It's easy to get swept up in Alabama basketball's current six-game winning streak and assume the Crimson Tide is hitting its stride at the perfect moment as we inch closer to the end of February.
And while it's true that Alabama has turned the corner a bit since the embarrassing loss in Gainesville, there are still some major issues that aren't going to be fixed just because the calendar is getting ready to flip to March.
Nate Oats is well aware of those issues, and has consistently sounded the alarm all season long about quite a few of them.
Alabama's struggles on the glass against physical teams and its mediocre defense keep the Crimson Tide from being a legitimate national championship contender. Oats knew that, and that's why he fought so hard to bring back Charles Bediako.
But while Alabama is what it is on defense at this point, it's been a bit of a downturn on the offensive end that is more concerning as March nears.
Alabama's offense hasn't been nearly as efficient in SEC play
Part of the issue has been a myriad of injuries and Alabama not quite being as good from three-point range as Oats has expected, but the Tide hasn't been as ruthlessly efficient as usual on the offensive end of the floor.
If opponents can bog Alabama down and make it a half-court game, the execution hasn't always been great. Labaron Philon's lingering injury has prevented him from being as dominant off the dribble as he was earlier in the season, which has led to a lot more on-ball work for Aden Holloway.
Per Bart Torvik, Alabama is the No. 20 team in the country. But since SEC play began, Alabama is No. 24. The same is true on KenPom.
And while Alabama's defensive metrics have dipped in conference play, it remains middle of the road in the SEC, ranking 7th in KenPom's defensive efficiency metric among SEC teams. But Alabama ranks 3rd in the country this season in offensive efficiency. But since the start of league play, the Crimson Tide ranks just 4th in the SEC in offensive efficiency due to a nine-point drop from 129.5 to 120.3.
If Philon can't regain his explosive first step in the next couple of weeks, the offense could bog down entirely against a quality defensive opponent in the Big Dance. If that happens, Alabama might have to hope for a big-time performance from three to stave off elimination.