It was a tale of two halves for Alabama basketball in Birmingham on Saturday night against No. 1 Arizona. The Crimson Tide took a 41-39 lead into the half, holding the Wildcats to just 10 points in the paint.
But Arizona unleashed a flurry of punches early in the second half and delivered a quick knockout blow on Alabama. The Wildcats unleashed a furious 28-6 run to go from trailing 43-39 to leading 67-49 with just over 11 minutes to play in the game.
Arizona racked up 34 points in the paint and completely dominated the glass in the second half to roll to a 96-75 win.
It started with paint dominance, and was buoyed by sloppy play by Alabama offensively and some questionable substitutions and rotations by Nate Oats. The Crimson Tide positioned themselves after the first half to potentially slay the dragon. That second-half run removed that in a hurry, proving Oats and his team with a humbling defeat that showed just how far they have to go to be a legtimate contender for the National Championship.
The most important observations from Alabama's blowout loss to Arizona
1. It was not the best night for Nate Oats
The failure for Alabama started on the bench on Saturday night. It was not a banner night for Oats, who seemed in over his head against this Arizona team. It was always going to be an uphill battle on one of the two most impressive teams in college basketball so far this season, but Oats didn't do his team any favors.
Oats watched as Arizona went on a 14-1 run, pushing a 53-48 lead all the way up to 67-49 with under 12 to play, effectively ending the game. Oats refused to call a timeout, instead choosing to let his team play through it.
Too much is made of Oats' timeout usage, but this was a moment he'd probably like to have back. Alabama was discombobulated on both ends of the floor and desperately needed a reset. Oats failed to give it to them.
It wasn't just that decision that was questionable, either. Alabama's rotations were strange. Alabama's offensive discombobulation started with Labaron Philon and Latrell Wrightsell on the bench. He tried to run the offense through Amari Allen with Philon out and Aden Holloway far from 100%, and Allen responded with sloppy play and turnovers.
Jalil Bethea only getting a couple of minutes was strange, too. He got one minute in the first half and then got in for the final two minutes of the game in garbage time.
Oats seemed overwhelmed on the bench and his team responded in kind.
2. It was Purdue all over again on the glass for Alabama
Oats talked about it in the lead-up to the game how important it would be for Alabama to battle on the glass. Those words proved fruitless. The Crimson Tide got bludgeoned again by a more physical team, losing the battle of the boards by 20.
Arizona outrebounded Alabama 52-32, which was effectively a repeat of what caused the loss to Purdue in Tuscaloosa last month. In that game, Alabama lost the glass 52-28, so I suppose we can call tonight...progress?
Arizona collected 22 offensive rebounds to Alabama's three. That's what allowed the Wildcats to overcome 15 blocked shots by the Crimson Tide, including eight more from Aiden Sherrell, who has turned into one of the most elite rim protectors in college basketball.
It's clear what the Achilles heel of this team is. Against physical teams like Arizona, they just can't match up. That's what is going to keep Alabama from going as far as they otherwise could.
3. Alabama got nothing from Aden Holloway or Amari Allen
Aden Holloway has been nursing a wrist injury that has caused him to miss the last few games. He made his return to the court against Arizona, though you may not have noticed. Holloway went scoreless in 21 minutes, only attempting two shots, zero from deep. He had two assists and two turnovers, which were his only contributions to the statsheet.
The decision to play Holloway - and stick with him over Bethea - with him clearly nowhere near 100% makes little sense. He was effectively a decoy, which Alabama didn't need. It needed firepower.
Amari Allen has gotten off to a spectacular start to his debut season in Tuscaloosa, but against Arizona, he very much looked like a true freshman. Allen finished with five points and three turnovers, going just 2-of-6 from the floor. He struggled to get to his spots and was far too sloppy with the ball during his 19 minutes.
Alabama needed more from two of its key players.
4. Latrell Wrightsell broke out of his early slump
There was never a reason to worry, but it sure was nice to see some shots begin to fall for Latrell Wrightsell. He made his return from injury on Sunday against UTSA, but couldn't buy a bucket from deep. He shot 2-of-14 from three.
Despite the blowout loss, Wrightsell was one of the few bright spots for Alabama. He scored a season-high 21 points, connecting on a more Wrightsell-like 3-of-6 from three-point range. He looked a lot more like the player we've gotten used to seeing, which is a positive development in the midst of a frustrating evening.