Alabama Basketball: Turnovers Doom Tide in Third Straight Loss
By Mike Parham
The Alabama basketball team lost a nail-biter, at home, to the Arkansas Razorbacks due to bad possessions and poor free-throw shooting
The Alabama basketball team finally got an answer to the question of how they would respond in a close game where free-throws were crucial. It wasn’t pretty, and 18 turnovers along with missed free-throws in crunch time, helped Arkansas (20-9) put away the Tide.
The Tide fell to Arkansas 76-73 in a game that got really interesting in the final minute.
Alabama (17-12) had four starters score over 13 points but didn’t have another player on the team score over six. They were led by sophomore Braxton Key who had 16 points in the contest.
This featured yet another game where Alabama started out slow and played catch up to their opponent. Arkansas held the Tide scoreless for the first 2:41 of the game while they opened with a 7-0 run.
Despite the run, Alabama was able to chip away at the lead by getting some key defensive stops. They held Arkansas scoreless during a five-minute stretch and went on a 9-0 run to tie the game.
Included in that run was a flagrant foul on Dazon Ingram, who was also flagrantly fouled again in the second-half.
It seemed as if Arkansas was positioning themselves to run away with the game late in the first-half. With two minutes remaining, they held a 10-point lead and the momentum. However, Alex Reese and Avery Johnson Jr hit back to back three-pointers to slice that lead to four before halftime.
Both teams combined for 20 turnovers in a sloppy first-half of basketball.
In the second-half, it seemed as if Alabama gained all of the momentum and looked to surge ahead. They took their first lead at 39-37 after a Key three-pointer.
At that moment it seemed as if the Tide were going to run away with the game. They cruised to a 16-2 run that started in the first-half as Arkansas went 0-7 from the field.
However, they continued to turn the ball over and take bad shots that allowed Arkansas to take and maintain the lead. In the final minute, Donta Hall and Collin Sexton missed crucial free-throws that could have possibly tied the game.
Alabama Consistency Woes
It seems as if the Tide just can’t get out of their own way in games lately. They play amazing defense but are either giving up offensive rebounds or turning the ball over in a rate that keeps opponent’s leads safe.
In this game, it wasn’t offensive rebounds that got to the Tide, the shot clock did the damage. Alabama was battling the shot clock all night against the Razorbacks, which is uncharacteristic because they usually attempt to score early in the clock.
The Tide haven’t played a well-rounded game in what seems like a long time. They are either clicking on offense and lacking on defense, or aggressive on defense but can’t score the ball.
Whatever the case, this MUST be addressed in the Tide’s next two games. Alabama has two very tough games coming up against Florida and Texas A&M.
Next: Alabama Softball Defeats Florida State, Georgia State In Easton Bama Bash
Up next Alabama basketball faces off against Florida for the second time this season, this time at home. The game tips off Tuesday at 6 PM CST on ESPN.