The Men’s Basketball team defeated the No. 17 Alabama Crimson Tide 92-81 in the first game of the bracket portion in the Emerald Coast Classic in Destin, Florida. The Buckeyes defeated Western Michigan 73-56 in the campus game of the tournament in Columbus last Sunday.
Coming into the contest, Alabama was averaging over 101 points per game and was listed as the No. 1 offense in the country, according to KenPom. Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, and Aaron Estrada led the team in scoring.
The Buckeyes were led into this one by sophomore guards Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle.