Going into Wednesday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide needed a win to end a skid and lock down an SEC Tournament double-bye. Alabama got the double-bye despite the 99-94 loss to Florida because Oklahoma beat Missouri. The skid not only did not end, but it gained speed.
On Saturday in Knoxville, Alabama did not lose to a better team. It did Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa. One game short of a regular season in which many in the college basketball world defined Alabama as a real contender; the Alabama Crimson Tide has not reached its potential. Can it still? Not the way the Crimson Tide played Wednesday night.
After the game, Nate Oats gave an honest summary, "It seemed like they beat us to every 50-50 ball. They obviously destroyed us on the glass." He also said he expected more effort than he got from some of his guys. Only a couple of days ago, Alabama players talked about increased determination after the loss to Tennessee. The words rang hollow on Wednesday night.
Losing a rebound battle by 15 boards is not supposed to happen to college basketball's No. 1 rebounding team. Except it did and it is hard to deny that the Gators outfought the Crimson Tide. Florida's quickness and determination gave the Gators an advantage on 50-50 balls. That and the rebounding deficit was why the Gators topped the Tide in fast-break points, 22-10.
Nate Oats was asked about the Alabama Crimson Tide losing four of its last six games. He said, "I'm not panicked we're losing. It's more concerning how we lost" How Alabama lost its latest game is the Crimson Tide went up against a better team and got bullied.
Two Alabama Crimson Tide players had outstanding games
A few Alabama players fought throughout. Mark Sears scored 30 points, and added five assists and six rebounds. In 38 minutes of play, Sears did not have a turnover. In 25 minutes, Labaron Philon scored 19 points, with five rebounds and four assists; and just one turnover. The Alabama Crimson Tide guard duo kept the game from turning into a blowout win by the Gators.
How Alabama lost to Florida begs a tough question. Has everybody been wrong about Alabama's potential? Can the Crimson Tide's sometimes sizzling offense be enough against teams that have both scoring power and a defense that can dominate? An answer will not come for two to three weeks. Early in the interim comes a road game, against the wrong team, at the wrong time.