The Alabama women’s basketball team has had some major difficulties with the heightened importance and difficulty of the Southeastern Conference, losing all seven contests since SEC play began. The scoring differential for the seven games is 506-361, leaving the Crimson Tide with an average margin of defeat of 20.7 points per game.
The losses have often been attributed to subpar shooting performances from a team that had an electrifying fast-break attack throughout non-conference play.
“Shooting the basketball is a confidence issue,” Hudson said. “We’re getting some of the same shots we got earlier, we just aren’t as confident as we were earlier and we’re not making those shots anymore.”
The confidence loss experienced in SEC play could be traced back to that fast-paced style of basketball.
“We’re not getting as many transition opportunities as we have in the past,” Hudson said. “When the competition got tougher, it got harder to go in the fast break as easily as we did earlier. Those easy fast-break baskets are confidence-building.”
Senior Tierney Jenkins has noticed the fast-paced offense of the Tide being utilized less often, as well.
“We’re not getting as many steals,” Jenkins said. “Those steals used to be good ways to start running the fast break, and now it’s hard to start it up so easily without those steals.”
The tougher competition has clearly affected the Tide’s style, but it has had mental effects, too.
“I think it could be shellshock for some people,” Jenkins said. “It’s like coming from high school to college, that’s how the difference in competition is. It’s the SEC.”
As for fixing the slump, no one has the perfect answer. That doesn’t mean the Tide is going to give up.
“We’re super, super determined to get through this,” Jenkins said. “We’ve been looking at things, and if we win 8 or 9 of our last 10, we can still play in the postseason, so we’re not giving up. The freshmen are coming in before practice and doing extra shooting. We’re not going to quit.”
The hard work and determination to make the comeback are there, and now Hudson is focused on the mental aspect of basketball.
“This streak has made them question themselves,” Hudson said. “They’re asking themselves if they’re in the perfect position or whatever it may be. We just got to play basketball. We’re over thinking, and that’s getting us behind.”
It is that over-thinking that Hudson said defies the very basic concepts of the game of basketball.
“That’s not how basketball is supposed to be played,” Hudson said. “Basketball is supposed to be a game of reaction. Running up and down the court, reacting to things that happen and doing the best you can to react to what goes on around you. If we get back to that, we can do better.”
Alabama (11-9, 0-7 SEC) will try to right the ship against the Florida Gators (12-9, 2-5 SEC) today in Gainesville.
“We went to Gainesville last year and beat them,” Jenkins said. “We did this last year. We can definitely go in and win this game.”
If the Tide is unsuccessful today, they have a chance to exact revenge against the Gators on Feb. 13, when Florida visits Alabama in its first game in its new home, Foster Auditorium.
