Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said in the postgame that his team's goal against Alabama was to "put it to them on the glass."
Arizona knew they would have a sizable advantage in rebounding against Alabama because the Crimson Tide has shown time and time again this season that they simply aren't a tough, physical team. The Wildcats took advantage, punishing the Tide on the interior.
Alabama held up fine in the first half, only allowing 12 points in the paint and finishing just -5 on the glass. The second half was a different story, with Arizona physically manhandling Alabama with 32 paint points and a +15 advantage in rebounding over the final 20 minutes.
The end result was similar to what it looked like last month against Purdue in Tuscaloosa. Alabama was outrebounded 52-32, with an even worse effort in offensive rebounding. Arizona won that particular stat matchup 22-3.
As is often the case when two quality teams match up, the tougher team wins. That was the case on Saturday night in Birmingham. It was also the case in Alabama's previous losses to Gonzaga and Purdue.
Alabama has now played three teams ranked inside KenPom's top six, and it has been physically manhandled and overwhelmed by all three. It's a stark reminder that this team, while good, once again appears to be a step below the real title-contending tier thanks to an obvious fatal flaw.
“The toughness factor was a problem," Nate Oats said. ..."It’s nearly impossible to win a game whenever your opponent gets 28 more field goal attempts than you. ...It’s like when we play these tough physical teams, we haven’t answered the bell real well on the glass."
Alabama basketball has an obvious weakness that will keep it from its biggest goal
This is an extremely talented Alabama basketball team. Labaron Philon very well may be the best guard in the country. He's been electric for the Crimson Tide and was one of the lone bright spots in the 21-point loss to Arizona on Saturday night. Philon finished with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds.
It's rarely a good sign, however, when your leading rebounder is your star point guard. Perhaps Aiden Sherrell could have made a difference in the second half, but he sat most of it with full-body cramps. His workload has been higher than optimal thanks to Alabama's lack of big-man depth behind him.
Sherrell finished with eight blocks as he continues his development into one of college basketball's elite shot blockers, but he could be a lot better on the glass. And Alabama's paint defense suffers greatly when he is on the bench.
Bucknell transfer Noah Williamson played mildly better than he has, but he has still been a massive bust from the expectations he arrived in Tuscaloosa with after winning the Patriot League Player of the Year award last season. The medical issues that freshman big Collins Onyejiaka has been dealing with have kept him off the court, hurting the Tide's depth on the inside.
That leaves natural fours like Taylor Bol Bowen and Keitenn Bristow to log a lot of minutes at the five spot. Bol Bowen has continuously proved not to be a physical player, which has drawn consistent ire from Oats.
Bristow is, but has dealt with a few nagging injuries this year that haven't allowed him to find a rhythm yet.
Alabama finished with 32 rebounds as a team against Arizona. The Wildcats' starting and backup center - Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka - grabbed 29 combined between them. Alabama's starting frontcourt - Sherrell and Bol Bowen - combined for 9 rebounds. Williamson added one single rebound in his 11 minutes.
Getting bludgeoned on the glass against physical teams has been a consistent theme for Alabama so far this year. It proved costly last season, too, in games against the likes of Florida and Duke.
It's the obvious Achilles heel once again. And it may not be fixable.
Alabama could still make another nice tournament run, but it's hard to see this team, as constructed, getting over the hump against the truly elite teams.