| MBB/WBB šŸ€ Alabama Drops a Narrow 78-76 Decision at Mississippi State

Was watching until about the 6 minute mark in the 2nd half after MSU had just pulled down like 6 offensive rebounds in a row. Just got tired of watching them get out hustled. Not proud to admit I turned it off but it was maddening.

LSU is up next so about to drop 4 in a row and go down 2-4 in the SEC. It is home but do not see them getting the job done at this point. Their confidence as a team can't be very high at this point. They need to show some heart and forget the record and scoreboard. Heck maybe Rojas who is like a bull in a china shop will provide some much needed grit.
 
Just looked at some numbers... since the Houston win, Bama is 3-5. The Tide has been outrebounded in 4 of those 5 loses (Memphis, Mizzou, auburn, MSU... Davidson being the one Bama grabbed more in). Bama was tied or had the most rebounds in all 3 wins (Jax St, Tenn, UF). 3 point shooting in ALL those games since the Houston win? 70/246... 28%. And because I was wondering if turnovers outnumbered assists, I looked it up too. It didn't, but was in the same ballpark... 114 assists to 103 turnovers.
 
We just donā€™t have it right now. Not looking like a 3 or 4 seed for sure. Got to get the conference play back on track. Or, on track.
May be an overreaction but they may find their way to talking about the bubble if they cannot get this corrected. Still a long way to go so I do not want to overreact but they have to find a way to stop the bleeding because the margin is narrowing.
 

STARKVILLE, Miss. ā€“ In a game that went down to the final shot, the No. 24/25 Alabama men's basketball team dropped a narrow 78-76 decision to Mississippi State (12-4, 3-1) Saturday night inside Humphrey Coliseum. It was the Crimson Tide's third consecutive loss, matching the longest losing streak under head coach Nate Oats, as Alabama drops to 11-6 overall and 2-3 in SEC play.

Saturday's game was a tightly-contested affair throughout that featured 15 ties and 19 lead changes, as the Bulldogs hung on to win at home for the 10th time in 11 games this season.

Four UA players reached double figures led by guard Jaden Shackelford's 17 points on the night. Forward Darius Miles came off the bench to collect a career-best 14 points to go with six rebounds, while guar Keon Ellis also had 14 and a team-leading seven boards. Center Charles Bediako added 11, six rebounds and a pair of assists in the loss.

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments​

"This was a tough loss, but you have to give them credit. I thought rebounding was a big difference down the stretch. We were down by one rebound at the under-eight media time out and then after that we got outrebounded by 12. We also had only give up eight offensive boards and they had nine more o-boards. That's really what the game came down to. I think they came into the game 15th in the nation in offensive rebounding rate and we ended up giving them 49 percent of their misses. It's hard to win a game when they are getting half of their missed shots. We have to have guys step up there and get a rebound. I think they had four o-boards in one possession. We need to have some toughness about us and we need it for 40 minutes. We have to start playing better, especially on the tough stuff."

Team Stats​

  • Alabama fell to 1-2 this season in one possession games
  • Mississippi State snapped a three-game losing streak in the series after the Tide won all three contests against the Bulldogs a year ago
  • UA leads the all-time series 129-78, while the Bulldogs improved to 56-43 in all-time home games versus the Tide
  • Guard Jahvon Quinerly finished with five points which snapped his nine-game double-figure scoring streak

First Half​

  • The first half that saw 14 lead changes and 10 ties
  • Neither team had more than a five-point lead (Alabama at 16:29) in the opening stanza
  • After Alabama took its five-point lead, 11-6 at the 16:29 mark, the Bulldogs answered with a 7-0 spurt to regain the lead at 13-11
  • Trailing by a score of 36-33 with 2:50 remaining in the half, the Tide would finish with an 8-1 run to take a 41-37 lead at intermission
  • Shackelford led all players with 14 first half points

Second Half​

  • With Alabama holding a 46-42 lead early in the second half, MSU went on an 11-5 spurt to regain the lead at 53-51 at the 13:25 mark
  • The Tide would respond by scoring nine of the next 11 points to match its largest lead at five points, 60-55, with 10:17 remaining
  • Alabama would go the next nearly five minutes without a field goal, allowing the Bulldogs to regain the lead on the strength of a 12-4 run over the next 4:42 to take a 67-64 advantage with 5:35 left to play
  • MSU would follow that with an 8-3 spurt to take its largest lead at eight points, 75-67, with 1:34 left
  • In all, the 20-7 run lasted nearly nine minutes and turned a five-point UA lead into an eight-point edge for MSU
  • The Tide did not go down quietly as it responded with a 9-2 spurt to cut the lead to one, 77-76, with three seconds remaining and possession of the ball
  • Ellis had a good look for a game-winning three-pointer but it rimmed out to give the Bulldogs the win
 
This is not last yearā€™s team and the sooner I take that fact to heart the less disappointed Iā€™ll be while watching their games. Last yearā€™s team played with passion and focus ā€¦ not so with this group ā€¦ at least not yet.
 
We were down by one rebound at the under-eight media time out and then after that we got outrebounded by 12. We also had only give up eight offensive boards and they had nine more o-boards. That's really what the game came down to. I think they came into the game 15th in the nation in offensive rebounding rate and we ended up giving them 49 percent of their misses. It's hard to win a game when they are getting half of their missed shots. We have to have guys step up there and get a rebound. I think they had four o-boards in one possession. We need to have some toughness about us and we need it for 40 minutes. We have to start playing better, especially on the tough stuff."
That possession is when I lost it. Some of this has to be on Oats and how he has put together the roster. You gotta have some bigs in this league that are physically able to control the boards. For sure some of this is effort but pretty sure I could give all the effort in the world and would lose the rebounding battle. Yes an extreme example but trying to make a point that this may not be all about effort but the talent he has on the roster in the paint. Can't play with 5 guards even though he wants to run run run.

Very disappointing season so far.
 
This bunch is going to continue to struggle until Nate puts up the jocks and socks. Either we finish the regular season with 1 win about a break-even season or one below. Nate and staff missed on their construction of the team both mentally and physically.

Bama basketball is really frustrating and has been for years.
 
If they don't learn how to defend without fouling and rebound I see them finishing middle to bottom of the pack in the conference.
The SEC is loaded this year.

I think CNO is a very good coach but I question how he managed the last 7 minutes of the game Bediako did not play in the final 7 minutes.
Miles was on the bench most of that time came back in with 1:30 left in the game we were killed on the boards during that span. This was when the game was lost.
 
Last edited:
Going to start looking at the positives, since complaining about defense and crashing the boards isn't working. One of my close friends, who is a season ticket holder, went to the game. He said Oats was as pissed as he's ever been at the beginning of the game, trying to send a message to the guys. Once we started to give up second chance opportunities, it was apparent no amount of screaming and coaching will get them to buy into it. It's on them.

Aside from rebounding, the regression of JD, JQ, and Shack has completely turned this team from a potential threat to make a deep run in the NCAAT, to possibly being left out. Throw in Gary and Bediako in there as well since they also have no clue how to play defense. JD isn't close to an NBA player until he develops his jump shot and can dribble without turning it over. JQ isn't playing with confidence, which has affected his shooting and decision making as a facilitator. Shack is by far the most frustrating player on the team. He wants to play in the NBA, yet doesn't even play to his strengths. We had four fast-break opportunities that were netted zero points, largely due to carelessness from JQ and Shack.

Oh sorry, the positives.

Two positives:

-James Rojas will bust his ass off every single game and provides the energy we need from the bench. Finally someone that plays inside who is going to be that junkyard dog we've longed for. Glad to see him back out there, despite being limited.

-Darius Miles to me had one of his best games. He fought on the boards, didn't do bad defensively as the other guards (not saying much), and played with the intensity we need. Oats coaches him harder than any player on the team, and I think a lot has to do with his potential.
 
Our offense feels clunky very often, like weā€™re playing in sand or playing against 6 defenders.

And BB321, Iā€™ll put up my Bama Bucks that Shack doesnā€™t get drafted and never starts an NBA game. Iā€™m close to betting he never plays in one.
 
And BB321, Iā€™ll put up my Bama Bucks that Shack doesnā€™t get drafted and never starts an NBA game. Iā€™m close to betting he never plays in one.
He won't, but the whole reason he was in the transfer portal was because he believed he could go to another place that would prepare him more for the NBA. Well Oats runs an NBA system and has a great track record of developing guards for the next level. Shack just isn't athletic, nor offensively skilled, enough to make that jump. On top of everything, he is a defensive liability. He is constantly getting beat and allowing blow bys, which honestly hurts Bediako, because he's struggling man to man enough as it is. He doesn't need to account for a guard getting easy drives to the basket because our guards can't stay in front of a little dribble drive action.

This is where I'd wish Oats would hold him accountable and utilize him more as just a jump shooter. It suits his style of play more, and it feeds into Oats' philosophy. Let JQ drive and break down the defense, get a paint touch to someone inside, and have the option for a 2 or swing it outside for an open jump shot. I don't know why he feels the need to dribble so much at the top of the arc or drive into three big men guarding the rim.
 
What is happening to the Bama team?
Can't handle shooting slumps because of the issues on the defense and in the paint. Getting out rebounded and in my view out hustled. Oats offense has always come and gone with the style but the D has to be there to handle those slumps. It is not there this year and the bigs are getting man handled at times (a lot of times).
 
Pretty much the best group of guards in the country but man, this has to be the most frustrating team I've ever watched. They seem to have peaked in December and has been completely disappointing ever since.
 
Back
Top Bottom