Does Alabama Basketball Have a Problem Defensively? Just a Minute

The Crimson Tide's defensive effort in the second half against Vanderbilt had Alabama head coach Nate Oats raising questions about his team's chances of winning a National Championship.

Jan 21, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images | Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a video series featuring BamaCentral's Alabama beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers will group up to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as BamaCentral staff writer Hunter De Siver and Will Miller discuss Alabama men's basketball's recent performance on the defensive end of the floor.

Alabama men's basketball's 81.2 points allowed per contest last season were bottom-10 in the country, so head coach Nate Oats and company hired longtime NBA defensive assistant Brian Adams this offseason with the goal of major improvement.

Through the first 19 games, Alabama, a member of the 2023-24 Final Four, is having a great season among the rest of the country as it ranks No. 4 in the AP Poll with a 16-3 record, including a 5-1 start against the daunting SEC. But like last year, the Crimson Tide defense seems to be struggling as its 78.8 points allowed per game is the 32nd-most in Division I.

The rough defensive effort has been most evident in the past couple of games despite Alabama winning both. The Crimson Tide defeated then-No. 8 Kentucky 102-97 this past weekend, but it was the most points allowed in a game by the Crimson Tide this season. On Tuesday night, Alabama steamrolled Vanderbilt 103-87.

Oats was pleased with the Crimson Tide's performance in the first half, as the former math teacher graded the opening 20 minutes as an A-. But the same couldn't be said for Alabama's effort defensively in the second period.

Oats' team took its foot off the gas in the second half, leading Alabama to finish the game with one more turnover and one less assist than Vanderbilt. Additionally, the Tide had roughly half the amount of offensive rebounds as the Commodores and lost the three-pointers battle 11-for-26 (42 percent) to 8 for-22 (36 percent).

"I was disgusted with the second-half defense to be honest with you," Oats said. "I thought we came out of the game with a way better attitude, playing hard. I think we held them to a .82 (points per possession) in the first half, and then it jumped up to 1.3 in the second half. So .82 against a team like this is pretty good. First 20 minutes I thought was great, but then I think it was a 1.3 in the second half, and that’s terrible.”

Alabama led 48-31 at halftime and only allowed the Commodores to connect on 12 field goals in the first half. But Vanderbilt didn't go down without a fight despite the large halftime deficit.

That said, despite leading by as many as 22 in the second half, Vanderbilt cut it back down to eight points by the final media timeout with 2:54 left due to more successful 3-point shooting. The Commodores shot 10-for-19 from long range in the second half.

“We’re off tomorrow, we play Saturday, we come back on Thursday," Oats said. "Some guys are going have to decide how good they want to be, how much effort they want to give on the defensive end, because the effort we got in the second half is not going to win us any championships this year."

In short, the main takeaway for Alabama's defense is if the Crimson Tide lockdown in the second half about 75 percent as much as it does in the opening 20 minutes, the chances of bringing home the program's first-ever National Championship will greatly increase.

Read More: Three Takeaways From Alabama Basketball's Progressive Victory Over Vanderbilt

Aden Holloway Compares 'Abnormal' Experience at Auburn to Sophomore Year at Alabama