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The Tuscaloosa News
Alabama basketball listless in loss at Florida as SEC title hopes fade
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Alabama basketball listless in loss at Florida as SEC title hopes fade
Alabama basketball just didn't have it against Florida.
Take your pick to fill in what "it" was. Sometimes it was defense. Other times, offense. Whatever the Crimson Tide needed to beat Florida , it wasn't there.
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What Alabama did have? Too many turnovers. Too many lapses. Too many mistakes.
As a result, the Crimson Tide went to Gainesville and left without a victory. The Gators defeated Alabama 105-87 on Tuesday. Alabama never had a lead bigger than three points, and that was at the beginning of the game.
The loss most likely pushes the Crimson Tide out of SEC regular-season title contention.
Here are observations and takeaways from the game between No. 17 Alabama (20-10, 12-5 SEC) and No. 25 Florida (21-9, 11-6).
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Alabama basketball offense continues disappearing act early
It started in the second half of the Tennessee game and it continued into the first half against Florida.
Alabama looked discombobulated at times on offense, starting off with a handful of turnovers almost immediately. The Crimson Tide had four turnovers over the first seven possessions. Add in an inability to get shots to fall, and Alabama struggled to score early.
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That meant not hitting a 3-pointer until 1:37 remained before halftime. That was the only one of the first half on 10 tries. Then there's the fact Mark Sears , the All-SEC caliber guard, didn't make his first basket until 1:09 remained before halftime.
Florida's defense and the defensive game plan deserve a good bit of credit for that. And Alabama actually played solid defense in the first half for a good portion of it. But the offense couldn't take advantage.
Both offenses ramped up some toward the end of the first half, Florida's more so than the Crimson Tide's. The Gators led 44-35 at halftime.
Mark Sears heats up, but Alabama can't produce comeback
Sears was a non-factor in the first half, but he changed that after halftime. He became the player who has so often been the motor of the offense. He drove to the basket, knocked down triples and made free throws. Sears scored 29 points in the second half.
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The problem is, he didn't get near as much help as he needed.
Aaron Estrada made some plays, but he was really the only other player who even made much of a dent on offense. Combine that with a defense that didn't get enough stops, and Alabama couldn't create a comeback. Florida kept scoring, increasing the lead to 23 points at one point in the second half. The Crimson Tide never really made a true game of it again.
What's next?
Alabama will close out the regular season with a game against Arkansas on Saturday. Then, the Crimson Tide will travel to Nashville the following week to take part in the SEC Tournament. Seeding will be determined this weekend.
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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 falls flat at Florida as SEC title hopes fade
