Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes Cites "Two Different Styles" After 69-68 Victory Over Alabama

A second half filled with turnovers, fouls, and missed rebounds haunted Alabama against the Volunteers

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama men's basketball team's 69-68 loss to Tennessee at Coleman Coliseum featured a tale of two halves and two different playing styles Tuesday night.

The team that got to play more of its preferred style eventually won. 

Specifically, Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats and his squad wanted to step their foot on the gas and go fast from start to finish. They aimed to shoot a lot of 3-pointers and score quickly in transition. 

On the other hand, Volunteers coach Rick Barnes and his bunch of big men wanted to slow it down, play in half-court sets and grind opponents down. 

In the first half, the Crimson Tide got whatever it wanted from 3-point range, making 7-of-16 attempts, in route to a 40-32 lead at intermission. Overall, the Crimson Tide hit 15 of its 29 attempts from the field, for 51 percent. 

That's exactly how Oats wants his offense to run. 

But, in the second half, the shots were not failing for the Crimson Tide as it only made four-of-11 from deep and finished 39 percent from the field. The Volunteers were able to control the glass, and out-rebounded the Crimson Tide, 24-14.

Unfortunately for Alabama, Tennessee's extra possessions thanks to  turnovers and domination on the boards meant the Vols got to play their way when the game was on the line. 

The Volunteers' grind it out style certainly frustrated Alabama, causing the Crimson Tide to have three players foul out within three minutes of each other. The visitors out-shot the home team at the free-throw line, 32-8. 

"We want to play from the rim out," said Barnes, a former Crimson Tide assistant coach (1985-86). "That's what we told them at halftime, we had to put the ball on the block, but that's our team.

"I think Nate [Oats] has done a great job with this team. I think they play hard. He is a terrific coach, but it is two different styles." 

The Coleman Coliseum crowd was lively once again for the second leg of a two-game home stand.

 Alabama's student section, "Crimson Chaos," led chants throughout the evening, but one that stood out in particular was, when Tennessee redshirt junior John Fulkerson got to the free-throw line or touched the ball. 

"Cut your hair, cut your hair!"

Fulkerson, with his long dark hair, made six of his eight attempts at the charity stripe and finished with 22 points. After the game, he said the jeers didn't affect him to much. 

"It is something you look forward to with away games," Fulkerson said. "I think it is really fun and it is ironic because they were chanting for me to get a haircut and four days ago, I actually set up an appointment to get one. So I had to tell them [UA students] afterwards that I was getting one soon, not because of them, but because I made the personal choice to get one."

In his response, Barnes joked with the Kingsport, Tenn., native saying, "If they [UA students] saw you with short hair, they would not be saying that."