Following a significant victory on the road against Texas A&M earlier this week, Alabama men’s basketball returned to reality in Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday. The Crimson Tide suffered a 74-64 loss to Ole Miss, marking its initial SEC defeat and home loss of the 2024-25 season.
Nate Oats’ squad appeared disjointed on offense during the match, resulting in UA’s record falling to 14-3 for the season, 3-1 in SEC competition. The Tide is set to hit the road again, heading to Kentucky on Saturday.
Prior to that, here are three key points from the defeat.
Gradual beginning
Stepping into the game, the contest appeared to be yet another prominent SEC showdown. Alabama was ranked No. 4 nationally, while the Rebels were ranked No. 21.
However, during the initial few minutes, the level of basketball played was far from impressive. The two squads exchanged turnovers during the initial minutes, with Ole Miss netting the game’s first two points at the 18:43 mark.
During the under 16 timeout of the first half, the Rebels led with a score of 4-2. In the under 12 category, there was a slight improvement, with Alabama trailing 14-10.
Ultimately, situations improved somewhat for Alabama. Aden Holloway topped the Crimson Tide in the first half with nine points, and UA entered the locker room leading 36-32.
However, 11 turnovers in the first half were excessive, and Ole Miss capitalized with nine of its points during that period.
Issues with turnover
The turnover problem wasn’t completely resolved after the halftime break. Conversely, Ole Miss continued to play relatively cleanly.
The Rebels went ahead with 15:33 remaining. By the under-12 timeout in the second half, Alabama trailed 46-42, was stuck in a two-minute scoring drought, and had committed 18 turnovers, resulting in 19 points for Ole Miss.
In total on Tuesday, Alabama made 21 turnovers. Ole Miss capitalized for 19 points.
Attacking shortcomings
Alabama was expected to rank as the No. 2 offense in the nation. That’s how Oats has developed the Crimson Tide during his time, and that’s how UA has performed all season before Tuesday’s match.
The Tide completely concealed it when facing the Rebels. Oats’ squad experienced an unusually tough game offensively, making 43% of their field goals and 25% from beyond the arc.
The shooting difficulties have plagued the team all season, but appeared to be fixed during Alabama’s visit to Texas A&M, as Oats mentioned that the contributions of Mark Sears and Chris Youngblood aided the effort.
Sears shot 2-for-8 from the field for 11 points, while Youngblood was 3-for-10 for eight points. Alabama recorded its lowest scoring total of the season, and the Crimson Tide experienced a home defeat.
