That Alabama lost on Tuesday night was not a reason for major disappointment. But don't tell Nate Oats that. How Alabama lost to Georgia is what churned up Oats, and plenty of Alabama basketball fans agree. Alabama did not have enough players up to Tuesday night's challenge.
The game's box score shows the Crimson Tide had only five players make meaningful contributions. They were Latrell Wrightsell, Labaron Philon, Aiden Sherrell, Aden Holloway, and Houston Mallette. In a combined 27 minutes of play, London Jemison and Taylor Bol Bowen produced a combined four points and four rebounds. The pair shot 1-for-7 from the floor.
Amari Allen was a major disappointment for the Crimson Tide. In 21 minutes, the freshman was 1-for-7 from the floor and gained a single rebound, plus a lazy pass turnover, after which an irate Nate Oats jerked him out of the game.
The worst for Alabama was its inability to guard Georgia's Kanon Catchings. Catchings went into the game averaging 10 points. He scored 32 on multiple Alabama defenders,
After the game, Nate Oats said, "We've got some young guys who have no idea what it takes to win at this level, particularly on the road. ... We've got to get some maturity about us. Our guys got to understand nothing is easy in this league. There's not a road game where anybody is going to hand it to you, and I just didn't do a good enough job getting these guys mentally ready to play."
Nothing will come easy for Alabama Basketball
Nothing will come easy in post-season play either. No doubt Alabama players have in mind a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. But do enough of them understand what it takes for Big Dance success? Oats pointed out that Latrell Wrightsell showed against Georgia that he has the necessary mindset. "He knows what it takes to win in March, and that wasn't it, and he knows it. We need somebody like him, and he's doing it, and probably somebody else, and some of our other leaders, and better players to have the sense of urgency that he has, because he's got a sense of urgency right now."
Losing a Quad 1 game on the road is not an NCAA Tournament resume-buster. The loss ended building momentum toward a 3-seed, but did not put a projected 4-seed in jeopardy.
Note: Stats provided by Stat Broadcast