No. 13 Alabama suffered a disappointing 92-88 loss to Texas on its home court.
A second loss in a row drops the Crimson Tide to 11-5 on the season and 1-2 in the SEC. Texas held the lead for the majority of the game as Alabama kept close, but the Tide never could take the lead from the Longhorns.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
- Injured Players Return
Latrell Wrightsell found himself on the injured list for Saturday’s game with a leg injury, but Alabama got a pair of players back from injury. Labaron Philon, who missed the second half of Wednesday’s game, and Aiden Sherrell, who missed all of the last game, both returned to the starting lineup. Sherrell made an immediate impact, scoring the Crimson Tide’s first five points of the game.
- Defensive Struggles
Alabama had a hard time coming up with stops on the defensive end, especially in the paint. Even with the return of Sherrell, the Crimson Tide had no answers for the Texas offense on the inside. Texas had its way on the inside, scoring 36 points in the paint. Texas also had a good bit of success from behind the arc, shooting 42% and hitting 10 three pointers.
- Poor Three-Point Shooting
Texas did an excellent job of preventing Alabama from doing what it does best. The Longhorns' perimeter defense held the Crimson Tide to just 11 three pointers on 11-28 shooting. Philon and Aden Holloway, two of Alabama’s best three-point shooters, struggled from behind the arc, combining for just two three-pointers on 10 attempts. With under a minute in the game, Philon had an open look from three to take the lead, but failed to convert.
- Struggled to Dictate Temp
Alabama is typically one of the fastest teams in the nation, but Texas successfully slowed the game down and forced them into a half-court game. The Longhorns used the full shot clock and physical defense to keep the Crimson Tide from getting out in transition and finding their rhythm. Making it even more difficult for either team to get in rhythm was the enormous amount of time spent on the multiple stoppages for coach appeals.
Alabama will travel to Mississippi State on Tuesday at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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