Alabama Basketball bows out of SEC Tournament and ends NCAA hopes

Alabama basketball took it on the chin Friday night in Nashville, exiting the SEC Tournament after a 73-55 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Thursday night’s Alabama basketball win over Ole Miss was described as a game of two halves. Borrowing that thematic structure, Friday night’s Alabama basketball loss was a story of two programs. One program is a college basketball blue-blood. The other far less. The gap between the two programs is greater than a separation of 18 points.

Kentucky basketball did to the Crimson Tide what Alabama football regularly does to Wildcats’ football teams. Forget about what happened between the two teams in early January. College basketball is a tournament sport. For most teams, a season is determined by what happens in late February and March. For a few, like Kentucky, add April to the key span.

Similar to Alabama football, the Kentucky Wildcats begin every season with the intention and the expectation to be a Final Four team. Even during its very best periods, Alabama basketball has never been able to begin a season with such expectations. That is why the gap between the two programs is greater than 18 points.

Friday night, the Alabama basketball team did not back down. It hustled, battled and dove for loose balls with an intensity the game deserved. It tried to go straight at the Wildcats on the inside. The plan was not a bad one. The lack of success, though, was not surprising. The Tide often struggled to finish at the rim during the season. It was even harder against a team that contests every shot.

One result was 11 blocks by the Cats, most of them on Tide drives to the basket. Another result was a Crimson Tide two-point shooting percentage of less than 29 percent. Kentucky also had a 10 board, rebound edge and a whopping 34-18 points advantage on points in the paint.

The Crimson Tide trailed by only ten points at halftime, despite Donta Hall, Kira Lewis and Tevin Mack being a combined 0-for-13. Defensive intensity and 10 points from Alex Reese kept the Tide in the game up to halftime.

When the Wildcats went up 15, at the 13:54 point of the second half – the game’s outcome was no longer in doubt. The Tide never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

Alabama basketball fans want to know what will happen next. Some Tide fans prefer an invitation to the NIT Tournament is declined. The seniors probably want to play as long as possible, even not in the NCAA Tournament. The NIT might not be so bad if Lawson Schaeffer could get 20 minutes of playing time.

Questions will abound about Avery Johnson’s Alabama basketball future. The fans who want Avery gone and those who want him given another year should be able to agree on one thing. The Alabama basketball program should never settle for sustained mediocrity.

There is a small shred of hope for an NCAA bid come Sunday. The Bubble is said to be very soft this year and 68 teams must play.