TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On Saturday, No. 14 Alabama Basketball fell to No. 4 Tennessee 81-74, as the Rick Barnes' Volunteers extended their current winning streak over the Crimson Tide to three – the longest of any team in the Nate Oats era.
In the first half, the Crimson Tide maintained a 41-39 advantage, shooting a respectable 45% from the floor while draining 7-for-20 shots from three-point range, as an Aaron Estrada layup and a stifling defensive possession fired up the Alabama crowd to end the half.
While the Crimson Tide held a two point lead, Tennessee emerged from the locker room with a renewed sense of purpose, tightening their defense and executing with precision on the offensive end. The tide, however, was about to turn for Alabama, and not in their favor. A cold streak descended upon the Crimson Tide, rendering their three-point shooting ice-cold.
Over the final 20 minutes of action, Alabama struggled to find their rhythm from downtown. Shots that had sailed effortlessly through the net in the first half now clanged off the rim, leaving the home crowd in stunned silence. The Volunteers capitalized on the Crimson Tide's misfortune, extending their lead with each missed opportunity.
Encapsulated by a dismal 11.8% (2-for-17) shooting performance from beyond the arc in the second half, Alabama, known for their free range offense, found themselves unable to thaw the icy grip that had taken hold of their long-range game. As the clock ticked down, desperation set in, and every missed shot felt like a dagger to the Crimson Tide's comeback aspirations.
“We didn’t score a field goal for about nine minutes," Oats said. "We’ve got to make better decisions down the stretch. […] If we’re going to win a championship, there’s championship-level plays you have to make that we didn’t make.”
Despite a valiant effort to rally in the closing minutes, Alabama could not overcome the second-half cold streak, dropping yet another pivotal conference matchup.
"We played a lot harder on D," Oats said. "We had them at a 1.15 [points per possession]. Knecht was the leading scorer in the league, we did a pretty good job on him, I thought. [...] I thought we showed we could guard, just had some loose balls and defensive rebounds that we didn't come up with late."
After the loss, the Crimson Tide will need some additional assistance from the outside if they are to win a share of the SEC regular season title, as they'd need to win out and see the Volunteers to drop one of their last two.
"It's out of our hands now," Oats said. "We still have a shot at it, but we're going to need some help if we want to get a share of it."
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