Alabama Basketball Showed Resolve Once Again Despite Loss
For a second, it looked like they were going to do it again.
During No. 2 Alabama's 67-61 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon, the Crimson Tide once again erased a double-digit deficit and stormed back to take the lead late in a game it had no business being in.
This has become a trend the past few games, beginning with Alabama's overtime road win against South Carolina on Feb. 22.
The Crimson Tide trailed the Gamecocks by seven and won the game. Then it trailed Arkansas by 11 and came back and won, and most recently, erased a 17-point deficit to Auburn — and won.
This time, Alabama trailed the Aggies by 15 in the first half. But with 4:47 remaining in the game, there it was taking a 54-51 lead off a Jahvon Quinerly 3-pointer.
The slow starts have been problematic, and can be attributed to a number of things from lack of energy to start games, to horrendous offensive rhythm, to poor shooting — this was the fourth straight game that Alabama shot under 30 percent from beyond the arc.
"We can't keep getting down double digits in the first half," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. "I thought our effort was decent, just too many turnovers, couldn't make a shot, too many mistakes on defense."
Despite all of that, though, Alabama has still found ways to be in — and until today, win — these games.
The sheer will and perseverance that Alabama has shown over not only the past few games, but over the course of the whole season has been nothing short of incredible. From the four-overtime game against North Carolina, to the comeback on the road against Houston, to this recent stretch this team continually refuses to roll over and give up.
"We've got a tough, resilient group," Oats said. "Even when they get down, we can still get it back together."
As the Crimson Tide gets ready to play as the 1-seed in the SEC Tournament next week, it desperately needs to improve in a few areas offensively if its wants to win its second SEC Tournament in three years.
Shooting and turnovers are the most prominent areas that have hurt Alabama recently, especially in first halves. The Crimson Tide has made just 25 of its last 116 attempts from 3-point range, significantly lower than its season average of 34 percent.
"It is [concerning]," Oats said. "The way we play, it certainly helps to make shots. [...] Not shocking, I knew we hadn't shot it well, but we've got six days before we play again. We'll get back in the gym and try to get it fixed."
With just two single-elimination tournaments left in the season, any game could be Alabama's last, making the fixing of these issues imperative for having postseason success. If there's one thing this Alabama team has proved, though, it's that even when they're not playing well and things aren't going right, they may very well be right there in the game with a few minutes to play.
That's just how good this team is.
See also:
Shooting Woes Continue for Alabama Basketball as it Falls at Texas A&M, 67-61
