Alabama falls to Ole Miss, snaps winning streak

Logic doesn't seem to apply to Alabama's basketball season.

The Crimson Tide appears to reside these days in a paradoxical universe.

Case in point: Tuesday night.

Alabama entered its game against Ole Miss having won four consecutive times and Collin Sexton was set to return to the lineup after missing the previous two victories with an abdominal injury.

The Rebels, meanwhile, were trending downward, having gone 1-3 before taking the floor at The Pavilion.

So, what happens?

Alabama loses, of course.

The Tide fell to Ole Miss, 78-66, as poor shooting and suspect defense foiled its bid at prolonging a winning streak.

In a game that was a microcosm of a season that stopped making sense a long time ago, Alabama (13-7, 5-3 SEC) went on an 18-0 run at one point before Ole Miss (11-9, 4-4 SEC) immediately answered by scoring 14 straight points to wrest the lead back it squandered. Breein Tyree placed the exclamation point on the emphatic response, capping the spurt by connecting on a three-pointer with 3:38 left in the first half.

From that point forward, Ole Miss never trailed.

Alabama was on the verge of overtaking the Rebels again after Alex Reese converted a three-pointer with 16:19 remaining in regulation that shaved the Tide's deficit to one point, 43-42. But that was as close as the Tide would get.

Sexton, the freshman phenom, looked rusty. Together, he and John Petty made only three of the 21 shots they attempted while contributing ten points combined.

Their struggles were exacerbated by the fact that Ole Miss' backcourt was particularly productive, as DeAndre Burnett and Terence Davis accounted for 39 of the Rebels' 66 points.

On Tuesday, they repeatedly singed the Tide.

On Saturday, Trae Young, a burgeoning superstar who is the nation's leading scorer, could do the same. No. 12 Oklahoma plays Alabama at Coleman Coliseum at 1:15 p.m. in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

It could make for another interesting twist in a season full of them.

Rainer Sabin is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin

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