The Extra Point: What Areas Does Alabama Need to Improve after Loss to Oklahoma?

After suffering a blowout loss on Saturday to Oklahoma, the Alabama basketball team will look to right the ship and get back to their winning ways against the Commodores.

The college basketball season is one full of peaks and valleys.

At one point in the season a team can look as if they are the best team in the country, and then just a few weeks or even days later look like a team that is struggling to find a rhythm. 

That is exactly what has happened for the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide who destroyed LSU by 40 points just two weeks ago and then was embarrassed by the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday. By the time the buzzer sounded in Norman, Alabama had given 93 points and lost by 24 leading to a court-storming by the fans. 

So what exactly has changed for Alabama basketball in a span of two weeks?

A big factor might be some of the off the court turmoil the team has had to deal with, but on the court there seems to be two things that have led to the Crimson Tide's recent play: poor shooting and lack of intensity.

Since scoring 106 points and making 20 threes against LSU, Alabama has shot lower than 30 percent in every game from three-point range and only made double-digit threes one time, 10 against Vanderbilt. 

Shooting is something that is expected to fluctuate but for a team that places a lot of emphasis and importance on shooting from deep, the Crimson Tide will need to improve their shooting numbers if they want to play up to their potential.

The other area that has been lacking is the team's focus and intensity. After rising to the No. 2 team in the country, it seems as if the Crimson Tide took their foot off the gas to some degree. Head coach Nate Oats and Rylan Griffen even admitted the team had "lost its edge" after the loss to Oklahoma.

Even with these issues, Alabama is in a great position to win the SEC and compete for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

Nate Oats and his squad have answered every challenge thus far this season. They will once again have a test against Vanderbilt on Tuesday night, let's see how they respond. 

See Also:

No. 4 Alabama Ready to Hit the Reset Button After 24-Point Loss

Alabama Men's Basketball Falls To No. 4 in AP Top 25

Nate Oats: "We've Lost Our Edge"