BamaCentral Courtside From Arizona's 96-75 Win Over Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- No. 12 Alabama fell to No. 1 Arizona in Legacy Arena in the fifth annual C.M. Newton Classic. The Crimson Tide held a 2-point halftime lead, but got decimated in the second half, opening the first six minutes of the second frame with just two field goals made.

The top-ranked Wildcats went on to claim a 96-75 victory and dropped the Crimson Tide's record in the event to 2-3.

The Three-Minute Run That Flipped the Script for Alabama in Blowout Loss to Arizona

"They're obviously a really good team," Nate Oats said. "There's a reason they're number one in the country. I thought the first half we played pretty well. We were down five on the glass and needed to clean it up a little bit, and then the second half we had this issue where we just haven't had very good starts to the second half. We came out and didn't have a very good start, and it got progressively worse. I think they scored, shoot 39 the entire first half. They had 39 in less than 12 minutes to start the second half.

"Start of the second half was bad. Obviously, they came out of halftime ready to play; we didn't. The toughness factor was a problem. It's impossible - I shouldn't say impossible. It's nearly impossible to win a game when your opponent gets 28 more field goal attempts than you. If you look, we outshot them from the field and from the free throw line, both percentage-wise. Free throws, they made one more free throw than we did and they got 28 more field goal attempts. You can't win games giving your opponent 28 more field goal attempts. Offensive glass we had three the whole game, they had 22. We lost the rebounds by 20 again. This has been a recurring issue for us."

Live Updates From No. 12 Alabama Against No. 1 Arizona in C.M. Newton Classic

Alabama History in C.M. Newton Classic

2021 - Davidson 79, Alabama 78
2022 - Gonzaga 100, Alabama 90
2023 - Alabama 101, Liberty 56
2024 - Alabama 100, Illinois 87
2025 - Arizona 96, Alabama 75

Watch the above video as BamaCentral writers Katie Windham, Hunter De Siver, and Will Miller, provide thoughts and takeaways from the Alabama men's basketball team's 96-75 loss against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday. The trio discusses the performance of the No. 12 Crimson Tide and the rebounding issues that continue to plague the program.