Rebounds give second chances. Arizona made sure Alabama basketball didn’t have too many of those, as the home team beat the Crimson Tide 88-82.
As much as the game of basketball has changed since the arrival of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, big men can still impose their will on another team. Much media attention has been on Alabama basketball’s freshmen guards for their offense, but last night was all about Arizona’s freshman forward Deandre Ayton.
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Averaging 11.2 rebounds per game, the seven-foot-one tree of Ayton was too much for Alabama to handle. The Associated Press said that Ayton “overpowered Alabama’s big men all night, something he’s done consistently during his freshman year. Allonzo Trier turned it on in the second half, playing with a rare efficiency” and scoring 25 points to complement Ayton’s team high of 29 points and 18 rebounds.
According to ESPN.com, Arizona had 43 team rebounds to Alabama’s 30 rebounds. Getting owned on the glass makes it mighty difficult to score buckets, especially when Alabama only shot 38.7% from the field.Driving the ball was nearly impossible for Alabama, with Ayton forcing poor shooting from outside the key. Arizona, meanwhile, shot 51.8% to make the win a convincing one to likely put them into the AP Top 25 ranks.
Alabama did make it a close affair. They were winning in the first half 40-38 and they were “pulling within 84-80 on Riley Norris’ 3-pointer with 38 seconds left;” however, it was an uphill battle once the rebounds and Trier’s three-point shooting came within a proficient range in the second half.
Alabama’s star guard Collin Sexton, once again, led the team with 30 points, but much of that came in the second half as Trier’s performance heated up. The two stars canceled each other out, making Ayton’s night all the more significant.
If it wasn’t for Donta Hall’s 12 rebounds, Alabama would have had a very hard go of it. Sexton had no rebounds and only two assists, as much of the offense was seemingly expected to come from him. Trier, on the other hand, spread the ball around, contributing six assists and four rebounds of his own.
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As much as Alabama basketball fans might think that their team hung with a big program for most of the night, Arizona looked like they were just biding their time with the right strategy. If all of the offense was coming from Sexton, it was no wonder that he went to the foul line more than any other Alabama player.
Both Sexton and Trier went to the foul line 16 times, showing how both men were the point of attack. The difference became the second chances provided by Ayton, who pocketed points in the paint when his teammates misfired in the field.
Pocketing 29 points isn’t too shabby, either.
Ever since Curry and the Warriors have made shooting from anywhere on the court fashionable, offenses in the professional, college, and even schoolyard ranks have been mirroring it. Yet, last night was a reminder of what a seven-footer who can rebound can do. Rebounding is vital for any good shooting team. Just remember, as good as Golden State is draining buckets, they also have the eighth-ranked team in rebounding, as well.
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Alabama basketball may have great shooting guards and forwards, but someone better start rebounding the ball. Or else every team who faces them will know how to beat them: hack Sexton and just cover the rebounds around the paint.