When Labaron Philon made the controversial decision to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft last offseason and return to Alabama, it was for nights like Wednesday in Tuscaloosa. After a back-and-forth battle that will live as one of the games of the 2025-26 season, Philon and Alabama escaped with an epic 117-115 win at home in double overtime against Arkansas.
As he usually is in these titanic SEC battles for the Crimson Tide, Philon was right at the center of it. He played 41 minutes in the marathon game, leading the Crimson Tide with 35 points on 11-for-21 shooting, adding seven assists in the process. The offense ran through him all night, especially at the end of the game when Philon was going back and forth with Darius Acuff Jr., who scored 49 points in the loss.
After the game, Philon spoke about what made him confident that the Tide would come out on top in the end, via Michael Casagrande of AL.com.
“Labaron Philon said they knew Arkansas didn’t have the same depth as Alabama so they felt good as the game extended,” Casagrande wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“It was great to see them break like that,” the sophomore guard said.
Philon could've been a first-round pick in the NBA Draft last June, but he is only helping his stock with another stellar season in Tuscaloosa. Coming into this game, he was leading the team with 21.3 points per game, and that number is only going up after today.
The Mobile native has had a number of big games this season against high-profile teams. He scored 25 points in an early-season win against St. John's and dropped 29 in games against Clemson and Gonzaga in the non-conference as well. He has added to his scoring arsenal this season and that was on full display on Wednesday night.
Philon and Alabama continue to improve their standing in the projected NCAA Tournament, and this win strengthens their argument for a potential protected seed in Saturday's initial reveal from the selection committee. The Tide are also just two games back of the SEC lead, so Philon and company have plenty to play for as they take the momentum from this win.
