Murphy’s Law was in full effect for Alabama in the second round of the Emerald Coast Classic on Friday, as everything that could have gone wrong for the Tide seemed to go wrong.
Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide (5-1) entered the game with the highest-scoring offense in the country, averaging 101.8 points per game. Ohio State (4-1), meanwhile, came into the game averaging just 73.5 points, which ranked 217th. However, the Buckeyes’ physical defense kept Alabama’s offense in check while putting together a stellar offensive performance of their own in a 92-81 victory in Niceville, Florida.
After crushing Mercer at home in the first round of the ECC, Alabama was also ranked first in the country in field goal percentage (57.4%) and three-point percentage (48.9%). In round two, it shot just 46.4% from the field and 30% from deep. Ohio State, on the other hand, shot 54% from the field and an efficient 55.6% from deep after shooting just 35.4% from behind the arc through its first four games.
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Here are some more takeaways from Alabama’s first loss of the season:
Alabama’s defense is still lacking
Through the first four games, an electric offense and middling play from opponents overshadowed Alabama’s defensive struggles. Those struggles are no longer in the shadows, though, as Ohio State had its way on offense for most of the game.
“We’ve got some work to do on the defensive end,” Oats said following the game, “We’ve got too many guys more worried about their offense and not worried about their defense.”
Alabama managed to create 10 turnovers in the first half, scoring 12 points off of them as it got out to an early six-point lead. That would prove to be the largest lead the Crimson Tide would hold as the Buckeyes cleaned up the turnovers, only committing four in the second half as they played with a lead they would hold for the remainder of the game.
Overcoming cold shooting nights won’t be as easy as before
One of the most common critiques of Oats’ system has been, “If you live by the three, you die by the three.”
That hasn’t always been the case, as stellar defense and paint presence have kept his previous Alabama teams from floundering when the three-ball isn’t falling. With this team, the defense and paint offense weren’t up to par against Ohio State. If this team continues to live by the three, it may finally end up dying by it in a more crucial moment.
What’s next
Alabama will now face the loser of Oregon vs. Santa Clara (CBS Sports Network) on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be live-streamed on FloSports, which requires a subscription.