No. 2 Alabama Doesn’t Always Need the 3-Point Shot to Succeed

The Crimson Tide shot 3-for-22 from beyond the arc on Saturday — but still came away with a win over a tough Razorbacks team.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On paper, the Alabama Crimson Tide is a 3-point shooting team.

If you asked a casual college basketball fan about what makes the Crimson Tide (25-4, 15-1 SEC) so good — they’d probably tell you the deep ball.

When people talk about head coach Nate Oats, analytics, shots beyond the arc and a hatred of the mid-range shot all come to mind.

Live by the three, die by the three — they say.

And maybe some of Oats’ past teams had that issue. Especially last season — if the deep shots weren’t falling, Alabama probably wasn’t winning.

The same can not be said about this year’s group.

A determined, talented Arkansas team came into Coleman Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. The Crimson Tide shot 3-for-22 (14%) from deep. The Razorbacks (19-10, 8-8 SEC) fought and fought and fought — but still left Tuscaloosa with a 86-83 loss.

Why?

Because Alabama finds other ways to score when things aren’t going its way. 86 points? Only nine came from behind the line.

As soon as the shots began missing, the Crimson Tide made it a point to get to the basket. Alabama made 25 of 30 free throw attempts. The Crimson Tide scored 52 points in the paint against the 11th-ranked defense in KenPom.

A lot of it had to do with the downhill driving ability of Jahvon Quinerly, who finished the game with 16 points and seven assists.

“Jahvon has been in big games,” Oats said. “He was the SEC tournament MVP two years ago. He’s proven he can play at a high level. […] Offensively, we were obviously a lot better with him on the floor tonight. A lot better. […] We don't win the game if he doesn't play the way he [did] in the second half. We don’t have a chance.”

Noah Clowney and Nick Pringle combined for 17 points and 17 rebounds.

Even Brandon Miller, who usually scores a chunk of his points from outside, scored 14 points inside the arc.

“We had shooting issues last year,” Oats said. “For the most part this year, we’ve shot it better. […] It gives us some confidence. […] For us to shoot as poorly as we did from three and still figure out a way to get a win — it shows that we’re able to win in multiple ways. [Arkansas is] a tough team. We ended up outrebounding them by 11. […] We don’t just have to win one way. Everybody that thinks that every time we shoot the ball poorly from three — we lose — we just shot 13 percent from three and won the game.”

“[Arkansas has] positional size everywhere. They’re bigger. They didn’t have to collapse as much. They’re a really good defensive team. […] We didn’t do a good job early in the game. […] We’re going to try and get shooters on the floor — and if they’re open, I’m never telling a shooter not to take open shots.”

Whatever you take away defensively, Alabama will take advantage elsewhere. Whatever isn’t working, the Crimson Tide will do the opposite — and do it well.

That’s what makes this team so dangerous. That’s why this team is ranked second in the country — and a win away from an SEC championship.

See Also:

Alabama Basketball Uses 50-Point Second Half to Propel Comeback

Nate Oats Says Brandon Miller's Patdown Pregame Intro Won't Happen Again

Jahvon Quinerly's 'Swagger' Coming at Right Time for Alabama Basketball