The Alabama men’s basketball team ended its four-game skid on Saturday with a win over Arkansas. The Crimson Tide is now 14-7 overall and 3-4 in the Southeastern Conference. At the beginning of the season, Anthony Grant’s squad looked like a lock to make the NCAA tournament and was well on their way to being a top team in the SEC.
I guess that is why they play the games. The Tide currently sits in the middle of the pack in the SEC, and as far as NCAA tournament hopes go, they are a bubble team at best.
Alabama has three major problem areas, and all three come on the offensive end. Those problems are their inability to make perimeter shots, lack of offense against zone defenses and no real “go to” player on offense.
As a team, Alabama is shooting 27 percent (82 of 304) from the three-point line. The Tide’s best shooter, percentage wise, is Tony Mitchell, at 31 percent (23 of 72). On average, teams shoot around 40 percent from three. Alabama has only shot 40 percent four times all year.
Other teams dare Alabama to shoot threes, and they consistently miss from the outside every game. This year’s freshman class was supposed to provide the Tide with multiple knockdown shooters, but they haven’t lived up to the hype. Trevor Lacey and Levi Randolph came in as great shooters, but both are shooting worse than 28 percent from long range. When teams double-team JaMychal Green, Alabama’s perimeter players struggle to deliver outside shots.
VCU provided the blueprint on how to stop Alabama earlier this season but came up short and lost. Georgetown took it one step further. They played zone against Alabama nearly every possession of the game, and the Tide had no answer.
But that was 13 games ago. The Tide is well into conference play, and they still have no answer to zone defense. The lack of outside shooting doesn’t help, but Alabama offensive schemes also seem out of whack.
Coach Grant has yet to make the proper adjustments, and his team is often dazed and confused on offense. The guards pass the ball around the perimeter before hoisting up a long range shot with no prayer of going in. If they do throw the ball into the post, teams just send double teams, forcing Alabama’s big men to pass the ball back out for more long range misses.
Arguably, Alabama’s biggest concern is that they have no true “go to” player on offense. Alabama doesn’t have a player who can consistently get their own shot. Yes, JaMychal Green will get you 20 points and 12 rebounds, but he’ll also score six points and get five rebounds in a game, which leaves you scratching your head.
Tony Mitchell lacks effort on a game-to-game basis. His skill set is limited, and he struggles beating his defender off the dribble. The two Trevors are both dynamic, but zone defenses slow their penetration, and neither consistently makes shots from the perimeter. Levi Randolph plays tentatively, and Nick Jacobs just isn’t tall enough to contend with the length of the SEC.
With only nine games remaining, Alabama will need to make a serious run to make the NCAA tournament. There is little room for error, and the Tide may have to win out to keep its tournament hopes alive. Remember, the Tide finished last regular season 20-10 and were left out of the big dance.
