TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 5 Alabama basketball made sure its opponent didn’t get a warm reception in its first game in the SEC. The Crimson Tide overwhelmed No. 12 Oklahoma early, earning a 107-79 victory to begin SEC play.

Alabama executed its game plan on offense and dominated the Sooners from top to bottom thanks to great play from its forwards. Alabama overcame Oklahoma star guard Jeremiah Fears and ran a smooth and cohesive offense that limited mistakes and dominated against Oklahoma’s weak interior defense to keep SEC playing strong early.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s matchup against Oklahoma.

It was clear that Alabama would not make the 55 3-point attempts it did against South Dakota State. Oklahoma emphasizes forcing teams off the line and preventing open looks. Against the Sooners, opponents shot just 27.1% from distance, the sixth-worst rate in the country.

However, Alabama had an excellent game plan to counter the Sooners’ strong perimeter defense. The Tide attacked the paint relentlessly – was a strategy coach Nate Oats hinted at when it came to attacking the Sooners offensively.

The points in the lane came in droves for Alabama. The Tide scored 24 of its 48 first-half points in the game and finished with 56. Alabama’s ball movement and actions between guards and bigs overwhelmed the Sooners’ drop coverage and the Tide was able to get the ball down the lane in transition without committing turnovers. Perhaps the easiest points of the night came in the first half when Grant Nelson raced down the pitch and lobbed a lob to the wide-open Clifford Omoruyi.

Alabama will never completely abandon the 3. Before the game, Oats preached that the Tide needed to take care of the ball and move it well to create open looks. Alabama heeded Oats’ message, playing unselfishly on offense and making nine three-pointers, consistent with his relentless pursuit of interior balls. Labaron Philon was responsible for two of those goals, a promising sign as the freshman continues to work on his 3-point shooting. Philon finished the game with 16 points and five assists.

Alabama also finished the game with just nine turnovers, meaning it was able to execute its offense by limiting careless errors that plagued it during non-conference play. Overall, the Tide’s offense, which was one of the best in the country at scoring inside, took advantage of that dominance Saturday and secured its first SEC win. Mark Sears embodied that dominance by leading Alabama with 22 points despite shooting 1 of 6 from 3. Sears finished the game with a double-double and added 10 assists.

Alabama’s dominance on the glass didn’t just help Alabama pull off a stunning win on Saturday. All Tide forwards contributed positively to Alabama’s win, ensuring the Sooners would have nothing easy on offense and helping execute the Tide’s game plan to add color.

There were still plenty of dunks for Omoruyi, who probably played his best game in an Alabama jersey with 10 points, seven rebounds and a block. Nelson continues to be a driving force for Alabama and had his fourth double-double in five games, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds along with two blocks.

Nelson’s boards were part of 49 total for the Tide, which dominated Oklahoma, particularly on offense. Alabama was able to extend its lead thanks to 22 offensive rebounds, which the Tide not only collected but also converted, scoring 25 second-chance points.

Other Tide forwards made good contributions. Jarin Stevenson scored Alabama’s first points and had a block in the opening minutes. He had some positive contributions in the second half, including a three-pointer and another emphatic block, and finished the game with nine points, two rebounds and two blocks. Aiden Sherrell also had a lot to offer against a smaller Sooners team, contributing four points and four rebounds.

Alabama guard Chris Youngblood also showed his best as a dominant forward. Although the Tide got excellent play from their bigs, it was the South Florida transfer who finished behind Nelson with eight rebounds. Obviously, Youngblood is still working on getting his shot back after returning from injury, but has shown he can contribute in other ways as he rediscovers his shot.

Alabama played with tremendous swagger and intensity on defense in the first half, and it showed against Oklahoma’s star freshman guard. Fears didn’t get his first point of the game until the 11:34 minute mark and started 0 of 5 for the game.

Several Tide players shared responsibility. Philon and Sears both guarded the 6-foot-4 freshman, while freshman forward Derrion Reid came off the bench after returning from a game and did an effective job with Fears. Reid was a versatile defender all season for Alabama, which played in favor of the Tide against a smaller Oklahoma team.

After sitting for almost the entire last five minutes of the first half and only scoring one point, Fears managed to find his footing in the second half. He finished the game with 16 points but wasn’t able to impact the game like other star players did against Alabama this season.

After allowing freshman Dylan Harper to score 37 points and guard North Dakota Treysen Eaglestaff Trailing by 41, the Tide held Fears to its fourth-lowest point total of the season. The Tide also prevented Fears from getting to the free throw line, which has been one of his most important scoring opportunities this season. Fears shot just 4 of 6 on Saturday.