Alabama basketball sleepwalks way to loss at Georgia | 7 key observations

Alabama basketball‘s last road trip of the regular season didn’t come without bumps along the way.

Leading up to the 98-88 loss at Georgia, the Crimson Tide had a lead foot on the pedal. For the first time since February 1st, however, No. 16 Alabama (22-8, 12-5 SEC) lost control of what became the second-longest winning streak in the conference.

With 10 turnovers and continued rebounding woes that resulted in another loss on the glass, Alabama trailed for all but a few minutes of the first half, positioning the returning Elite Eight team to struggle until the horn.

After the unranked Bulldogs amassed a 14-point lead about five minutes into the second half, the Crimson Tide rallied. Still, a single turnover following halftime − or a team-high 26 points by point guard Labaron Philon − were enough to clean up the sloppiness of the first 20 minutes.

Here are seven more key observations from the game.

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Alabama sleepwalks to start at Georgia

The Bulldogs started the game off with a 6-0 run, started by back-to-back buckets for Kareem Stagg. Both baskets came after offensive rebounds for Georgia.

Alabama gave up a 12-0 run starting around the under-nine minute mark, including eight straight points for Kano Catchings, who edged the Bulldogs in front, 30-20.

Rebounding still needs work for Alabama

Not tallying its first offensive rebound until halfway through the first half, the Crimson Tide was losing, 8-4, on O-boards going into halftime. Labaron Philon had Alabama’s first one with 10:32 to the break.

After 40 minutes, Georgia won the rebounding battle, 39-29, with a plus-two margin on the offensive glass.

What did Nate Oats say about first half struggles?

“We didn’t come ready to play,” Oats told Crimson Tide Sports Network. “We’ve got to get these guys ready to go for the second half. We’d be in a lot better shape if we’d have gotten the stop at the end of the half. We’ve got to bring a lot more energy.”

He also lamented Alabama’s nine first-half turnovers, which the Bulldogs turned into 19 points.

Tide gives up career-high to Kano Catchings

The 6-foot-9 sophomore forward’s career-best before the Crimson Tide was 23 points. Against Alabama, Catchings had 20 points in the first 20 minutes, shooting 8-for-13 from the floor with seven threes.

He didn’t add another triple until the last eight minutes, in which he would score three more to finish with 32 points.

Aden and Aiden help Tide rally with game on line

Aden Holloway, Alabama’s top three-point shooter, didn’t take a shot from the arc in the first half. In the last 10 minutes of the game, Holloway’s first threes came in critical moments.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. started a late run for the Crimson Tide, but Aiden Sherrell kept it rolling with a pair of layups and two free throws as Holloway chipped in his treys. The 14-6 rout helped UA shave a 14-point deficit down to five points.

Shot-clock malfunctions slow game down late

With about seven minutes to the buzzer, technical difficulties at Stegeman Coliseum resulted in 20 minutes of delays, slowing Alabama’s momentum down the stretch in an unfamiliar environment.

Blocks make difference on scoreboard

Rim protection was a problem for Alabama, which had just one block from Aiden Sherrell. For Georgia, not so much.

The Bulldogs had five blocks, contributing to the Crimson Tide going 9-for-17 on layups. Meanwhile, UGA dropped 40 paint points.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball sleepwalks way to Georgia loss | 7 key observations

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