Rocky Stopped: No. 1 Alabama’s Offense Suffocated by Pressure from No. 10 Tennessee

The Crimson Tide couldn’t ever get anything going against the Volunteers’ top-ranked defense.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — All season, the Alabama Crimson Tide has been superior to most everyone on the offensive end.

Usually, even if the Crimson Tide’s defense isn’t doing its part, Brandon Miller and everyone else can make up for it on the offensive end.

The script flipped on Wednesday night in Knoxville.

Alabama (22-4, 12-1 SEC) finished with a season-low in points in its 68-59 loss to No. 10 Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena.

“Our offense let us down tonight,” head coach Nate Oats said.

“Tennessee proved why they’ve got the No. 1 defense in the country. They did a great job — we also turned the ball over way too much.”

The Crimson Tide never got into a rhythm, shooting 35% from the field while also turning the ball over 19 times.

Because of the inability to protect the ball, Alabama only got 48 shots up — compared to the Volunteers’ 63 attempts from the field.

Sometimes it was the inability to inbound the ball. Sometimes it was dribbling the ball off a foot. Rather than putting the ball into the air, the Crimson Tide put the ball in the hands of Tennessee defenders time and time again.

The Volunteers (20-6, 9-4 SEC) stole the ball 11 times while also blocking three shots.

“It was their physicality,” Oats said. “They got into our guards and we didn't handle it well. We obviously didn't do a great job of preparing our guys to go against the physicality that was going to come with this game. […] I got to do a better job of getting us ready to play in a game like this.”

It’s not completely a surprise. Tennessee came into the contest with the No. 1 defense in the country according to KenPom. The Volunteers had allowed 60 points in just five of 12 SEC games.

That number is now six.

The Crimson Tide’s top scorer, Miller, went 4-for-11. Noah Clowney went 2-for-9. Mark Sears went 1-for-6. Jahvon Quinerly went 1-for-5 from the field — with six turnovers.

“Tennessee is a great defensive team,” guard Jaden Bradley said. “We had to be aggressive and I felt like we did that too late. That’s something we’ve got to work on.”

“We weren’t surprised by their physicality,” guard Nimari Burnett said. “We knew coming in. […] We’ve got to do a better job of preparing for it and being mindful of it.”

Every player that was on the floor for 10 or more minutes turned the ball over at least once.

Simply put, Tennessee made Alabama look like a poor offensive team — which it isn’t.

“If we get them again, it will be [in] the SEC tournament,” Oats said. “Hopefully we're better prepared to play against a defense like this. Our guys have now seen it. There’s a reason these guys are good. […] This is a really good team and they showed it tonight.”

The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Crimson Tide. After it lost to Oklahoma on Jan. 28, Alabama defeated Vanderbilt by 57 points in Tuscaloosa.

The Crimson Tide will have the opportunity to do something similar as it returns home to take on the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday.

Tipoff between Alabama and Georgia at Coleman Coliseum is set for 5 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

See Also:

Turnovers Crucial Factor in Alabama Basketball's Loss at Tennessee

No. 1 Alabama Falls to No. 10 Tennessee in Knoxville for First SEC Loss