Never, absolutely never, is an Alabama basketball, SEC road win, a bad win. Beating Vanderbilt this season does nothing to build an NCAA resume. But the inverse, losing to the Dores would have been disastrous for post-season ambitions.
The Alabama Crimson Tide got the job done Wednesday night – in spite of itself. There were some bright spots. John Petty’s 17 first-half points, fueled by making 5-of-7, threes was a bright spot. Outrebounding Vandy 51-32 for the game was another bright spot. Petty was a big part of that stat, as well, with a team-leading 10 rebounds. Jaden Shackelford played well in a start, with 15 points, including 7-0f-8 from the line, plus seven rebounds.