Officiating didn't cost Alabama the game on Thursday night. Poor defense, poor decision-making and lack of effort did the job.
Tampa, Fla. — In their first game of the SEC tournament inside Amalie Arena on Thursday night, Alabama basketball's relentlessly inconsistent defense gave its fan base a few more reasons to scratch their collective heads.
In an 82–76 loss to the Crimson Tide, which sent the team off the field, the team's defense provided a determination in the first half. In the first 20 minutes of the game, Alabama forced Vanderbilt to shoot just 26 percent off the floor and 23 percent beyond the 3-point line.
The Crimson Tide also forced nine turnovers, converting them to seven points. In the rebound, Alabama once again overtook the Commodores, this time by a margin of 24-17.
However, the second half was nothing short of a disaster. In the final 20 minutes, Vanderbilt shot exactly 50 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from deep, bringing its overall percentage on the game to 39.6 percent and 34.6 percent from 3-point territory. Combine them all, with 68.9 percent shooting on the game from the free-throw line (31-in-45), and the ingredients combined created the perfect recipe for a Commodore return.
After the game, Crimson Tide junior guard Jaden Shackelford said the key to improving his team's defense and developing the ability to play for 40 minutes begins long before the game's opening whistle.
“Like Coach Oates said, scouting reports being more closed off, not giving shooters an open three-off of tasks that we’ve gone through so many times in practice, and really just getting locked in and stopping,” Shackelford said. said. "I think we've got an intensity about going to the NCAA Tournament, just getting to the stop and shutting down the other team."
“I think there needs to be a mindset shift in practice, walk-through because we defend these actions – we defend these actions in two, three days, and then the game comes, and we defend them. Don't do it the way we were protecting him in practice and shoot-arounds," Quinrelli said. "So just a mindset shift is needed. We just got it - it has to be some kind of carry-over in the game. Obviously, the turnover, it's something that needs to be shut down - it's something that needs to be cut." needed. "
Free throws were certainly an important part of Vanderbilt's victory. With a 6-point margin of victory in favor of the Commodores, it is clear that making 31 out of 45 attempts from Charity Stripe was a clear factor in the win. However, several fouls that sent Vanderbilt over the free-throw line resulted from poor court decisions by Alabama players.
Shackleford and Quinnerley were both out of the game in the final minutes, giving Vanderbilt a much-needed boost. Senior guard Keon Ellis ended the game with four fouls. Charles Bediaco, James Rojas and Darius Miles each had three.
On Thursday night, the umpiring did not cover the cost of Alabama's game. Poor defense, poor decision making and lack of effort worked.
For Crimson Tide coach Nate Oates, solving Alabama's problems in the NCAA Tournament begins and ends with locking down his team.
"You have to be a little more mentally tough," Oates said. "It's not like - it wasn't going very well in the first half. I think we were 10 out of 18 in the first half. We just need to turn it around and step up and build them, but it's kind of us. deal.