Change in Defensive Effort Propels Alabama Basketball's Comeback

After a lackluster first half, Alabama turned up the intensity to avoid an upset loss.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In its first game ranked in the AP top-2 in over two decades, the Alabama Crimson Tide left much to be desired.

Alabama (18-2, 8-0 SEC) survived a valiant effort from SEC bottom-dweller Mississippi State, narrowly escaping 66-63 in front of an SEC crowd that was eager to erupt all night. 

While the Crimson Tide left its home court victorious, it wasn't without a gritty comeback effort. The first half saw Alabama come out flat and uninspired, trailing the Bulldogs 18-9 in the opening minutes. Alabama trailed by as many as 10 in the half, and a Dom Welch three cut the Mississippi State lead to 36-29 at the break.

36 points were the most Alabama allowed in the first half since Dec. 17 against Gonzaga, a team with a much better offense than Mississippi State's.

The Bulldogs' offense ranks just 168th according to the analytics service KenPom.

"I've got to give a ton of credit to Mississippi State," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. "They came ready to play. I thought they had a great plan. [...] We didn't start the game like we needed to."

Mississippi State shot 17-for-30 from the field in the first half — a 56 percent clip. The Bulldogs also made one-third of their first-half attempts from beyond the arc — a higher rate than their season average.

"I didn't think we played hard enough," Oats said. "Mississippi State was playing harder than we were to start the game."

Oats said that Mississippi State doubled Alabama in blue-collar points in the first two four-minute segments of the game. 

The assessments from Oats weren't eye-opening either, anyone could have seen the lack of engagement and occasional laziness from the Alabama defense. Rotations were slow and communication looked poor, leading to multiple Bulldog buckets on simple backdoor slips and bad switches on ball screens.

The key to fixing these simple issues? Effort.

"Our energy got better [in the second half]. We played harder," Oats said. "We got some steals, made some deflections. [...] I think it was a deal where our guys realized we were down seven — and I think we got down 10 again in the second half — this isn't an easy game we've got to pick our energy up."

It was apparent from the beginning of the half that Alabama came out with a much better sense of urgency and intensity. Mississippi State's field goal percentage in the second half was just 34 percent on nine makes, a vast improvement from the first half.

The Bulldogs only made one three in the second half on nine attempts, while Alabama turned Mississippi State over seven additional times in the second half after eight in the first. Oats pointed out that more of the forced turnovers in the second half led to transition opportunities, creating more offense.

While the effort improved, it didn't come from an inspiring halftime message or an empowering pep talk from Oats. 

"There was nothing profound, it was just 'we've got to play harder,'" Oats said. "If you don't play hard, that's a team that can beat you. [...] There were no real major adjustments, to be honest with you."

After pulling off tonight's comeback, the Crimson Tide will look forward to a matchup with Oklahoma in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday. Tipoff from the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN.

See also:

No. 2 Alabama Basketball Overcomes, Outlasts Mississippi State 66-63