Alabama basketball needed a game like this. March Madness will bring more of the same
The Mississippi State win was ugly, turbulent and error-filled, and Alabama basketball needed it.
The No. 2 Crimson Tide is better off because of how the 66-63 win over the Bulldogs on Wednesday played out.
Alabama just hasn’t faced many circumstances like it in conference play. In fact, it hasn’t had any SEC games that the Crimson Tide won by one bucket. That’s a testament to how good the team is that coach Nate Oats has built, but that’s not always going to be the case.
If the Crimson Tide (18-2, 8-0) ends up a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, which it’s on track to do, it’s going to find itself in situations like Wednesday. Close games are much more abundant in March, and there's no time to overlook a lesser opponent.
“It’s not the worst we had to figure out how to win a close game, especially when you’re down,” Oats said.
That’s a puzzle Alabama hasn’t had to solve since early December. The win over UNC in late November also provided a chance to grow the close-game muscle, considering the matchup went to four overtimes. But Alabama had won every SEC game by 11 or more points.
That made Wednesday a wakeup call.
Despite all the elite talent Alabama has, and the depth to back it up, the Crimson Tide is not invincible. Play with less-than-stellar effort, and Alabama can become real average real quick.
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That proved true against Mississippi State. Especially early. Not even five minutes into the game, the Bulldogs (12-8, 1-7) held a 10-2 lead. Mississippi State, which has lost eight of its past nine games, never relinquished the lead before the break and was outshooting and outrebounding Alabama as the Crimson Tide flailed on offense. Meanwhile, a Mississippi State offense that ranked 168th nationally in offensive efficiency before the game per KenPom was shooting 56.7% from the field.
Oats pointed to screwed-up defensive switches and coverages as well as some bad turnovers among culprits for the problems.
More than anything else, he kept calling out effort. Or rather, the lack thereof.
The coaching staff pointed out the defensive miscues in the locker room at halftime, but the overall message to the team was not profound.
“We just said we’ve got to play harder,” Oats said. “'We told you at the beginning, told you coming in this is a hard-playing team. If you don’t play harder than them, they’re a team that can beat you.'”
Oats said he saw effort change in the second half. Even when Alabama had some blemishes on offense in the second half, Oats thought his squad was still playing harder than the first half. Once Alabama got some stops, tallied a few transition buckets and hit a triple, the Crimson Tide grabbed its first lead with 9:19 left and kept fighting the rest of the way.
“If you’re going to win an SEC championship, you’ve got to win some games you don’t play your best,” Oats said. “We figured out a way to get a win."
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News/USA TODAY Network. Reach him via email: nkelly@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball ugly win will help in March Madness
