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NASHVILLE — Entering the 2026 SEC Tournament, Alabama basketball had the rest and recovery time that made many pre-determine the Crimson Tide would take down an Ole Miss squad that was on its third straight day of competition.
Yet, No. 2 seed Alabama (23-9) trailed for over 39 minutes in the 80-79 loss to the Rebels on Friday, March 13.
Instead, No. 15 seed Ole Miss looked more like the Crimson Tide team that usually rolls into hostile arenas, shooting 47% as the returning Elite Eight crew struggled to reach 40% from the field in Bridgestone Arena.
Here are seven key observations from the matchup.
WHAT TO KNOW: Nick Saban's had his eye on which Alabama basketball star this season?
REQUIRED READING: Does Alabama basketball have enough NIL for Nate Oats? What he said
The Ole Miss forward scored two points in just eight minutes when Alabama last faced the Rebels. In just seven minutes in Nashville, Dia had 10 after starting the game with back-to-back threes to force Alabama chip away at a 6-0 deficit from the first moments that followed tip off.
He finished with 14 points, going 5-for-13, with seven rebounds, an assist and a block.
Alabama didn't net its first free throw until Aiden Sherrell made his way to the line with 7:18 to halftime. By then, Ole Miss had already converted six on seven tries.
The Crimson Tide's freshman rebounding leader, averaging seven per game on the year, didn't grab a single board in the first 20 minutes. However, Allen emerged from halftime to tally a team-high 10 rebounds.
At the under-8 minute media timeout of the first half, Ole Miss led Alabama, 15-6 on the glass. By the break, the Crimson Tide let the Rebs grab just four more rebounds as it added five of its own, which still wasn't enough for Alabama coach Nate Oats.
The Crimson Tide was ultimately outrebounded 41-33, although it kept up on the offensive glass.
"Defense was awful," Oats told Crimson Tide Sports Network at the break.
"I mean, too easy. No resistance. They got all their pull-ups as easy as they wanted. We didn't rebound it nearly well enough. We got to attack the rim on offense. We got a lot to clean up at halftime."
Alabama's non-starters tend to offer the points that seal the game. With 12 minutes to go against Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide had just ten bench points compared to 24 for the Rebels. A major reason? Latrell Wrightsell Jr.'s scoreless performance.
Although he had four rebounds and an assist, the veteran's touch from the perimeter was missed as Alabama went 9-for-29 on triples. It was his first scoreless game since Alabama played Creighton during the 2023-24 season.
After being down by 13 in the second half, the Crimson Tide rallied back to keep its chances of winning the game.
With 10 minutes on the clock, Labaron Philon sparked a 7-0 run for Alabama with a trey, which he answered with a layup before Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen come through with the dunk to shave the deficit to four points.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball defense no shows Ole Miss at SECT | 7 key observations
Continue reading...
Yet, No. 2 seed Alabama (23-9) trailed for over 39 minutes in the 80-79 loss to the Rebels on Friday, March 13.
Instead, No. 15 seed Ole Miss looked more like the Crimson Tide team that usually rolls into hostile arenas, shooting 47% as the returning Elite Eight crew struggled to reach 40% from the field in Bridgestone Arena.
Here are seven key observations from the matchup.
WHAT TO KNOW: Nick Saban's had his eye on which Alabama basketball star this season?
REQUIRED READING: Does Alabama basketball have enough NIL for Nate Oats? What he said
Malik Dia makes difference vs Alabama in SEC Tournament
The Ole Miss forward scored two points in just eight minutes when Alabama last faced the Rebels. In just seven minutes in Nashville, Dia had 10 after starting the game with back-to-back threes to force Alabama chip away at a 6-0 deficit from the first moments that followed tip off.
He finished with 14 points, going 5-for-13, with seven rebounds, an assist and a block.
Tide slow to get to free throw line vs Ole Miss
Alabama didn't net its first free throw until Aiden Sherrell made his way to the line with 7:18 to halftime. By then, Ole Miss had already converted six on seven tries.
How many rebounds did Amari Allen have in first half?
The Crimson Tide's freshman rebounding leader, averaging seven per game on the year, didn't grab a single board in the first 20 minutes. However, Allen emerged from halftime to tally a team-high 10 rebounds.
How badly did Ole Miss crash glass on Tide?
At the under-8 minute media timeout of the first half, Ole Miss led Alabama, 15-6 on the glass. By the break, the Crimson Tide let the Rebs grab just four more rebounds as it added five of its own, which still wasn't enough for Alabama coach Nate Oats.
The Crimson Tide was ultimately outrebounded 41-33, although it kept up on the offensive glass.
What did Nate Oats think of first 20 minutes?
"Defense was awful," Oats told Crimson Tide Sports Network at the break.
"I mean, too easy. No resistance. They got all their pull-ups as easy as they wanted. We didn't rebound it nearly well enough. We got to attack the rim on offense. We got a lot to clean up at halftime."
Bench points prove problem area vs Ole Miss
Alabama's non-starters tend to offer the points that seal the game. With 12 minutes to go against Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide had just ten bench points compared to 24 for the Rebels. A major reason? Latrell Wrightsell Jr.'s scoreless performance.
Although he had four rebounds and an assist, the veteran's touch from the perimeter was missed as Alabama went 9-for-29 on triples. It was his first scoreless game since Alabama played Creighton during the 2023-24 season.
Late run for Alabama keeps Tide in game late
After being down by 13 in the second half, the Crimson Tide rallied back to keep its chances of winning the game.
With 10 minutes on the clock, Labaron Philon sparked a 7-0 run for Alabama with a trey, which he answered with a layup before Florida State transfer Taylor Bol Bowen come through with the dunk to shave the deficit to four points.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for The Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball defense no shows Ole Miss at SECT | 7 key observations
Continue reading...
