By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
Nov. 17, 2015
Between 20 turnovers, a meager 29.8 percent shooting effort and being thoroughly outrebounded, everything that could go wrong for Alabama did in an 80-48 matinee loss at Dayton.
What did we learn today?: Alabama has a long rebuilding project ahead, and there may not be many tangible results on display this season. After going toe to toe with the Flyers early, the Crimson Tide lost the lead for good on a 10-0 Dayton run midway through the first half and never was a threat the rest of the way as bad decisions piled up on top of each other. Bama’s starters compiled a miserable 19 points, including five combined from the starting frontcourt of Jimmie Taylor and Shannon Hale to go with their seven combined rebounds. With Dayton shutting down penetration, Bama reverted to bad habits and began spraying 3-pointers, making just five of its 20 attempts. Retin Obasohan tried to step up but suffered through an awful 2-for-10 shooting slump. Somewhere in the second half players stopped moving and cutting on offense and defensive effort lagged in the closing minutes. All of it added up to Alabama’s biggest blowout loss since 2001.
What were the biggest concerns?: Frontcourt futility. Taylor sat most of the first half with foul trouble and was minimally effective when he did play, in contrast to Dayton freshman center Steve McElvene (13 points, 10 rebounds). It’s still the first week of the season, but it is disappointing to see the promising junior hasn’t shown any real growth after two tantalizing but erratic seasons. More troubling was the disappearance of Hale, who only made one basket on seven shots and is now shooting 27 percent from the field this season. He has the talent to score in double digits every game, and frankly the Tide doesn’t have a reasonable chance to win against decent teams if he can’t; much less one like the Flyers likely headed to a third consecutive NCAA bid.
What was the best part of the game?: Credit coach Avery Johnson for sticking to his plan. Alabama wasn’t coming close to winning regardless of what he did Tuesday, but the Tide could have slowed the pace to a crawl and maybe kept the final margin under 20 points. Instead Alabama kept pushing the tempo and hoping for a payoff down the road despite taking its lumps. There could be more ugly nights ahead and frankly this season may be more about seeing who can contribute in the future as the talent level increases.
Who was the star?: No one gets to be a “star” in a 32-point drubbing, but freshman point guard Dazon Ingram looked like the only player who would crack Dayton’s regular rotation, despite four turnovers and only two points. He had four assists, and could have rung up more if his teammates could have made shots. His five rebounds were only one off Donta Hall’s team-high total and at 6’5 he is going to cause matchup problems as he develops.
What’s next?: Alabama returns home Friday night for an untelevised 7 p.m. contest against Louisiana-Lafayette and first-round draft prospect Shawn Long.
Follow Chris DePew on Twitter at @TideFansChris
You must be logged in to post a comment.