No. 6 Alabama fell short on the road to No. 5 Tennessee 79-76, losing on a last-second three pointer.
The loss drops the Crimson Tide to 23-6 overall but more importantly 12-3 in the SEC, eliminating their chances at winning the conference regular season title. Most experts tabbed this battle of SEC powerhouses a game that would award the winner a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and drop the loser to a No. 2 seed. Alabama has two games left against a top-10 Florida team and the No. 1 team in the nation, Auburn, to try and earn back a No. 1 seed.
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
Free Throw Woes
Free throws were the difference maker in Alabama’s loss on Saturday. Many point opportunities were left at the line as a result of the poor shooting. Alabama shot a mere 17-of-26 for just 65% from the free throw line. At one point in the game, Aden Holloway was fouled on a three point attempt and missed all three of his free throws, summing up Alabama's free throw struggles.
Battle of Strengths
It was a battle of Alabama’s strength against Tennessee’s strength. Alabama is one of the best offenses in the country and they had to square off against one of the nation’s best defenses in Tennessee. On Saturday, defense came out on top. Alabama’s offense held its own for most of the game, but down the stretch, Tennessee’s defense was the difference in the game.
Failed First Half Opportunity
Alabama got one of Tennessee’s best players in foul trouble early and was unable to capitalize. Zakai Zeigler picked up two quick fouls in the first half, forcing him to have to sit on the bench for almost 10 minutes of the first half. Zeigler finished with just two points in the first half. With Tennessee’s best defensive player on the bench, Alabama was unable to build a large lead and took a slim 42-38 lead into halftime.
Disastrous Final Half Minute
The Crimson Tide were in great position down the stretch to win the game, but mistakes were made. Up two with 30 seconds left, Alabama fouled on the rebound of a missed free throw attempt. Tennessee went back to the line and hit both free throws to tie it up. With a chance to win the game, Alabama lost the ball on the dribble, and it resulted in a jump ball remaining with the Crimson Tide. Alabama followed that disaster with another one, unable to get the ball in-bounds and being whistled for a five-second violation. Tennessee went the length of the court in the remaining three seconds and hit a buzzer beater for the win.
Alabama will host Florida on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
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