take him back on the plane with us tonight and he can begin his rehab back in Wichita”, Marshall said. “They said it was a ‘basketball play;’ I did not see it”.
“Our prayers are with him”, Norris said.
“Anton is alert and awake, talking”, Marshall said during the post-game conference.
Dazon Ingram continues to be one of the most impressive players on the team as a true freshman.
“It’s a way for us to keep our big guys in the lane”, Mack said of the defensive switch. “And we hope whatever his situation is that he would have a speedy recovery”.
Alabama defeated No. 20 Wichita State 64-60. The Hawkeyes fell to Notre Dame 68-62 Friday as they trailed by 12 points after 20 minutes and simply couldn’t make up the ground in the second half.
Most teams that shoot 24 percent (7-of-29) in the first half aren’t going to be around long, but Alabama wasn’t much better, shooting 35 percent (10-of-29).
Ron Baker finished with 15 points for Wichita State, and Markis McDuffie added 14 off the bench. Meantime Wamukotga has three rebounds, one assist, one steal and three points.
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Alabama moves on to the fifth-place game, which is slated for a 6:00 p.m CT tip on Sunday, Nov. 29, against the victor of the Iowa and Notre Dame matchup.
