| MBB/WBB Alabama Falls to Ohio State, 92-81, at Emerald Coast Classic

[mando]

Yea, that was rough, I really felt like this team had the depth scoring they needed to take them far. Time will tell, but we got a lot of areas to work on and very little time to work on them or we're going to be embarrassed by some of the teams we have coming up.

They still might. Just got so many new faces trying to learn how to play togther. Also new coaches. Will take some time just like this years football team ....

The team did show some fight. They just did not have enough D to string enough stops together.

 

[UA Press Release]

https://rolltide.com/news/2023/11/24/mens-basketball-no-17-15-alabama-falls-to-ohio-state-92-81-at-emerald-coast-classic.aspx

NICEVILLE, Fla. – The No. 17/15 Alabama men's basketball dropped its first game of the the 2023-24 season, falling to Ohio State 92-81 in the opening round of the Emerald Coast Classic Friday night. The Crimson Tide will move on to the consolation game of the four-team event where it will take on the loser of Oregon and Santa Clara on Saturday afternoon.

Grant Nelson led the Tide (4-1) with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the losing effort. He was joined in double figures by Aaron Estrada's 19 points while Mark Sears chipped in with 17 to go with four assists and three steals.

The Buckeyes (4-1) were led by Bruce Thornton's (29 points) and Rodd Gayle Jr. (23 points) who combined to score 52 of Ohio State's 92 points.

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments

"Ohio State is a tough team and you have to give credit to them. We've been saying for the four regular season games and both scrimmages that our defense isn't where it needs to be. This certainly was not a good defensive game for us, but they're a good team and played us tough tonight. They had two players combine for 52 points and go 19-20 from the foul line. They had 30 foul shots as a team. You can't put teams on the free throw line as much as we did, so there is a lot to learn from. We have to be better on defense at this level."

Team Stats

• The contest featured six ties and five lead changes, all of which came in the opening 20 minutes of play
• Ohio State connected on 28-30 (93 percent) from the charity stripe compared to 20-26 (77 percent) for Alabama
• Alabama was outrebounded for the first time this season, losing the battle of the boards, 32-24
• OSU held a 10 to 9 advantage in three-pointers made, however, attempted 12 fewer shots from beyond the arc (18 to 30)
• Grant Nelson (5-11), Aaron Estrada (8-15) and Mark Sears (6-12) combined to shoot 19-38 (50 percent) from the floor, while the rest of the team went a combined 7-18 (39 percent)
• Nelson collected his third game of 20 or more points this season while he led the Tide in scoring for the second time on the year
• There were a combined 50 fouls whistled on both teams, including 34 in the second half alone, and 56 free throws attempted

First Half

• Ohio State took a 38-33 lead into the locker room
• The Buckeyes ended the half on a 14-6 run over the final five-plus minutes to turn a three-point deficit into a five-point halftime lead
• OSU hit 54 percent (14-26) from the field while also connecting on 42 percent (5-12) from beyond the arc
• UA also shot the ball well, connecting on 52 percent (14-27) from the floor but only 25 percent (3-12) from deep

Second Half

• Alabama was able to cut the lead to five, 61-56, at the 10:24 mark, but a 10-0 Ohio State run over the next two minutes gave the Buckeyes their biggest lead at 15 points with 8:10 left to play
• The Tide trim the lead to seven points inside two minutes but could not get any closer
• The Buckeyes connected on 5-6 (83 percent) from beyond the arc in the half, while hitting 23-25 (92 percent) from the free throw line and 13-24 (54 percent) from the field
• Alabama connected on 41 percent (12-29) from the floor, 33 percent (6-18) from deep and 78 percent from the free throw line

Up Next

• Alabama will compete in the Emerald Coast Classic consolation game, which will tip off at 3 p.m. CT
• The event is being held at Northwest Florida State College and will be televised on FloHoops