Why Six-Day Break is Coming at Right Time for Alabama Basketball
For the first time since December, Alabama basketball will have more than four days in between games. And it couldn't be coming at a better time.
The Crimson Tide just wrapped up the grueling regular season with a 26-5 record (16-2 SEC) and won the regular season conference title. But after breezing through most of the SEC schedule, the final four games were decided by single digits with two going to overtime and the loss to Texas A&M Saturday.
But thanks to earning the top seed and securing a double-bye, the Crimson Tide won't have to play again until Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.
According to head coach Nate Oats, the six-day break between games is much needed. The players will have Sunday off before using Monday and Tuesday as prep days for the conference tournament.
"We’ve gotta get our guys’ legs back under them so we can make some shots," Oats said after Saturday's game. "We’ve gotta get back in the gym, work on some individual skill stuff, particularly shooting. When you’re playing two games a week since the first week of January, there’s not a lot of time to just work on some individual skill stuff. We try to get in and do it."
In the loss to the Aggies, Alabama shot 19 percent from beyond the arc. The Crimson Tide has been one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the SEC this season, but Saturday was a continuation of a negative trend over the last four games.
The Alabama offense has shot 26, 14, 26 and 19 percent from 3 in the last four games. It made seven 3-pointers against South Carolina, but six of them were from Brandon Miller. The rest of the team combined to go 1 of 14.
Overall, the Crimson Tide has made just 25 of its last 116 3-point attempts. It is one of the areas Oats says needs to get fixed over the six days. Another area is turnovers. Alabama has had double-digit turnovers in each of the last seven games with 18 against Texas A&M, including a costly one by Mark Sears with 34 seconds left in the game when Alabama was trailing by just two.
"Our players’ skill level, shooting, some execution stuff on offense, take care of the ball and then start to focus in a little bit more on what the options would be in the 8-9 game after today," Oats listed as things to work on after the game.
Since Alabama played the earliest game of the day, the bracket was not set when Oats spoke to the media. But now Oats and the Crimson Tide know they will face either 8-seed Florida or 9-seed Mississippi State in their first game of the tournament. During the regular season, Alabama beat Mississippi State twice and Florida once.
The good new for Alabama and the bad news for the Gators or Bulldogs is that so far this season, Alabama is 4-0 when coming off a loss with an average margin of victory of 32.5 points.
In each of Alabama's last three games, the team has fallen behind by double-digits in the first half. Every time, the team has come back to tie the game and take the lead. The Crimson Tide was able to fully complete the comebacks against Arkansas and Auburn to secure the wins, but fell short against Texas A&M. Either way, constantly playing from behind and using extra energy to mount a comeback takes a mental and physical toll.
Losing in the regular-season finale may not have been what Alabama wanted, but it may be what it needed to refocus and regroup heading into the postseason. The extended time between games not only gives Alabama fresh legs and ways to heal physically, but will also allow the players an opportunity to reset mentally heading into the most important part of the season for a team that has the aspirations and potential to compete for a national title.
"We’re gonna get our guys refocused," Oats said. "We’re still the No. 1 seed for the SEC Tournament. We’ll bounce back and be ready to play on Friday.”
See also:
Full SEC Tournament Bracket is Set, Who 1-Seed Alabama Will Face in First Game
Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball at Texas A&M
Shooting Woes Continue for Alabama Basketball as it Falls at Texas A&M, 67-61
