By Chris DePew
TideFans.com staff
March 4, 2017
A hot-shooting first half could only paper over foul trouble and careless ball handling for so long, as Alabama wilted in the second half to give away a 16-point lead in a 59-54 loss at Tennessee.
What did we learn today?: The Crimson Tide was a victim of unearned arrogance. A team with 17 wins – just one of them against a likely NCAA at-large team – has no business taking any team for granted. But Bama forgot all the good things and hard work that allowed it to shoot 56.5 percent in the first half and take a 36-22 lead. It came out of the locker room standing still on offense and looking to run down the shot clock on each possession as though the game was already won. Then when the Volunteers finally started making shots, Bama predictably panicked and started jacking up bad shots with no regard for running offensive sets. The Tide went from nine assists in the first half to one in the second. And with its big men in constant foul trouble, Alabama got outworked on the boards, where the Vols held a 40-32 edge.
What were the biggest concerns?: Dazon Ingram didn’t lose the game by himself, but it was his careless fast-break pass that triggered Tennessee’s closing 11-1 rally after Bama had clawed back to a five-point lead. There was hope that he was rallying after hitting the wall but Saturday on Rocky Top was another passive performance, going 2-for-6 from the floor for just five points and registering just one more assist (four) than turnovers. With the upgraded talent coming next year, Ingram needs to make a big step forward in the offseason or risk being the weak link in the starting five. Elsewhere, fouls and turnovers once again sank a promising effort. While the Vols certainly seemed to get the benefit of the doubt on more than a few calls on defense, it is hard to say Bama didn’t earn the whistles it got on its end. It all added up to a six-point difference on the free throw line in a five-point loss.
What was the best part of the game?: Before inexplicably going away from him, Bama showed how dominant Braxton Key can be. In the opening minutes, Key got seven quick points on a basket in the paint, an open corner 3-pointer after the Vols’ defense got scrambled and a pair of foul shots. That only made it more frustrating when Key stopped getting the ball down low and instead settled for occasional jump shots off the dribble. His 12 points could have been so much more, but the hope is that he and Ingram will both thrive next season with more defined roles when there’s enough talent around them that they don’t feel pressured to fill two or three roles at once.
Who was the star?: Riley Norris was his usual streaky self, going scoreless after halftime. But his 13 points made up nearly all of the Tide’s halftime lead and Bama got everything it could realistically hope for from the junior swingman from Albertville, who was 3-for-4 from 3-point range and 5-for-9 overall.
What’s next?: Alabama makes its SEC tournament debut in Thursday’s second round against LSU, Mississippi State or Missouri. Tipoff from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Central on the SEC Network.
Follow Chris DePew on Twitter @TideFansChris