Uninspiring Efforts Cannot Become the New Normal for Alabama Basketball

The Crimson Tide found a way to win, but the 31-point favorites didn't look the part.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - That was nearly a disaster of unfathomable proportions.

The bad news? Alabama barely showed up to what should have been its easiest game in weeks. The good news? The Crimson Tide (10-2) won't be playing anymore teams like Jackson State.

"We needed a win going into Christmas break this year," head coach Nate Oats said. "They're obviously not easy to come by as you saw across the SEC and across the country."

The Tigers entered Coleman Coliseum as 31-point underdogs, but at times it seemed Jackson State was the team that wanted it more. In fact, the majority of the game felt that way.

"I just think it was our turnovers," forward Noah Gurley said. "I think we had like 13 turnovers in the first half. […] We gave them turnovers and then they were getting out in transition. So it kind of went hand-in-hand."

The 20-point loss didn't do the Tigers justice. The game was much closer than it looked — the Crimson Tide led by just seven points with under six minutes to go.

"I don't wanna say our guys overlooked [Jackson State], but I thought our energy was a lot better in the second half than it was at the beginning of the game. If you don't have the proper energy at the start of the game […] it's gonna make for a tough start."

If Alabama had come in and taken care of business, the walk-ons should have been in the game with several minutes to play. Instead, the Crimson Tide took part in a near-40-minute dog fight with a 1-10 team.

The Tigers (1-11) were coming in off of a 50-point loss at the hands of Texas Tech. Jackson State was No. 306 of 363 college basketball teams on KenPom.

It wasn't expected, as Alabama hasn't really overlooked any of its opponents this season. The Crimson Tide beat Longwood by 21, Liberty by 36 and Jacksonville State by 42.

But Tuesday night was different.

Alabama looked the opposite of motivated, and it showed.

"To play, you've got to bring it every single game," Oats said. "I didn't think we were great in the first half with that — it was a little concerning. We've got to play as hard as you can for 40 minutes."

But a win is a win at the end of the day, and the Crimson Tide did win. But with SEC play next, these types of performances cannot become a normal thing. Or it will be much, much worse results than a 20-point victory.

"We've got the ability to play with anyone in the country," Oats said. "We were also down to Jackson State over 20 minutes into the game."

Alabama will begin the conference schedule against another ranked team that may have overlooked its competition on Tuesday. The 15th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs were previously undefeated but fell to Drake to wrap up nonconference play.

Hopefully the eight days off will help the Crimson Tide regroup, rest up and prepare for a long 18-game stretch in the Southeastern Conference.

Tipoff between Alabama and Mississippi State is set for Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

See Also:

Alabama Pulls Away from Jackson State in Sloppy Game

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