Despite not playing its best basketball over the final stretch of the regular season, Alabama finds itself in the SEC semifinals against a solid but very beatable Missouri team. Alabama Basketball beat Missouri 85-64 in Columbia earlier this season.
While the Crimson Tide aspires to eventually win its second SEC Tournament title in three years before gearing up for the Big Dance, it will be best served to do what it has done all season: focusing on the task at hand. If the Missouri Tigers get Alabama’s full attention today, they might be in trouble.
There have been numerous occasions this year in which Alabama was in a prime letdown spot. More often than not, it has found a way to win the game. This team has shown that it has the focus and maturity to be a contender for the long haul, despite its youth. It has veteran leaders that may play smaller roles on the court, but have been vital in keeping the culture and fabric of the team stable.
Jahvon Quinerly is a consummate winner. The senior point guard has been on three regular season conference championship teams in his four years of college hoops. He is now on a mission to go three out of four on conference tournament championships, as well as making that elusive Final Four run. Quinerly and the other vets on the Alabama basketball team know the cost of winning, and understand the importance of focusing on today.
In addition to the older guys, Alabama has the benefit of having freshmen who are mature beyond their years. Jaden Bradley, Noah Clowney, and Rylan Griffen have all gone through slumps and periods of adversity, but they are collectively a level-headed group of guys that appear much older than they are.
Brandon Miller is a different animal entirely. Miller is just a hooper, unfazed by any environment presented to him. Even in games in which the more experienced players looked rattled, such as the game at South Carolina, Miller has held the team together. He is the ultimate competitor, and the guy you want on your side in March.
Alabama Basketball has the potential to do historically great things, but the people in that locker room know that it all starts with taking care of Missouri.