Alabama Basketball: 3 keys for Tide to reach Final Four

3 keys for Alabama basketball to make the Final Four

2. Avoid the game-breaking runs

Alabama basketball has carried huge leads into halftime before, and they’ve gone on deep runs that should have been enough to put teams away. Instead, they let teams hang around. Opponents find a way to keep it close, and they go on a game-breaking run in the second half.

In most games, you want to find a way to reach your ceiling. For Alabama, you just need to avoid your floor. They are simply too talented to have dry spells like they do. The lapses on defense limit this team’s potential, and the offensive lulls keep them from winning shootouts.

You’re going to give up runs in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama basketball simply needs to avoid ones that are so big that they can’t bounce back.

1. Fix perimeter shooting mistakes

Last year, Alabama basketball was one of the best teams from deep. Despite losing Primo and Petty, they were expected to still have a solid team from three. Instead, they are shooting 30.8% from three, which is one of the worst percentages in the country. They still average over 30 attempts a game, which is top 10 in the country.

I’m not saying that Alabama shouldn’t avoid shooting threes. They just need to take smarter shots and work to get open looks. They are not as hot from deep as they think they are, and they need to be aware of that.

If Alabama can fix these mistakes, they’ll be back up near the top of the rankings. After that, it just comes down to matchups and moments.