Alabama Crimson Tide fans enjoyed Saturday night immensely. Nate Oats' team played with a combination of intensity and joy. When Jahlil Bethea hit a three-pointer at the 10:27 mark of the first half, the game was effectively over. At that point, Alabama led 27-14. With 11 early points, Labaron Philon was coming close to beating Auburn by himself.
Comments by Auburn fans did not fade on Sunday. Their perspective was a mixture of revulsion and anger. Many demanded that Steven Pearl be fired. To Auburn fans, one player embodied a team trait: selfishness. Against Alabama, Auburn's only defensive interest was blocking shots. The defensive fundamental of staying between an opponent and the basket was routinely ignored.
Alabama won the game 96-84 from 25 minutes of outstanding play. Nate Oats was not a fan of the other 15 minutes. "We haven't done a great job closing games out when we've had leads. I told the guys after the game, if you start playing the scoreboard, not finishing games in March, you're going to get sent home early. Great 25 minutes. Not a great 15 minutes to close."
Oats also voiced the attitude of Alabama fans about every contest against the Auburn Tigers. "Obviously always good to beat Auburn. When you get up 28, you'd like to beat them by closer to 30 or 40."
Some stats that Oats could not complain about were total rebounds 42-28, and offensive rebounds 19-9, both in favor of Alabama. The Crimson Tide shot threes poorly at 26%, but Alabama scored 58 paint points to Auburn's 32. Alabama's second chance points tripled Auburn, 24-8.
Alabama Crimson Tide 'Get Well'
Was the win over Auburn a 'get well' game for the Crimson Tide? Oats may have suggested an answer, "People act like we live and die by the 3. That's not it. We play the most efficient basketball we possibly can... We scored 58 points in the paint. If we had made some free throws, we would've scored 100 on them."
A more certain answer can come on Friday in Nashville. If the early chalk holds in the SEC Tournament, the Crimson Tide should play Georgia on Friday. The Bulldogs got 40 paint points while beating Alabama in Athens. The Crimson Tide had 18. Georgia also 'out-three-ed' Alabama, shooting 45% outside the arc.
The Bulldogs are a good team, worthy of an NCAA Tournament bid, regardless of what happens in Nashville. They are not a great team. For a Big Dance run, the Crimson Tide will have to beat better teams than Georgia.
Note: Game stats provided by Stat Broadcast