Alabama lost their first SEC game of the season, falling to No. 6 Tennessee 91-71 and snapping the Crimson Tide’s six-game winning streak.
Alabama drops to 12-6 (4-1 SEC) on the year, while No. 6 Tennessee moves to 14-4 (4-1 SEC).
Once again, Alabama had a chance to prove themselves against a top-10 team on the road, but the outcome, just like the previous chances, resulted in a loss. Saturday’s performance provided coach Nate Oats with a lot of areas that need improvement.
Unfortunately, there isn't much time before the Crimson Tide face another top SEC team with Auburn coming to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Turnovers are a Huge Problem
Alabama looked completely off their game for the full 40 minutes. Tennessee touts one of the top defenses in the nation, and it showed as the Volunteers held the nation’s best offense to just 71 points. They accomplished this by forcing 22 Alabama turnovers, 13 of those in the first half. Tennessee converted those 22 turnovers into 23 points, while Alabama forced just seven turnovers for four points.
Second Chance Points
Alabama got taken advantage of on the offensive glass on Saturday. Tennessee pulled down 11 offensive rebounds that resulted in 17 second-chance points for the Vols. Despite allowing the Vols to have their way with the second chance points, Alabama did narrowly out-rebound Tennessee 37-34.
Terrible Three-Point Shooting
Alabama couldn’t get anything going from behind the arc on Saturday. Tennessee’s defense forced the Crimson Tide to take contested three-pointers resulting in tying their season high in makes. Alabama shot just 19% from behind the arc, going 4-for-21.
Defense Takes a Step Back
During SEC play, Alabama had built some momentum with an improving defense. On Saturday, the defense took a massive step back, allowing Tennessee to torch their defense for 91 points. The Vols did so by shooting for 48.5% from the field. Tennessee had their way against Alabama’s interior defense as they were able to put up 38 of their points from the paint.
Next up for Alabama is a home game against in-state rival Auburn Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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