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The Crimson Tide's offensive firepower, combined with its defense prowess make it, arguably, the hottest team in the country
We've reached the midway point of the Southeastern Conference men's basketball schedule and the University of Alabama has found itself sitting atop the league at 14-3 overall and 9-0 against conference foes.
No other team in the league has fewer than three conference losses.
Alabama's nine-game SEC-winning streak is the longest for the program since the 1955-1956 season, when that team won 14 in a row.
So, the 2020-2021 campaign, up to this point, has been historic for everyone involved.
Coach Nate Oats and company will take a break from SEC action over the weekend to face No. 24 Oklahoma in Norman as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Here is BamaCentral's midseason report card for the Crimson Tide:
Offense: A-
Through its first 17 games, Alabama might be the college basketball team that resembles the NBA the most.
It is ninth in the nation in tempo at just over 74 possessions per 40 minutes and 15th in offensive efficiency, scoring at a clip of 114.2 points per 100 possessions.
If one takes a look at the shot charts for the Crimson Tide it is just staggering. It's all three-pointers and layups. No mid-range jumpers or long two's.
This advanced-analytic style of basketball has propelled the way for Alabama to go on its longest winning streak in over five decades.
The Crimson Tide also has extreme balance on the offensive side of the ball with four players averaging double-figures — guard John Petty Jr. (13.9), guard Jaden Shackelford (13.5), wing Herb Jones (12.9), and guard Jahvon Quinerly (12.0).
Freshman guard Josh Primo is adding 9.1 points as well.
Its SEC offensive ranks are eye-popping: third in scoring (81.1), second in three-point field goal percentage (36.0) and rebounding offense (40.2), and first in three-pointers made (10.9).
The ball-movement has been superb for the Crimson Tide as it is fifth in the league in assists (14.5) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.1).
For the offense, its early-season moment of the year came against LSU back on Jan. 19 when it buried an SEC and school record 23 three-pointers in a 105-75 victory on the road.
Defense: A
Alabama fans got a glimpse at how spectacular Oats' offense was last season, when the Crimson Tide broke multiple three-point records and was third in the nation in scoring.
But this year, he has the defense prowess to match the offense firepower.
Per KenPom, the Crimson Tide currently ranks eighth in the country in defensive efficiency.
To go alongside Jones and Petty, the addition of Yale transfer Jordan Bruner, who leads the team in blocks (1.2), and emergences of guard Keon Ellis and forwards Juwan Gary and James Rojas have played a huge role in getting that number where it is.
To put it into perspective, Alabama finished 114th in the same statistic last year.
As far as where it ranks in the SEC, the Crimson Tide is seventh in scoring defense (69.9), third in field goal percentage defense (40.2), three-point percentage defense (30.2) and steals (8.7), and second in defensive rebounds (28.1).
Another thing to take into consideration is that in three of its last four games, Alabama opponents have had their worst offensive rating of the season per KenPom.
So, the defense is continuing to improve game-by-game.
Its most recent outing, against Kentucky, is the perfect example of why Alabama isn't just a team that relies on three-pointers, when it only hit seven in that entire game.
Across the final four minutes against the Wildcats, the Crimson Tide either forced a turnover or missed shot on seven of Kentucky's final nine possessions to pull out the 70-59 win.
Not to mention, Alabama's first made shot from the field in the second half of that game came with 9:48 left to play. It might have been the most impressive showing of the year for the Crimson Tide.
Midseason MVP: Herb Jones
There is the realistic chance that Alabama can have its first SEC Player of the Year winner since Erwin Dudley did it in 2001-2002.
Jones stirs the drink for this Crimson Tide team, on offense and defense, and is the engine that makes everything run smoothly.
Last season, Jones battled through an elbow and wrist injury for the majority of the year and was limited offensively. But he has seen his game take off on that side of the floor this year, averaging 12.9 points each time out.
He is also shooting a team-high 48 percent from three-point range and 47.7 percent from the field. Jones is second on the team in assists at 2.8, coming off games against Mississippi State and Kentucky that saw him dish out seven and eight dimes, respectively.
After being tabbed the All-SEC Defensive Team a season ago, Jones' defensive numbers have improved from then, too, as he is averaging career-highs in steals and blocks at 1.7 and 1.1.
Jones is the Crimson Tide's leading rebounder at 5.9. He has been the team's primary ball-handler at times throughout the year and can defend every position on the court.
Oats' Hard Hat Award, which is given out to the player for most blue-collar points at the end of games, has gone to Jones a total of nine times. The next closest is Petty and Bruner who both have two.
Looking forward
After Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide has a challenging week ahead with a home game versus LSU next Wednesday, then a road meeting with No. 12 Missouri next Saturday.
If Alabama can get by both Tigers and reach 11-0, then it is really hard seeing anyone topple the Crimson Tide for an SEC regular-season title.
With at least a 4-5 game lead at that point, all six of its seven remaining games would come against the bottom half of the league in South Carolina, Georgia, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Auburn.
The Crimson Tide would need a collapse of epic proportions to not win its first conference title in 19 years.
If the conference standings hold serve, there is no reason to think that Oats shouldn't win multiple coach of the year awards for putting Alabama back into the national limelight and making the Crimson Tide a player again in the college basketball world.
www.si.com
We've reached the midway point of the Southeastern Conference men's basketball schedule and the University of Alabama has found itself sitting atop the league at 14-3 overall and 9-0 against conference foes.
No other team in the league has fewer than three conference losses.
Alabama's nine-game SEC-winning streak is the longest for the program since the 1955-1956 season, when that team won 14 in a row.
So, the 2020-2021 campaign, up to this point, has been historic for everyone involved.
Coach Nate Oats and company will take a break from SEC action over the weekend to face No. 24 Oklahoma in Norman as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Here is BamaCentral's midseason report card for the Crimson Tide:
Offense: A-
Through its first 17 games, Alabama might be the college basketball team that resembles the NBA the most.
It is ninth in the nation in tempo at just over 74 possessions per 40 minutes and 15th in offensive efficiency, scoring at a clip of 114.2 points per 100 possessions.
If one takes a look at the shot charts for the Crimson Tide it is just staggering. It's all three-pointers and layups. No mid-range jumpers or long two's.
This advanced-analytic style of basketball has propelled the way for Alabama to go on its longest winning streak in over five decades.
The Crimson Tide also has extreme balance on the offensive side of the ball with four players averaging double-figures — guard John Petty Jr. (13.9), guard Jaden Shackelford (13.5), wing Herb Jones (12.9), and guard Jahvon Quinerly (12.0).
Freshman guard Josh Primo is adding 9.1 points as well.
Its SEC offensive ranks are eye-popping: third in scoring (81.1), second in three-point field goal percentage (36.0) and rebounding offense (40.2), and first in three-pointers made (10.9).
The ball-movement has been superb for the Crimson Tide as it is fifth in the league in assists (14.5) and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.1).
For the offense, its early-season moment of the year came against LSU back on Jan. 19 when it buried an SEC and school record 23 three-pointers in a 105-75 victory on the road.
Defense: A
Alabama fans got a glimpse at how spectacular Oats' offense was last season, when the Crimson Tide broke multiple three-point records and was third in the nation in scoring.
But this year, he has the defense prowess to match the offense firepower.
Per KenPom, the Crimson Tide currently ranks eighth in the country in defensive efficiency.
To go alongside Jones and Petty, the addition of Yale transfer Jordan Bruner, who leads the team in blocks (1.2), and emergences of guard Keon Ellis and forwards Juwan Gary and James Rojas have played a huge role in getting that number where it is.
To put it into perspective, Alabama finished 114th in the same statistic last year.
As far as where it ranks in the SEC, the Crimson Tide is seventh in scoring defense (69.9), third in field goal percentage defense (40.2), three-point percentage defense (30.2) and steals (8.7), and second in defensive rebounds (28.1).
Another thing to take into consideration is that in three of its last four games, Alabama opponents have had their worst offensive rating of the season per KenPom.
So, the defense is continuing to improve game-by-game.
Its most recent outing, against Kentucky, is the perfect example of why Alabama isn't just a team that relies on three-pointers, when it only hit seven in that entire game.
Across the final four minutes against the Wildcats, the Crimson Tide either forced a turnover or missed shot on seven of Kentucky's final nine possessions to pull out the 70-59 win.
Not to mention, Alabama's first made shot from the field in the second half of that game came with 9:48 left to play. It might have been the most impressive showing of the year for the Crimson Tide.
Midseason MVP: Herb Jones
There is the realistic chance that Alabama can have its first SEC Player of the Year winner since Erwin Dudley did it in 2001-2002.
Jones stirs the drink for this Crimson Tide team, on offense and defense, and is the engine that makes everything run smoothly.
Last season, Jones battled through an elbow and wrist injury for the majority of the year and was limited offensively. But he has seen his game take off on that side of the floor this year, averaging 12.9 points each time out.
He is also shooting a team-high 48 percent from three-point range and 47.7 percent from the field. Jones is second on the team in assists at 2.8, coming off games against Mississippi State and Kentucky that saw him dish out seven and eight dimes, respectively.
After being tabbed the All-SEC Defensive Team a season ago, Jones' defensive numbers have improved from then, too, as he is averaging career-highs in steals and blocks at 1.7 and 1.1.
Jones is the Crimson Tide's leading rebounder at 5.9. He has been the team's primary ball-handler at times throughout the year and can defend every position on the court.
Oats' Hard Hat Award, which is given out to the player for most blue-collar points at the end of games, has gone to Jones a total of nine times. The next closest is Petty and Bruner who both have two.
Looking forward
After Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide has a challenging week ahead with a home game versus LSU next Wednesday, then a road meeting with No. 12 Missouri next Saturday.
If Alabama can get by both Tigers and reach 11-0, then it is really hard seeing anyone topple the Crimson Tide for an SEC regular-season title.
With at least a 4-5 game lead at that point, all six of its seven remaining games would come against the bottom half of the league in South Carolina, Georgia, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Auburn.
The Crimson Tide would need a collapse of epic proportions to not win its first conference title in 19 years.
If the conference standings hold serve, there is no reason to think that Oats shouldn't win multiple coach of the year awards for putting Alabama back into the national limelight and making the Crimson Tide a player again in the college basketball world.
Alabama Basketball Midseason Report Card
The Crimson Tide's offensive firepower, combined with its defense prowess make it, arguably, the hottest team in the country
www.si.com
