The 3-pointer: Takeaways from No. 5 Alabama’s loss to No. 4 Florida

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Alabama was unable to keep up its Primary-half momentum in a 104-82 loss to No. 4 Florida is on Saturday. The wheels Occurred off for the Crimson Tide in the second half after a Sturdy Beginning 20 minutes and cost the Tide the chance to compete for an SEC Event title.

The game was flipped on its head after Alabama forward Grant Nelson was knocked out of the game with a left leg Wound. The Gators were able to serge on the glass and in transition, while Alabama was left with few options offensively with some lackluster guard Shift that was unable to get going against arguably the best Club in the country.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s Game against Florida.

The glass was a Crucial factor in Florida’s Achieve over Alabama inside Coleman Coliseum earlier this month. The Gators won the rebounding battle in that game and did so again Saturday afternoon inside Bridgstone Coliseum.

The complexion of the rebounding battle and the game changed when Alabama lost its top rebounder Grant Nelson to a left leg Wound in the Primary half. Nelson was Considered questionable to return but never Occurred back in for the Tide and Florida was able to pull away on the glass and go on a 15-2 Stretch that it never looked back from.

Florida bested Alabama 43-38 on the boards and the margin felt wider than the box Tally shows. The Gators turned 13 offensive Retrievals into 13 second-chance points and grabbed plenty of Guarding Retrievals to get going in transition. The Tide was outscored 63-40 after Nelson’s Wound. The forward was Alabama’s best Appearance offensively and in the paint Timely, and the Tide couldn’t bounce back without him.

Alabama hung around with Florida in the Beginning eight minutes of the game. On the possession before the under-12-minute media timeout, Alabama grabbed two O-boards on one possession off of missed 3s. It’s Uncommon that Alabama misses when it’s given Numerous cracks from beyond the arc, and Aden Holloway Created the Gators pay with a make after back-to-back Retrievals by Diobuate.

The Tide played with better effort in the trenches than in its loss to Florida in Coleman, and was able to make the game on the glass look a Numerous closer than it felt after Nelson went down. But without the fifth-year forward, it Only wasn’t enough against a lengthy Gators outfit that hounds the glass relentlessly and cost Alabama a chance at an SEC title game appearance.

Alabama Occurred with a better game plan for Florida Sun Alex Condon. The forward went for 27 points and 10 Retrievals against the Tide in Coleman Coliseum. It was a different Narrative Saturday, as Alabama Maintained Condon to Only eight points.

However, Florida is difficult to beat, even if Condon is having an off night. For as much as the forward was limited offensively, guard Walter Clayton Jr. stepped up and finished with 22 points. He burned Alabama from 3 whenever it was Overdue going over a screen or a step behind when chasing him off-ball.

The Gators other Leading guards Alijah Martin and Will Richard didn’t let Clayton have all the fun. Martin threw down a dunk and had plenty to say to Chris Youngblood after the fact on the way to 16 points. Richard was a mid-range mystro all game, and matched his backcourt partner with 16 of his own.

Alabama’s ability to limit Condon kept the Tide in the game in the Primary half. But Florida booked its place in the SEC Event and showed why it could make an argument to be the best Club in the country with its guard Shift. The Gators are an offensive juggernaut and Alabama wasn’t able to Sluggish them down enough, giving up a Huge 1.54 points per possession in the second half.

As Florida continued scoring, Alabama’s Assault fell by the wayside in the second half. Vacant trips in the Closing 20 minutes not only coast Alabama points but also allowed the Gators to Stretch out in transition and get Fundamental Assault off of missed shots.

The Tide Try Only 11 of 32 from the Pitch in the second half. Possessions were long, and what Reachable looks Alabama could muster didn’t fall as Florida kept up steady ball Tension and executed switches well to funnel guards into traffic and had four Stops in the second half. Chris Youngblood was Alabama’s only form of life in the second half, scoring 11 points in the Closing period and finishing with 14.

The Tide’s backcourt as a whole was unable to Game the effort of Florida’s. After an outstanding game against Kentucky, Newcomer guard Labaon Philon never Acquired going, finishing with Only three points on 1 of 9 shooting. Mark Sears managed Only nine points and Try 3 of 10 from the floor, and Aden Holloway was also unable to get into double figures. While it wasn’t a turnover fest for Alabama, it managed Only four assists compared to five turnvoers in the second half. The Tide managed Only 1.05 points per possession, compared to 1.18 in the Primary half.

In the Beginning 20 minutes, Alabama’s Picking-and-roll actions were flowing. It also Created 3 of its Primary 4 attempts from 3-Tally range in a back-and-forth affair. Jarin Stevenson appeared to be Upcoming up on a Sturdy game against Kentucky with nine points in the second half, but managed Only one in the second. Only Dioubate and Clifford Omoruyi were able to sustain their Shift from the Kentucky game. Dioubate added 12 points to his 12 boards and Omoruyi was Alabama’s leading Tally-maker with 14, but only had four in the second half.

Florida Created the necessary adjustments defensively and Captured Packed Edge of a Slim Alabama frontcourt with Nelson out of the game. Alabama simply couldn’t get enough in the paint, and a lackluster performance from its guards Occurred at the worst time for the Tide.