Metro Health OKs limited fans for SEC tournament

What was an electrifying SEC Tournament concluded with a no-doubt rout for the top dog. The 1-seed Alabama Crimson Tide asserted their dominance and put on a clinic, defeating the 2-seed Texas A&M Aggies 82-63 on Sunday at Bridgestone Arena.

Nashville native Brandon Miller, a Cane Ridge High School alum, showed why he’ll likely be a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, stuffing the stat sheet with 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Tide. The freshman was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament after averaging 20.3 points and 11 rebounds in three hometown victories.

“It means a lot [to] have my family come five minutes down the road to watch me play,” said Miller. “I’ve seen friends. My high school coach was here. That’s probably the best thing.”

With Tuscaloosa just a few hours away, Bridgestone Arena was packed with Alabama fans after coach Nate Oats called for the Alabama faithful to make the trip north after a win over Missouri in the semifinals.

“These SEC [Tournament] championship games don’t come often,” Oats said Saturday. “Last time we were up here was the COVID year [with a] limited amount of fans. I just encourage all the Alabama fans, all you Alabama reporters, let’s try to get it out, try to pack this place full of Alabama fans. It’s not that far of a drive.”

Perhaps the loudest moment of the entire tournament came when the crowd erupted after Miller nailed a 3-pointer to put Alabama ahead by 16 with seven minutes to play, helping cement victory.

Miller wasn’t the only impressive performer for the Tide. Jahvon Quinerly tailed right behind Miller with 22 points on 4-of-8 shooting from distance. Charles Bediako posted a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds and was his typical terrorizing self in the paint, blocking five shots. Both joined Miller on the all-tournament team along with Missouri’s D’Moi Hodge, Vanderbilt’s Ezra Manjon and Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV.

The Tide assisted on 16 of their 27 makes from the field (including 12 threes) en route to a top-to-bottom team win. They also suffocated the Aggies on defense, holding them to under 30 percent shooting.

“Credit to Alabama, they played some good defense tonight,” said Taylor IV. “We couldn’t get the best of rhythm like we normally do.”

Despite the loss, the Aggies should head back to College Station with some wind in their sails. Their tournament showing was no failure, with a gritty comeback win over Arkansas and a blowout win over Vanderbilt.  

There’s plenty to be optimistic about for the Aggies heading into the NCAA Tournament, but they’ll have to get right to work early. They drew a 7-seed in the Midwest Region and are set for a first-round clash with the 10-seed Penn State Nittany Lions, who also fell in their conference tournament championship (the Big 10) to 1-seed Purdue.

As for Alabama, the Crimson Tide are the No. 1 overall seed, heading up the South region. They’ll take on the winner of a First Four matchup between Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Southeast Missouri State, tipping off Tuesday night.