The 3-pointer: Three takeaways from Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma

The nine-game winning streak came to an end in Norman on Saturday as Oklahoma crushed No. 2 Alabama 93-69.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s blowout loss to Oklahoma.

For the second consecutive game, Alabama did not play like the nation’s No. 2 team, especially in the first half.

Similar to what Mississippi State did on Wednesday, Oklahoma came out on fire from the gate and made 10 consecutive field goals en route to a dominant first half where the Sooners shot 68% from the field. The Sooners scored 50 points in the first 20 minutes after going 56, 60 and 52 on their three-game losing streak on Saturday. As for the Crimson Tide, 50 points is the most allowed in the first half this season.

While the defense was unable to slow the Sooner offense, Alabama’s offense struggled to get going, shooting 33% from the field and going 3-for-10 from behind the arc.

ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes perfectly described how easy it was for Grant Sherfield to post a new season high of 30 points.

“He Gets What He Wants” and “Easy Money” was the soundtrack to senior day as he crossed over and conquered every challenge Alabama threw at him.

After going 2-for-4 to start Saturday’s game, Sherfield hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key, leading to a run where the senior didn’t miss a shot for the rest of the first half. Sherfield kept up the offensive barrage in the second half, recording 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the final frame.

When Sherfield failed to score, Oklahoma turned to Jalen Hill, who recorded his second 20-point performance of the season, recording 26 points from 9-of-11 shooting. Hill’s day was highlighted by his thunderous dunk on Brandon Miller, who served as an exclamation mark in Oklahoma’s Alabama thump on Saturday.

As Alabama struggled to get its offense going, the team fell back into old habits: isolated basketball and contested shots. The Crimson Tide threw 20 three-pointers and converted only four for the game.

While the entire team was unable to score deep, the struggles of Mark Sears and Noah Clowney were noticeable. Clowney is now going 0-for-20 in his last four games, but Oats maintained the need for the freshmen to keep shooting from deep as he averaged 40% from deep his senior season at Dorman High School in South Carolina. Clowney finished two rebounds for a double-double, but shot 30% from the field and 50% from the line, both below his season averages.

As for Mark Sears, he was also one of five players to score 10 or more points and finish with 11 in Saturday’s loss, but shot 40% from the field. The junior is now 3-for-21 from behind the arc over his last four games, dropping his 3-point shooting percentage for this season below 36%.