Alabama basketball should have expected anything but an easy game against Ole Miss.

There wasn't going to be a waltz-in-and-win scenario. Not when it's an SEC matchup in the seemingly ultra competitive conference. Throw in the fact that it's on the road, and that made it even trickier. Oh, and the Rebels entered the game on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. That can make a team scratch and claw.

And Ole Miss did. The Rebels gave Alabama plenty of fight for much of the game, particularly early. But the Crimson Tide found a way to push through early issues to outlast the Rebels in the end. Alabama defeated Ole Miss 103-88 on Wednesday in Oxford, Mississippi, setting up a big game in Tuscaloosa on Saturday with serious SEC implications against Tennessee.

The victory marks the ninth with 100 points this season for Alabama. That ties an SEC record, set by Kentucky in 1995-96.

Here are takeaways from the game between Alabama (20-8, 12-3 SEC) and Ole Miss (19-9, 14-3) in Oxford, Mississippi.

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Alabama basketball has to shake off lackluster start

The Crimson Tide couldn't have started much more lethargic than it did.

Alabama started off playing an uninspired brand of basketball. The offense couldn't sustain much anything, the defense looked almost as bad as the Kentucky game, and the Rebels were winning the battle on the glass by a sizeable margin. By the time 5:06 remained in the first half, Alabama coach Nate Oats had to call a timeout to reset his team. Ole Miss was leading by 14 after a wide-open dunk in transition. The Rebels were averaging 1.321 points per possession while Alabama was at .885.

Then the Crimson Tide got to work. Alabama put together an 11-0 run with triples from Mark Sears, Grant Nelson and Aaron Estrada and two free-throws from Nick Pringle. That brought Alabama within 37-34. By halftime, thanks to a triple before the buzzer from Sears, the Crimson Tide was still down only 42-39.

The first half was plenty ugly for Alabama, but the Crimson Tide found a way to stop stumbling and make a game of it.

Rylan Griffen, Davin Cosby lead second-half surge

Alabama had some offensive issues in the first half, but not so much in the second.

The nation's most efficient offense showed after halftime. Griffen reflected that change. He didn't hit any of his four shots before halftime, then he heated up in the second half. He played a key role midway through the second half, knocking down multiple triples. Griffen tallied 14 points in the second half and might have had more if not for getting in foul trouble and eventually fouling out.

While Ole Miss stayed within striking distance for much of the second half, Alabama began to pull away with about 5 minutes left.

Other players had to step up, which included some of the typical main cast such as Mark Sears and Aaron Estrada. Sears and Estrada combined for 44 points. But reserve players also had to make plays.

That included Davin Cosby, who drained four triples in the second half alone.

All of those efforts combined resulted in Alabama scoring 64 points in the second half.

Aaron Estrada logs triple double

For the first time since Oats' first season at Alabama, a Crimson Tide player finished with a triple double.

Estrada tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He's the first Alabama player with a triple double since Kira Lewis Jr. in 2020.

What's next?

Alabama will play host to Tennessee on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN). Then the Crimson Tide will close out the regular season with a trip to Gainesville to face Florida before a home matchup with Arkansas. After that, the SEC Tournament will be held in Nashville.

Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball shakes off slow start, scores 103 in win vs. Ole Miss