Alabama Learns From SEC Tournament, Uses 'Urgency' To Survive And Advance

TAMPA, Fla. — Alabama had been here before.

With the Crimson Tide trailing Hofstra 28-18 eleven minutes into a Round of 64 game where Alabama had been outshot, outrebounded, and outworked, it was difficult not to draw the parallel to the team's ill-fated SEC Tournament run. Exactly a week ago, Alabama fell into an early double-digit hole against Ole Miss in the quarterfinals and proved unable to muster the fight needed to survive and advance.

This time was different.

Alabama finally displayed the sense of urgency that had been so apparently absent for much of the season to take a halftime lead, pull ahead by ten early in the second, and then shut the door on any Hofstra comeback hopes with a dominant final four minutes to punch a ticket to the Round of 32.

"We learned from our mistakes," center Aiden Sherrell said. "We came out, we gathered ourselves and just went out there, executed the game plan in a better way, and had a lot more urgency defensively. We cleaned up our loose ends."

That urgency did not show up right away, as, after a relatively even first seven minutes, Hofstra went on a 16-2 run to jump out to that ten-point lead.

"We definitely felt them coming, they were super energized," Taylor Bol Bowen said. "But we trusted our process, and as soon as we had the chance, we turned the tide."

Alabama went over three minutes without a point during that stretch as the Pride looked in control. Star guard Cruz Davis was hitting tough shots, center Victory Onuetu was dominating on the glass, and the entire team was playing with the confidence of a team that belonged in this game. Alabama finally settled back in as a Latrell Wrightsell three ended the drought and spearheaded a 19-7 extended run to end the half.

"We came together," Bol Bowen said. "We played well as a team and made a bunch of great team plays. I'm super happy and proud of our guys for how we played today."

Alabama's lack of preparation was cited as the biggest reason for the early exit in Nashville, with Nate Oats and senior Houston Mallette both acknowledging the team did not practice the right way leading up to the loss.

"It was different," Mallette said. "I didn't think I did a good enough job having this ready for practice. This week, we were super prepared. We had a great week of practice, probably our best week of practice in a long time. And I think that showed tonight. We prepared the right way, and we were about the right things."

Alabama has certainly had its lapses throughout the season. The team's 4-4 start to SEC play, which featured a number of lackadaisical performances, and last week's loss to Ole Miss headlined a season that Oats himself said was a "disappointment." With Alabama staring down the barrel at an embarrassing first-round exit, Oats reminded his team of the simple truth of the tournament.

"This is March, you can't have any bad minutes," Williamson said of Oats' message. "You've got to pick this up now, this is do or die."

Alabama has dealt with no shortage of adversity this season, and that didn’t change entering the NCAA Tournament. Aden Holloway's Monday arrest added another layer of pressure for a team now playing in a win-or-go-home setting without its second-leading scorer. In March, none of that matters once the ball tips.

"When you get worried about losing yourself in the game and playing hard with all the effort, blue collar, tough plays, the other stuff takes care of itself," Oats said. "In March, you've got to win, or you go home. We were able to figure out how to win here."

For a team that has battled inconsistency all season, Oats' message may have finally landed.

"We learned about staring off right and respecting your opponents," senior Latrell Wrightsell said. "We're not taking a day for granted... We're just grateful for the moment."