SoCalPatrick
Member
If someone can figure out Alabama this season, feel free to let me know. The Crimson Tide are the most unpredictable team in the country, with wins over Gonzaga, Baylor, Houston, LSU and Tennessee -- and losses to the likes of Georgia, Missouri and Memphis.
Their win over Baylor on Saturday only added to the intrigue, as they looked like the better team from start to finish. Jahvon Quinerly dictated the tempo and won the point guard battle against James Akinjo (albeit a not-100% James Akinjo); Jaden Shackelford had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists; and coach Nate Oats received great bench production from JD Davison and Juwan Gary. Alabama absolutely looked the part of a winner, from a physical, shooting and depth perspective.
But why can't the Crimson Tide do it every night? Alabama is now tied for the second-most Quadrant 1 wins in the country, while also being the only top-30 team in the NET with two Quadrant 3 losses. According to BartTorvik.com, Alabama is No. 8 in the country against Quadrant 1A opponents (5-1) and No. 47 against everyone else (9-6).
Given how many 3-pointers Alabama takes, one might surmise it's simply a case of whether its perimeter shots are falling. But that's not entirely true. It made just seven 3s in the wins over Baylor, Houston, LSU and Tennessee, two below its season average of 9.1. If you take its five biggest wins and five worst losses, Alabama made more 3s in the losses, including 10 against Memphis and 12 against Davidson. In their four SEC wins, the Crimson Tide are shooting 25.8% on 124 attempts. In their four SEC losses, it's 27.9% on 118 attempts.
It might simply be a swagger and attitude thing, where they play to the level of their competition. That's notoriously hard to quantify, though. Their defense, a unit that ranked No. 3 nationally last season and is down to No. 70 this season, is a clear problem spot. The Tide have allowed at least 1.00 points per possession in six of their seven losses, but done the same in just five of their 14 wins.
Not only does this make it difficult to evaluate them, it will also make the selection committee's job very difficult on Selection Sunday. Perhaps this week will clear things up: Alabama heads to Auburn on Tuesday before hosting Kentucky on Saturday.
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Their win over Baylor on Saturday only added to the intrigue, as they looked like the better team from start to finish. Jahvon Quinerly dictated the tempo and won the point guard battle against James Akinjo (albeit a not-100% James Akinjo); Jaden Shackelford had 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists; and coach Nate Oats received great bench production from JD Davison and Juwan Gary. Alabama absolutely looked the part of a winner, from a physical, shooting and depth perspective.
But why can't the Crimson Tide do it every night? Alabama is now tied for the second-most Quadrant 1 wins in the country, while also being the only top-30 team in the NET with two Quadrant 3 losses. According to BartTorvik.com, Alabama is No. 8 in the country against Quadrant 1A opponents (5-1) and No. 47 against everyone else (9-6).
Given how many 3-pointers Alabama takes, one might surmise it's simply a case of whether its perimeter shots are falling. But that's not entirely true. It made just seven 3s in the wins over Baylor, Houston, LSU and Tennessee, two below its season average of 9.1. If you take its five biggest wins and five worst losses, Alabama made more 3s in the losses, including 10 against Memphis and 12 against Davidson. In their four SEC wins, the Crimson Tide are shooting 25.8% on 124 attempts. In their four SEC losses, it's 27.9% on 118 attempts.
It might simply be a swagger and attitude thing, where they play to the level of their competition. That's notoriously hard to quantify, though. Their defense, a unit that ranked No. 3 nationally last season and is down to No. 70 this season, is a clear problem spot. The Tide have allowed at least 1.00 points per possession in six of their seven losses, but done the same in just five of their 14 wins.
Not only does this make it difficult to evaluate them, it will also make the selection committee's job very difficult on Selection Sunday. Perhaps this week will clear things up: Alabama heads to Auburn on Tuesday before hosting Kentucky on Saturday.
College basketball Power Rankings: Auburn stays No. 1, Kentucky stirs the pot, Alabama stumps
Auburn stays No. 1, but the rest of the top 16 gets a shake-up, no thanks to dominant performances by Kentucky and UCLA.
