The last four NCAA tournaments have been the most fun run in Alabama basketball history, but unfortunately, every season has ended in the same fashion.
There is no shame in losing to the likes of UConn in the Final Four, Duke in the Elite Eight, or Michigan in the Sweet 16, but it is disappointing that it almost seems like the movie Groundhog Day. They all have a noticeably bigger front court, out-rebound the Tide, and the team struggles from beyond the arc. Even during the first Sweet 16 game of this incredible run, San Diego State was far more physical, and their defense was a big reason Alabama shot 11% from beyond the arc.
In the second half Friday night against Michigan, the three-ball stopped dropping, and the Wolverines outrebounded Alabama 46-32 and had 8 blocks. Dusty May's team did a great job slowing down the Alabama offense in the second half, and we were ineffective in the half-court offense. As good as Labaron Philon was in Chicago, the Wolverines made him work hard for his points late in the game with not much help.
Last year against Duke in the Elite Eight, they were a noticeably bigger team, and their defensive pressure forced a bad 25% performance from the Tide, which included Mark Sears maybe having his worst shooting game in college. They also outrebounded us by 11. It is hard to complain about how much success the Alabama basketball program has had as of late, but now the challenge is to figure out how to get over the next hurdle.
With Nate Oats as the coach, we have figured out how to get to the second weekend with no problem, but now it is about changing the narrative when going up against a team that is noticeably bigger and has the defensive pressure to not allow the Bama shooters to get comfortable from beyond the arc. I am sure the coaching staff is well aware of the need to bring in more big men via the transfer portal to help out Aiden Sherrell on a consistent basis. Obviously, Noah Williamson fell well below expectations, and it makes you wonder how different things might have ended had Charles Bediako been allowed to finish the season. It has been since Nate's first Sweet 16 appearance in 2021, with the likes of Herb Jones, that the defense could consistently be counted on.
That being said, in addition to finding athletic wings that can shoot, there needs to be more of a focus on bringing in big bodies that aren't scared to get physical at the rim and can better affect the other team's offense more effectively. There was no way Alabama was going to beat Michigan when they shot 50% from the field for the game, or last year when Duke shot 54% for the night. The fast pace and three-point shooting will always be a part of Alabama's DNA as long as Oats is on the sideline, but unless a few changes take place in how the team is constructed and the overall defensive consistency, it is unlikely the success will lead to cutting down the nets in April and hanging a National Championship banner in Coleman.