No. 6 Alabama men’s basketball missed nine free throws and 17 shots at the rim in a dramatic 79-76 loss to No. 5 Tennessee on the road Saturday.
The Crimson Tide led 76-72 with 36 seconds to go but could not close out the game.
Free throw shooting has been an Achilles’ heel for the team this season, and it was no different Saturday, shooting 17 of 26 from the line, a 65.4% mark. Tennessee shot better at the line, making 17 of 26 attempts, a 73.1% mark.
The team has posted a 72.2% mark from the charity stripe this year, down from the 78.4% mark in 2023-24. The team has shot better from the field this season, however, posting a 48.3% field goal rate, up from a 47.7% mark in 2023-24.
“It’s hard to win big games like this, but we were still up 4 with 36 [seconds] to go,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “You’ve got to convert at the rim and you got to convert free throws.”
The team shot just 12 for 29 on shots at the rim, a 41.3% mark. Alabama also notably struggled at the rim in the loss to No. 1 Auburn, converting 14 of 30 attempts.
The Crimson Tide began the contest on the wrong foot at the free throw line, making 42.9% of its attempts in the first eight minutes. Alabama guard Aden Holloway, an 83.7% shooter at the line on the season, missed all three attempts after being fouled from behind the three-point line.
Alabama performed better from the line in the second half, making 9 of 11 attempts. The team showed resilience against a tough opponent in a tough environment, leading for much of the second half and outrebounding the Volunteers, but fell short in the game’s final minute.
“I feel like I failed these guys,” Oats said. “For 39 1/2 minutes [we] outplayed them.”
Alabama will continue SEC play Wednesday against No. 3 Florida in a tough midweek test at Coleman Coliseum. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. CT and can be streamed on ESPN2.
