No. 16 Alabama dropped their second game in a row on Tuesday, losing to Florida 105-87.
Because of a quick turnaround from the battle with Tennessee on Saturday, Alabama looked both emotionally and physically drained. Alabama was able to keep it within an arm's reach in the first half but ran out of gas in the second half allowing Florida to run away with the win.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Sears Starts Slow, Finishes Strong
Mark Sears was nowhere to be found during the first 19 minutes of the game. With just a minute to go in the first half, Sears made a couple of layups to record his only four points of the half. The second half was a completely different story for Sears. Despite the game being out of reach for most of the second half, Sears never gave up and scored 29 second half points to finish with a game-high 33 points.
Three-Point Shooting Still Cold
With 1:34 to go in the first half, Rylan Griffen hit Alabama’s first three-pointer since the 16:30 mark in the second half of the Tennessee game on Saturday. Over that stretch, Alabama went 0-for-23 before finally breaking the drought. Griffen’s three-point make unfortunately did not provide any spark for the Crimson Tide three-point shooting. Alabama finished with just five makes from behind the arc on just 23 attempts.
“We’re Too Soft”
Trailing Florida going into halftime, Nate Oats told ESPN’s Marty Smith, “We’re too soft.” Those three words sum up every loss Alabama has had this season, and Tuesday was no different. Alabama has consistently struggled to battle against elite big men and elite rebounding teams all season long.
Bama Beaten at Their Own Game
Usually, Alabama is the team that dominates with transition points, but on Tuesday, Florida beat the Crimson Tide at their own game. Florida consistently ran the floor resulting in 27 fast break points to just eight for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama returns home for the regular season finale to face Arkansas on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
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