WATCH: Alabama gets controversial foul call, seals win against Vanderbilt, Scotty Pippen Jr.
Vanderbilt guard Scotty Pippen Jr. was drawing fouls all game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, as the SEC’s leading scorer dropped 26 points thanks to a 14-of-18 performance from the free-throw line, but Pippen Jr. couldn’t get the foul call when he needed it most.
Vanderbilt, which led 37-32 at halftime, saw its first-half lead vanish in the second half, after head coach Jerry Stackhouse opted to empty the bench early in the second half. Alabama led at one point in the second half by 11 points, but the Commodores wouldn’t go down without a fight, and Pippen Jr. was a large reason why. Alabama was winning 66-56 with 4:40 left in the game, and Pippen Jr. went to the line for 13 free-throw attempts in the game’s final four-plus minutes of play.
And on Alabama’s last drive of the game, the Crimson Tide looked to inbound the ball with just a hair over 24 seconds left; Alabama led by two, and all Vanderbilt could do was foul. Pippen Jr. was eventually called for the foul, and Alabama made one of two free throws to put the game away — but Pippen Jr. thought the foul should have been called the other way, as Darius Miles’ elbow made contact with Pippen Jr. in the head.
Pippen was then shown on television pleading with the referees to review the foul call, which he thought should have been on Miles, not himself. But in the end, the referees did not grant Pippen Jr. with the overturned call.
In truth, though, the controversial foul call hardly closed the door on Vanderbilt, thanks to Miles going 1-of-2 from the line and giving Vanderbilt the ball, trailing by two, with 24 seconds left. Pippen took the ball down the court, and he eventually found fellow guard Jordan Wright — who struggled on Tuesday night, finishing with three points on 1-of-6 shooting, along with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, five turnovers and four fouls — and Wright missed a wide-open layup attempt to tie the game.
With the loss, Vanderbilt may have lost its best remaining opportunity to make an NIT run. The Commodores fell to 14-13 overall and 6-9 in conference play, while No. 24 Alabama kept rolling. The Crimson Tide improved to 18-10 (8-7 in SEC play), moving Nate Oats’ team one conference win ahead of LSU, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Florida.