No. 4 Alabama basketball suffers first SEC loss

Alabama guard Mark Sears, center, works between Mississippi guard Dre Davis, left, and forward Malik Dia, right, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

Malik Dia’s 23 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks led No. 21 Mississippi to a 74-64 win over No. 4 Alabama on Tuesday.

Sean Pedulla scored 12 points and had three steals and Matthew Murrell scored 11. Jaylen Murray and Jaemyn Brakefield both scored 13 points off the bench for Ole Miss (15-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference).

Aden Holloway led Alabama (14-3, 3-1) with 15 points, and Mark Sears added 11.

Takeaways

Mississippi: Dia continues to come alive in conference play. He tallied double-digit points just twice in 14 nonconference games, but he has scored 21, 19 and 23 points in his last three games.

Alabama: Turnovers were a consistent problem for Alabama earlier in the season, at one point committing 14 or more turnovers six times in a seven-game stretch. The first three conference games were a slight improvement, but the Crimson Tide ended with 21 turnovers.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats reacts to a call by the referees during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

Key moment

Pedulla’s 3-pointer with just over two minutes remaining put the Rebels up by 12, erasing Alabama’s six unanswered points early that brought the margin down to five points. It was the second time Pedulla provided much needed breathing room.

Key stat

Ole Miss attempted 70 shots from the field compared to Alabama’s 47, largely due to the Crimson Tide’s turnovers. Alabama was better on a per-shot basis — Alabama shot 43% from the field while Ole Miss shot 39% — but the disparity in shot attempts was too much to overcome.

Up next

Mississippi hosts No. 15 Mississippi State on Saturday, while Alabama visits No. 8 Kentucky on Saturday.