How Does Alabama Women's Basketball Look Halfway Through SEC Play?
Alabama women's basketball has crossed the midway point in Southeastern Conference play. With five wins and four losses, Kristy Curry's squad sits fifth in the league standings, and is the last team with a winning conference record.
The Crimson Tide will have a week off until its next game, so let's break down how the team has performed through the first nine SEC games.
15 is the magic number
It's no secret that the bulk of Alabama's success will depend on the play of Brittany Davis. The preseason All-SEC selection is averaging 17.3 points per game this season, which is the same scoring average through eight conference game (she missed the Ole Miss game due to injury).
In the eight games she did play however there seemed to be a common threshold in relation to scoring production and victories. When Davis scores at least 15 points, Alabama is 3-1, with the only blemish being the 1-point loss to Missouri. If she scores less than 15, the Crimson Tide's record is 1-3, the only win coming against Texas A&M, and even then she scored 14 with nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
With the second-leading scorer Megan Abrams out for at least a couple more weeks with a hamstring injury, Davis' consistent scoring becomes even more important for Alabama.
Road Warriors
The production does travel as the Tide has a 3-1 road record. In those games, Alabama averaged 74 points per game. The team also shoots better than 40 percent on 3-pointers in the four road games.
In contrast, it has not been the same result at home, with a current record of 2-3, and one of those games includes the worst statistical shooting performance as a team from the entire season. The Crimson Tide also only shoots about 33 percent on 3-pointers at home.
Tighter Rotation
Conference play is usually where rotations get a little shorter, but Alabama really relies on its starters to play heavy minutes. Davis is past the 30 minutes per game in SEC play, and she's played more than 35 minutes three times.
Hannah Barber has only passed that mark twice, but in those two games she played 38 against Ole Miss and 37 against Texas A&M.
Jada Rice has only done it once, and that was primarily due to Aaliyah Nye getting into foul trouble and Ryan Cobbins didn't play her best game.
Overall Analysis
A 5-4 record doesn't seem like a fantastic start, but considering the context, Alabama is in great position halfway through SEC play. Three of the losses came against three of the teams that sit above them (South Carolina, LSU, Tennessee) and who are undefeated in conference to date.
The fourth loss was by one point, which can ultimately go either way; in games where Alabama put up similar numbers, it won, but that's why you play the games.
For a team with tournament aspirations, Alabama is winning the games its supposed to. The only team that the Crimson Tide has beaten but ranks higher is Ole Miss, which Alabama beat without Brittany Davis.
Also, having two of the best teams in the nation within the conference doesn't help with the record, but the games against LSU and South Carolina have given Alabama an example of its strengths and weaknesses.
Honestly, the only difference between the two losses is how poorly Alabama shot against the Tigers. As a 3-point shooting team, you cannot win shooting 19 percent from deep, nor can you win shooting 29 percent from the floor. That was the case for Alabama, and when that is coupled with playing Angel Reese, it's a recipe for failure.
As bad as that loss was, there were some positives to take away, mainly the defensive effort. Alabama was more than effective containing Reese early on in the 2-3 zone, and the defense did well rebounding and drawing charges. However, it was hard to build momentum when the offense was so bad. Had the production been remotely close to the season average, the game would’ve been much different.
Still, Curry and Co. learned their lesson, and the game against South Carolina was an example of that. The defense once again did its best against Aliyah Boston and the Gamecocks, even winning the defensive rebounding battle after the first quarter. If it wasn't for Bree Hall setting a new career-high with 18 points, Alabama might've won.
Looking forward
Alabama's defense is legitimate, and would give problems to any team in the conference and potentially in the country. Playing against the top teams in the country solidified that. The area of more concern for the team is offense, specifically how it will find production outside of Davis.
Sarah Ashlee Barker is finding her scoring rhythm; all four of her double-digit outings and her top six scoring performances have all come during SEC play. If she keeps it up, it'll take a lot of pressure off Davis and open up the floor.
The Crimson Tide is also handicapped by its lack of able-bodied players. Abrams is out for a couple more weeks; JaMya Mingo-Young is medically disqualified; Khyla Wade-Warren is out for the season with a knee injury. Of the reserves, Loyal McQueen and Karly Weathers have both struggled to score in SEC play. The week may be what the team needs ahead of the second half of the conference schedule, which is favorable: Alabama plays the bottom six teams of the league then ends the regular season with Ole Miss at home.
Not only would a strong finish give Alabama a strong seed in the SEC Tournament, it'll also likely produce an NCAA Tournament appearance as well. The first crack will be against Missouri.
See Also:
Alabama Women's Basketball Loses to South Carolina, 65-52
Alabama Men's Basketball Falls To No. 4 in AP Top 25
The Extra Point: What Areas Does Alabama Need to Improve after Loss to Oklahoma?
