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TUSCALOOSA, Ala., — The story is familiar, but Alabama basketball is hoping to write a different ending.
For the second straight season, the Crimson Tide finds itself stumbling down the stretch. Last year, Alabama closed out its regular season on a five-game losing streak before keeping its NCAA Tournament hopes alive with back-to-back wins in the SEC Tournament.
Things haven’t gotten that bad this season — at least not yet. Alabama (15-11, 6-7 in the SEC) heads into Saturday night’s game against Vanderbilt (9-17, 0-13) riding a three-game losing streak. Over that span, the Crimson Tide suffered back-to-back double-digit defeats to Auburn and Mississippi State before blowing a double-digit lead in the second half during a 65-56 loss to Texas A&M.
“Last year it got to five, and we ain’t going to make it to five,” forward Daniel Giddens said. “We're going to try to prevent that at all costs. But definitely, we’re staying together. We’re staying together in a way we didn’t really stay together last year.”
Saturday’s opponent couldn’t have come at a better time. Alabama’s struggles pale in comparison to Vanderbilt’s. The Commodores are winless in conference play and have lost their last 14 games. That includes a 77-67 home defeat to Alabama — the Crimson Tide’s most recent victory.
Still, coming off a season sweep to Texas A&M (11-14, 4-9), Alabama knows better than to take any opponent lightly.
“That makes them very, very dangerous because they’re coming in as a very desperate, hungry team,” Giddens said of Vanderbilt. “That’s the mindset we need to adapt for this game, become a very desperate, hungry team because we have goals and ambitions to have a postseason.”
“Desperate” was the word of the day as both Giddens and fellow forward Riley Norris used it to describe Alabama’s mindset heading into Saturday’s must-win game.
“We’re really desperate,” Norris said. “I feel like coming off the last three games, it’s been tough but we’re in the right mindset. I feel like we’re moving forward; we’re not worried about the past. We’re just trying to get better today in practice so we can perform tomorrow night.”
Despite its recent skid, Alabama’s tournament dreams are still hanging on by a thread. The Crimson Tide is currently No. 51 in the NET rankings and has a combined 9-9 record against Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 teams. Friday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projected Alabama as a No. 12 seed up against fellow No. 12 seed Minnesota in a play-in game. However, a loss to Vanderbilt would likely leave the Crimson Tide on the outside looking in.
“Whatever the word is, whether it’s desperate, or passion, or competitive spirit, physicality without fouling, pace on offense,” head coach Avery Johnson said. “We’ve got to run harder. We’ve got to play harder. We’ve got to rebound more. And if they want to use the word desperate, great.”
Those looking for positives will point out that Alabama’s seven Quadrant 2 wins rank second in the SEC and tied for seventh nationally. The Crimson Tide will also have plenty of opportunities to add to its resume.
While a victory over Vanderbilt would be currently classified as a Quadrant 3 win, Alabama would still have three Quadrant 1 games (LSU, Auburn and at Arkansas) as well as a Quadrant 2 game at South Carolina, left on its schedule.
Alabama will look for its series sweep over Vanderbilt since the 1986-87 season. The two teams are set to tipoff Saturday at 5 p.m. CT inside of Coleman Coliseum. The game will be televised on ESPN U.
“We’d love for (fans) to come to the game tomorrow against Vanderbilt,” Johnson said. “The game’s at five o’clock. We’d love for them to come out and support us and hang in there with us because the chapter in this book has not been finalized. This book has not been written yet.”
