Latrell Wrightsell scored 21 points, all on 3-pointers, and Labaron Philon Jr. had 18 as No. 23 Alabama routed Missouri 90-64 on Tuesday night. Aiden Sherrell added 16 points and Charles Bediako had 14 for the Crimson Tide. Wrightsell went 7 for 10 from 3-point distance and took only one shot inside the arc.
Alabama (14-6, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) debuted a new starting lineup with the 7-foot Bediako, allowed to play again after a judge delayed a hearing in his eligibility case against the NCAA. Bediako also grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes on the court.
After its lowest-scoring output of the season last Saturday against Tennessee, Alabama responded with an efficient offensive showing. The Crimson Tide knocked down 15 shots from 3-point range, shot 88% at the free-throw line, well above its season average of 74%, and recorded 19 assists after a season-low nine last Saturday.
The Crimson Tide closed the final 6:53 of the first half on a 17-6 run that extended a 26-23 lead to a 42-29 halftime advantage. A 16-2 second-half run, sparked by 12 points from Wrightsell, gave Alabama a 70-46 lead with 8:10 to play. Missouri was led by T.O. Barrett's 13 points and 11 from Mark Mitchell. It was the fourth loss in six games for the Tigers, and this was their worst offensive performance in SEC play. Missouri's 64-point output was its lowest in a conference games this season.
The Tigers shot 39% from the field, including 19% on 3s, and 35% at the foul line (8 for 23). Mitchell, the team's leading scorer at 17.4 points per game, went 1 of 8 on free throws.
Alabama center Charles Bediako played against Missouri after a judge delayed a hearing in his eligibility case against the NCAA. Judge James H. Roberts Jr. of the Tuscaloosa Circuit Court on Monday extended a temporary restraining order regarding Bediako’s request for a preliminary injunction because a winter storm would not allow one of the NCAA's attorneys to get from Tennessee to Alabama. Roberts ruled that “good cause does exist" to extend the TRO another 10 days. A new hearing date was not set.
Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said Saturday that Bediako will "continue to play as long as he’s eligible to play.”
Bediako had 13 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks in his first college action in nearly three years, his return coming in a 79-73 loss to Tennessee on Saturday. He played two days after Roberts temporarily reinstated his college eligibility and blocked the NCAA from retaliating for his return.
The NCAA filed a motion Monday asking the judge, an Alabama booster, to recuse himself from the case. AL.com first reported the filing.
“The NCAA has faith in the judicial process and does not currently contend the Court has an actual bias, partiality, or prejudice,” the motion reads. “Similarly, the NCAA does not allege that any actual bias motivated the Court’s granting of a temporary restraining order. Instead, the NCAA contends that proceeding in this Court has created an impermissible appearance of impropriety because of the intense media scrutiny and public speculation surrounding the Court’s relationship with the University of Alabama and its athletics programs and student-athletes.”
Bediako entered the NBA draft in 2023 but was not selected. He has signed several NBA developmental contracts since, including playing for the Motor City Cruise in the NBA’s G League days before his return to the Tide.
