For Head Coach Nate Oats, Interior Defense Starts With Guards

The Crimson Tide has given up over 100 points in the paint the last two games, but for the inside to get better, it starts with perimeter defense.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — There are a lot of positives to take away as Alabama basketball wraps up conference play.

The Crimson Tide is 9-2 with wins over two top-ranked teams, with its only losses coming against UConn, who is 12-0 and No. 2 in the AP Poll, and Gonzaga, who has one of the best players in Drew Timme.

There is also the play of Brandon Miller, who torched the Bulldogs for 36 points and eight rebounds on 22 shots. The freshman forward now leads the SEC with 20.1 points per game, and Alabama averages 47.7 rebounds per game as a team, the most in the nation.

For all the success however, there is always room for improvement this early in the season, and for Nate Oats' team, it's on the defensive end. Alabama has given up over 50 points in the paint the last two games, Oats is well aware of the defensive struggles in that area, especially after the Gonzaga game. But the Crimson Tide head coach did not put all the onus on the frontcourt, even though he said Charles Bediako, Noah Clowney, Noah Gurley and others have to improve. For him, the improvement really needs to come from the perimeter defense.

"[The bigs] need to do a better job, but it's also the guards. We're letting the ball get into the paint too much," Oats said. "Our guards are letting their men get into the paint. They aren't putting enough ball pressure one, they don't have enough resistance."

Oats called it the "line of scrimmage" in regards to the guards being the first line of defense, and there were some blown coverages against Gonzaga; the guars made a living of pick-and-rolls, which created a lot of short-range looks that were wide open. Oats said that is a point of emphasis to improve going forward, but then it also leads to another point: no Nimari Burnett.

Alabama was able to win without Burnett, who's proven himself as a tough on-ball defender against Houston, when Memphis was in town, but his play was sorely missed against Gonzaga. The Texas Tech transfer will be out a few more weeks with a wrist injury, meaning another will have to step up behind Mark Sears and Jaden Bradley.

"We need Rylan Griffen to continue to get better as a freshman," Oats said. "He's playing hard, wants to really be who we're about."

Griffen has slowly started to find his footing on the college level, but the one player with high hopes of returning to form is Jahvon Quinerly, who's still finding his rhythm after an ACL injury. Fans know what Quinerly can do because he's done great things before, but he isn't quite "there" yet. Oats is optimistic, however, and it shows in the opportunities Quinerly has received in efforts to build the confidence.

"I thought he looked great in practice today," Oats said. "If he can get back to where he was, I think that'll give us a big boost."

Until Burnett and/or Dom Welch return to the court, that third guard spot in the rotation will remain up in the air until someone lays claim to it. 

Alabama will play its final nonconference game against Jackson State on Tuesday in Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. CT.

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