Previewing Alabama Women's Basketball in the SEC Tournament
For Alabama women's basketball, the season has been an emotional rollercoaster.
The Crimson Tide experienced an early season seven-game winning streak, COVID cancellations, and seven losses within single digits.
Nonetheless, Alabama grew stronger as the regular season wrapped up, winning three out of its last four games.
The Crimson Tide sits at 15-12 overall on the year, with a 6-10 record in SEC play. That meant playing on the first day of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament, as No. 11 seed Alabama will open Wednesday against No. 14 Auburn.
"To have some success as of late, I think it's a great opportunity for our team. We know Auburn has played so well down the stretch as well," Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said. "It's just going to be a rivalry game in the SEC Tourney, and we'll have to be ready to go.
"It's about grit and discipline this time of year, and those two words will be used frequently in the next 48 hours on what we need to do to be successful."
Alabama swept Auburn during the regular season, as the Tigers were on the wrong end of the first two SEC wins that the Crimson Tide was able to put together. Both matchups were decided by single digits, though, and Auburn has since defeated ranked two ranked teams in Georgia and Tennessee.
So, despite the being an opening-day pairing in the tournament, it'll still provide a unique as Alabama will try and beat its rival for third time.
The Crimson Tide has undoubtedly been led by its guard play, especially Brittany Davis and Megan Abrams. When Alabama is at its best, those two are facilitating the offensive effort.
Davis averaged 17.5 points a game in the regular season, good enough for fourth in the SEC.
She capped it with two 32-point performances in the last three games, including shooting an eye-popping 8-for-9 from three point range against Vanderbilt. Davis has been the Crimson Tide's driving force on the boards, averaging seven rebounds a game, as well.
Abrams has posted eight 20-point performances throughout the year, and she led Alabama in scoring when the Crimson Tide toppled No. 12 Tennessee last month. She has experience playing through this time of year, and was a vital member of Alabama's starting lineup during last year's run to the NCAA Tournament.
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Alongside those two feature guards for Alabama is Hannah Barber and JaMya Mingo-Young, who have played important roles for the Crimson Tide.
Barber leads the team in assists with 76 dimes on the year, and she has always been lights-out from deep, shooting 40.3 percent. Being a senior, Barber is veteran-savvy with the ball, and confidently guards on the defensive end.
Mingo-Young is Alabama's source of fiery playmaking. In her first season with the Crimson Tide, she's third on the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game.
Mingo-Young also pulls in 6.7 rebounds.
What she has become known for, though, is speed and quickness on both ends. She's fifth in the SEC in steals with 65 (2.4 average), and makes the hustle plays, like the posterizing block shat a crucial time in the game against Vanderbilt.
"I think we could use the coming to the SEC Tournament last year, you know, first round success there," Curry said. "Building on that with Hannah and Meg and then Brittany was on the sideline.
"We'll try to bring all of our experiences together and just make the most of the opportunity. Again, it's the next game, that's all that matters. Not to look back or not to look ahead, but take care of the moment."
Tip off between No. 11 seed Alabama and No. 14 seed Auburn is set for 1:30 p.m. CT in Nashville, as the Crimson Tide will look to carry its current momentum into a vital SEC Tournament game.
Gallery: Alabama's 75-68 Win Over Auburn on January 23, 2022
2022 SEC Women's Basketball Championship Schedule
