By Chris DePew
TideFans.com Staff
Jan. 23, 2018
Collin Sexton had a disastrous outing after returning from a two-game layoff and Alabama never found anyone else to take up the scoring slack as the Crimson Tide wilted in a 78-66 loss at Ole Miss.
What did we learn today?: Nearly halfway through the SEC schedule, this team still hasn’t fully gelled together – and might not do so in time. After a long wait for Braxton Key to shake off the rust and get up to speed, Donta Hall missed one game and was limited in the next two by a wrist fracture. At the same time, Sexton was felled by an abdominal injury that in hindsight may have hampered him for at least a week before he had to sit. In his last three contests, Sexton is now a combined 8-for-37 from the floor, including 2-for-13 against the Rebels. The opportunities to score were available, but Sexton couldn’t finish at the rim and then got frustrated by the physicality of the Ole Miss guards.
After 20 games, Alabama’s preseason projected starting five still hasn’t played together when everyone was at full speed and capable of contributing. It doesn’t have a player it can rely on to step up and take charge when adversity hits. It doesn’t have a go-to offensive play in halfcourt it can depend on to generate points to break a run. It doesn’t have a tournament resume that distinguishes it from the rest of the pack in a conference that never seems to get as many NCAA bids as it expects. What it does have is a brutal closing schedule, with nine of its remaining 11 regular season games against teams currently projected to be a part of March Madness.
What were the biggest concerns?: The way Bama’s big men failed to deliver against middling opposition. Ole Miss was at a clear disadvantage inside, but that didn’t show up on the glass, where the Tide only managed a 36-35 advantage, or when looking at points in the paint, which Bama won by a closer than expected 36-28 margin. Starting center Daniel Giddens continued his pattern of following up a big game with a dud, scoring six points and getting just one rebound while playing only 18 minutes due to ineffectiveness and foul trouble. Hall led Alabama with 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting, but half those points came in garbage time as Avery Johnson curiously kept him benched for long stretches even though he looked close to 100 percent. It was part of a larger pattern of Bama playing lethargic and out of sorts, best illustrated by the Rebels scoring 22 points off just 11 Tide turnovers.
What was the best part of the game?: Ball movement is still a work in progress, but Alabama did manage 17 assists on its 25 field goals, part of a recent uptick in a category that has been a perennial weakness. Sexton only finished with two assists, but Dazon Ingram had five and three other players notched three apiece.
Who was the star?: Ingram got in first-half foul trouble but still managed to scratch out 10 points to go with his assist total and also led the team with eight rebounds. He may have a lower talent ceiling than Sexton or John Petty, and something has gone horribly awry with his 3-point shot, but Ingram finds a way to fill up the box score whenever he is healthy enough to do so.
What’s next?: Alabama has to hope Sexton can live up to his end of the hype in the year’s most anticipated one-on-one showdown. Player of the year favorite Trae Young brings the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners to Tuscaloosa for Saturday’s Big 12-SEC Challenge. Tipoff is at 1:15 p.m. Central on ESPN.
Follow Chris DePew on Twitter @TideFansChris