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For the first time in weeks, Alabama basketball finds itself as an outsider for the NCAA Tournament. In the span of seven days, the Crimson Tide had three opportunities to add a much-needed Quadrant 1 victory — something thought to be the finishing touch on its tournament resume. Thrice Alabama has tripped over its own feet on its way to the Big Dance.
“I just think we’ve been making the same mistakes all year. We need some new mistakes," Alabama coach Avery Johnson told reporters Tuesday. “When you continue to make the same mistakes and the message has been clear, maybe going into this new season where our backs are against the wall and this new opportunity may do our team some good.”
Alabama (17-14, 8-10 in the SEC) is riding a three-game losing streak into the SEC Tournament where it will open up play as the No. 10 seed against No. 7 seed Ole Miss (20-11, 10-8). Seemingly one win away from its second straight NCAA Tournament berth a week ago, the Crimson Tide now heads into Nashville, Tenn., likely needing two wins to truly feel comfortable on Selection Sunday.
Alabama is currently No. 57 in the NET rankings used to help determine the NCAA Tournament field. Three straight losses have dropped the Crimson Tide’s record to 2-9 against Quadrant 1 teams as the team desperately clutches on to home victories over Kentucky and Mississippi State which both occurred in January.
Lately, Alabama has looked anything but a tournament team. During its current losing streak, the Crimson Tide has turned the ball over 47 times and is being outscored 134-106 in the second half. Over its last seven games, Alabama has shot 57 percent from the free-throw line.
Still, there remains hope for this battered bunch. When asked if there was anything left in his “bag of tricks,” Johnson replied confidently. The head coach isn’t about to write off his team and says he has a plan to handle when players are struggling throughout games.
“Just come and have a seat next to me on the bench,” Johnson said. “Sometimes we’ve allowed kids to work through their mistakes and it hasn’t really worked that well. We’ll let the bench do some talking to you, coach you up and get you back in the game. But we cannot have multiple mistakes on the court and reward him by having him still on the court.”
Alabama can also take solace in the fact it’s been here before. The Crimson Tide entered last year’s SEC Tournament with an identical recorded and ripped off back-to-back wins over Texas A&M and Auburn to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Looking toward this year’s conference tournament, it’s worth noting Alabama landed its largest win of the season over Ole Miss, beating the Rebels 74-53 in January.
However, replicating last year’s season-saving run figures to be a much harder task. According to Johnson, that starts with playing an improved Ole Miss team that is playing far better than the one that traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., earlier this season.
“We’ve really got to forget about the first time we played (Ole Miss) because they are a much better team," Johnson said. “Breein Tyree and Terrence Davis are tough to cover. You’re talking about All-SEC players. They’ve got some big guys like Bruce Stevens who can stretch the floor at the (center) position. KJ Buffen is a four man who is one of the best offensive rebounders in the SEC. Kermit (Davis) is Coach of the Year, and he had my vote. He’s done a really good job with this team in his first year.”
Alabama will also be hampered by two injuries as forward Daniel Giddens was ruled out with a bruised hand while starter Dazon Ingram (quad contusion) is a game-time decision. Ingram averages 7.2 points per game and is third on the team with a 46.7 percent field-goal percentage, while Giddens’ interior defense was missed last game against Arkansas.
Alabama and Ole Miss are set to tip off at 6 p.m. CT Thursday inside Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The winner of the game will move on to face No. 2 seed Kentucky (26-5, 15-3) on Friday at 7 p.m.
“We shouldn’t have anything constricting us any more this year. There’s no more weight on our shoulders,” Johnson said. “We had great opportunities to seal our fate, and it didn’t work out. I just think right now it’s not really about two games. It’s really about our preparation and our mindset… Are these guys going to be highly motivated to play in this game, and are they going to believe deep down in their hearts and have the type of faith to know that we can be successful if we play the right way?”
