Alabama started this game hot and just kept the fire going the entire half. John Petty, ever the long range sniper, launched four straight 3-point shots without so much as touching the rim in the first 3 minutes of the game. Two of them were pure NBA material, making the shot from well beyond the arc with a guy right in his face. Petty was feeling it, and he was going to keep shooting.
Not to be outdone by the much older senior, freshman Josh Primo hit back-to-back threes right behind Petty, meaning Alabama hit 6 in a row on their first 7 possessions and the Tide was up to a 19-point lead only minutes into the game.