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The Tuscaloosa News
Alabama basketball has a snowball problem. Can it fix it for March Madness?
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Alabama basketball has a snowball problem. Can it fix it for March Madness?
NASHVILLE ― Alabama basketball has a snowball problem, and it has nothing to do with snow.
It's all about the Crimson Tide's mental approach, particularly on the defensive end of the floor and how it is connected to offense. That's what had Alabama coach Nate Oats talking about winter precipitation after the No. 3 seed Crimson Tide fell to No. 6 seed Florida 102-88 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
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"I talked to them after the game: Adversity happens," Oats said. "You miss a shot. Ref misses a call. Teammate misses you being open. You can see guys' heads drop. Intensity is not there on defense. Bad defensive possession, they score, we don't come back pushing the ball with pace on offense. Makes the next offensive possession harder. It's the snowball effect."
It's not something that emerged for the first time Friday at Bridgestone Arena, and it's especially been a problem of late as Alabama (21-11) has lost three of its last four games.
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"I think we try to rely too much on our offense," guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. said. "When that happens, our defense falls because people are just worried about our offense and stuff. It's hard for us to really get a stop on defense when we're so worried about the offensive end."
Alabama's offense has been the foundation of most of the Crimson Tide's success this season. In fact, statistically, it's the best in program history . So it's not a bad move for Alabama to rely some on its offense. The problem is, when the offense stumbles, the defense too often follows suit. So Alabama experiences a total collapse.
It happened against Florida, but not right away. Alabama actually saw the positive side of how offense and defense can work hand-in-hand over the first few minutes. The Crimson Tide started hot, jumping out to a fast 8-0 lead as a result of making shots, grabbing rebounds and getting stops. To start the game, Alabama brought the defensive intensity the first four minutes that Oats seeks and has often requested for most of the season.
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Then, after opening 4-for-5, Alabama started missing some shots. And the unraveling began.
Before the Crimson Tide knew it, the Gators had taken over the game. Florida went on a 21-2 run over the last few minutes of the half when Alabama missed nine of its last 10 shots, as offensive frustrations translated to poor defensive effort.
"I think that is a mental thing," Wrightsell said. "Oats always challenges us to be mentally tough. In the games where we don't have good offensive games, we're not mentally tough."
It might be too late in the season to change that, but the Crimson Tide must if it wants to avoid a quick NCAA Tournament exit like the one it experienced in Nashville.
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"Your effort on defense shouldn't be affected by what happens on offense," Oats said. "We've got too many guys I feel like it does. So we're going to have to try to get the attitudes back right and change. If we want to win, we're going to have to focus on defense every possession down."
Do that, and Alabama has the ability to win some games in the NCAA Tournament. Don't, and the season could be over after one game.
"It snowballed on and on and on for at least 24 minutes today," Oats said. "We've got to be better."
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: Serious concerns ahead of March Madness
