Bailey Biddle
What a roller coaster of a season it has been for the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team. Alabama’s season has been filled with big time upsets against top teams in the SEC. Alabama has also been on the receiving end by losing a game to Georgia State and Texas A&M on a buzzer beater.
Alabama had a phenomenal January that gave them a lot of great wins to put on their resume. Those games were beating number 13 Kentucky, dominating Ole Miss by a score of 74 to 53 and finally beating Mississippi State. These games put Bama right in the tournament talk and no one blinked an eye. Then, February came rolling around for the Tide.
The Tide got blown out in three straight games and that stretch was the most crucial part of their season. Alabama came out with no desperation whatsoever and was beaten in two straight games by an average of 18.5 points. Alabama also blew a 12-point lead to Texas A&M in the second half, a team that has only won five games in conference play.
Alabama comes out and beats South Carolina Tuesday night, and leaves us scratching our heads. Which Alabama team will we see each and every game? It seems like the only thing consistent with this team is its inconsistencies.
The key for this Alabama team is to not turn the ball over. Bama beat SC, but had 15 turnovers in doing so. If you want to make a deep run in the SEC tournament and March Madness, you can’t dig yourself in a hole by turning the ball over.
There are two guys on this Alabama team that have to play well in order for Alabama to win games. In all of Bama’s big wins against big opponents this year, Donte Hall and Kira Lewis, Jr. have scored 10 or more points. Look for John Petty and Riley Norris as key pieces coming off the bench for Bama as spark plugs.
Riley Norris is a senior and Tuesday night at SC, he was an emotional leader for this team and looked like he wasn’t planning to lose in SC. Depending on which John Petty you see, he can win you a game in March and almost beat the number one team in the country. Then, there is the John Petty that is very inefficient on offense, Bama hopes to see the good side of Petty.
Alabama has a great resume to make the tournament and are their own worst enemy. The fate of a date to the dance all relies on Avery Johnson and which Bama team shows up to play. Alabama at SC felt like a March Madness game, and I think Bama is looking to silence the haters.
Comments