After Loss to Oklahoma, Alabama in Similar Position to 2021 Team

The last Crimson Tide basketball team to win the SEC title also suffered a road loss to the Sooners in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — There is only one scholarship player on Alabama's basketball current roster that was on the team two years ago when it won both the SEC regular season and tournament titles. 

This year's Crimson Tide finds itself in a very similar situation to that team. In 2021, Alabama was riding a 10-game win streak and was undefeated in conference play before losing on the road to Oklahoma in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. This season, Alabama was on a nine-game win streak and undefeated in SEC play before getting thrashed 93-69 by the Sooners in Norman over the weekend. 

Point guard Jahvon Quinerly is the lone player to experience both losses. He has seen the turnaround once, and now as a veteran leader, he's hoping to use it as a learning lesson. According to head coach Nate Oats, Quinerly brought it up during Sunday's team meeting. 

"He was on that team, which was a great point to bring up because we didn’t get blown out at Oklahoma, but we did lose at Oklahoma," Oats said during Monday's press conference previewing the Vanderbilt game. "I thought we went through a little stretch there where we didn’t play as good of basketball as we could. We took a loss in the Big 12 challenge, which didn’t affect SEC play and kind of bounced back in SEC play."

Two years ago, after dropping the game to Oklahoma, Alabama won 12 of its next 14 games on the run to the SEC Tournament title and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. 

Oats was glad that the veteran point guard brought it up, but made sure to clarify that it isn't going to be easy for this year's team to replicate the same success from that group in 2021. 

"It’s not just going to happen because that’s the way it happened," Oats said. "That team in 2021 made it happen. We took the loss, guys regrouped. We’ve got to play harder. We’ve got to change things. Things don’t change unless you make them change. That was definitely brought up that Jahvon was on that team and also on this team.”

Quinerly was named the most valuable player of the SEC Tournament and was a major part of Alabama's postseason success. And he has been heating up for the Crimson Tide as of late, with double-digit scoring performances in six of his last eight games.

Despite the disappointing loss, which was the largest margin of defeat under Oats, the Crimson Tide still has all its goals ahead of it. At 18-3 overall and 8-0 in SEC play, Alabama is still on track to win the SEC and potentially earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Throughout the season, Oats has repeatedly talked about winning the regular season SEC championship being a goal for this team. 

But in order for that to happen, the biggest thing Oats wants to see change is the effort. How Alabama responds this week with two rematches against lesser opponents at home against Vanderbilt on Tuesday and a road matchup against LSU this Saturday will show a lot about whether or not this team can have the same type of success of two years ago. 

See also: 

No. 4 Alabama Ready to Hit the Reset Button After 24-Point Loss

Alabama Basketball Drops in AP Poll

Alabama Basketball "Back to Ground Zero" After Embarrassing Loss to Oklahoma