Alabama men’s basketball preserved its tie for the SEC lead on Wednesday, beating Ole Miss 103-88 in Oxford. The Crimson Tide were down at halftime, but came roaring back in the second half to get the victory.

With the win, UA moved to 20-8 on the season, 12-3 in conference play. The Tide is tied with Tennessee atop the league, and will play the Volunteers next on Saturday in Coleman Coliseum, a game that will draw ESPN’s College Gameday show to Tuscaloosa.

Before that, here’s what to know about Wednesday’s victory.

Cold start

Alabama gave up 117 points against Kentucky. The Tide was embarrassed by the defensive effort in that game, with Oats emphasizing just how important it was to not see a repeat.

Early on, it seemed Alabama was doing it again. The Crimson Tide fell behind shortly after tip, and once again seemed to be unable to make stops.

“We did not do a great job at the start of the game,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said afterward. “They were obviously much more ready to play than we were.”

Allen Flanigan picked up 12 points in the first half for the Rebels. Matthew Murrell had eight, and an Ole Miss team that was desperate to improve its NCAA Tournament resume was rolling.

When Nate Oats took a timeout with just over five minutes left in the first half, the Tide was down 37-23. After that, things started to look up, with the Crimson Tide beginning to show some life.

By halftime, UA had cut the lead down to 42-29.

Back in the game

After that Oats timeout in the first half, the Crimson Tide finally started rolling. For starters, the three-pointers started to drop.

Alabama made nine threes in the second half, 15 throughout the game. The Crimson Tide also started to make stops.

The Rebels were still able to score, nobody would mistake the Alabama defense for one of the best in the conference. However, unlike in the Kentucky game, the Tide was able to limit Ole Miss enough for its high-powered offense to take over.

“I think our guys showed a ton of character,” Oats said. “A lot of grit.”

UA took its first lead early in the second half and never looked back. Even with some key members of the team in foul trouble, including Rylan Griffen and and Grant Nelson, others were able step up, most notably Davin Cosby, who made some key three-pointers.

The Rebels didn’t go quietly, but the Tide offense kept going late, and Alabama got out of Oxford with the win.

The Davin Cosby game

Alabama found itself thin in the backcourt on Wednesday, with Latrell Wrightsell Jr. missing his third game with a head injury. Wrightsell had been a major contributor on offense prior to the injury, especially from three, and the Tide needed to get that production elsewhere.

They found it in Cosby. There were other solid performers, with Mark Sears putting up 26 points to lead the team and Aaron Estrada earning the Tide’s first triple-double since 2020.

But it was the freshman who made the most of his 13 minutes.

“Kid has always had a good attitude,” Oats said. “He’s worked really hard and he’s never lost confidence. I’ve told him that, it’s hard to do when you’re not playing minutes.”

Cosby put up 15 points. He hit five of his 10 three-pointers, providing a crucial boost in Wrightsell’s absence.

“I waited my time,” Cosby said afterward. “Practiced hard. I had a great practice last practice and when the time showed, I came and showed up.”