Alabama basketball could have used more from its big man during its rock fight on Rocky Top. The No. 1 Crimson Tide saw its perfect SEC record snapped with a 68-59 loss at Tennessee on Wednesday night.
The defeat came as Alabama starting center Charles Bediako was dealing with a knee injury he suffered against Auburn over the weekend. While head coach Nate Oats isn’t making any excuses, he admits it would have been nice to have the 7-footer at full strength against the Volunteers
“You could tell Charles wasn’t 100% tonight,” Oats said. “We tried to play him some. He wasn’t himself, so we kind of went away from him in the second half.”
Tuesday, Oats listed Bediako as a game-time decision, stating the sophomore had progressed nicely from the injury during practice. Beiako earned the start Wednesday night, recording 4 points and five rebounds over 17 minutes, playing in just five minutes in the second half.
With Alabama’s biggest rim defender limited, Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo was able to capitalize, recording his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Volunteers were also without two players key players as guard Josiah-Jordan James (sprained ankle) and forward Julian Phillips (hip flexor strain) both missed the game. However, they fared a bit better without their departures.
“I do think he would have impacted the game defensively,” Oats said. “He kind of anchors our defense, makes it harder to score in the paint. We didn’t have him, so it hurt. But we need to learn to play without different guys when they’re hurt.”
Alabama outrebounded Tennessee 43-39 but lost the battle on offensive boards 13-8, allowing the Volunteers to take a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points.
Noah Clowney led Alabama’s front court on the night, recording 7 points to go with a team-high 11 rebounds over 31 minutes. Noah Gurley recorded 3 points and a rebound over 10 minutes while Nick Pringle was scoreless with four rebounds over eight minutes.
Bediako has started all 26 games of Alabama’s games this season and entered Wednesday night averaging 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 60.4% from the floor. He also came into the game leading the team with 1.6 blocks per game.
“Chuck’s definitely a key part of our defense, kind of protecting the rim for us,” Bradley said. “We definitely missed him out there today, but i feel like [Nick] Pringle and other guys definitely stepped up. We definitely need Chuck back healthy soon.”
