Alabama's Philon's Clutch Performance Falls Short

0:00On March 15th, Alabama nearly pulled off a stunning comeback against Ole Miss in the SEC tournament quarterfinals Friday night. The number two seed, Crimson Tide, trailed by 14 points late, but fought back to trail by just one, with 13 seconds left. Ole Miss missed a one-and-one free-throw attempt, giving Alabama one last chance with the rebound. The Tide had three timeouts available, but coach Nate Oates let his players run the floor. David LeBaron Philan Jr. drove strong to the basket and kicked it out to Ford Aiden Sheryl for what could have been the winner. Unfortunately, Sheryl got blocked from behind right at the buzzer, ending Alabama's run. Philan lit up the scoreboard with a team-high 28 points, including 16 after half-time. He's been a clutch performer all season, breaking his career-scoring high multiple times, and hitting big shots in key wins. Oates has praised Philan's ability to create offense on his own, especially in tight spots like against Tennessee earlier this year.

1:00In that game, trusting him with the ball paid off big time. This tough loss sends Alabama home earlier than expected, but Philan's emergence gives fans plenty of hope heading into next season.