How can Bama basketball get better as a team?

Avoid turnovers.


Our roster is as talented as its ever going to be.

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So was wondering what is it going to take to keep the unexplainable loses from happening.

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- Rebound better than the other team
- Score more than the other team
- Have less turnovers than the other team.
- Shoot a good FT Percentage.
- Shoot high percentage shots.
- Don't foul.
- Play good defense.

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I think it's just an instinctive survival reflex I have.

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Keep turnovers to a minimum.

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This. And hit our free throws.

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Avoid turnovers.

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JQ just can’t improve TOs. He had multiple unforced TOs tonight.

The two most obvious have already been mentioned:
1 - reduce turnovers - I understand our fast style of play increases the risk of turnovers - those I can accept - the careless, lazy passes when running our half-court offense, coupled with guards driving the lane out of control are unacceptable and cost the team a few points every game.

2 - free throws - come tournament time, in some game, Bama will likely need every point available - need 80-90%, not 60-70%.

3 - This last one is mentioned less frequently but is a chronic and inexplicable weakness - inbounding the ball - I watch in horror and fear as the clock counts towards 5 seconds and Bama ends up looping a 50/50 pass in the general direction of a double-teamed Bama player. Is this due to lack of emphasis by Oats? Poor execution of well-designed plays? Poorly designed plays?

Not looking forward to an off-season after losing a tournament game by 1-2 points due to any of these items.

And nobody has mentioned that in our playing rotation we play 4 freshmen and 2 sophomores (one certainly is and both may be redshirt sophs). It's a pretty young team. They mailed it in against OU for some unknown reason and I think they got a little frustrated and intimidated in Knoxville. UT was playing murder ball and the refs were blind as a bat.

Texas A&M has quietly been separating themselves from the rest of the pack and are now really the only team that can challenge us for the regular season title. And our final game is in College Station. It's a 2 horse race now with Bama holding a 1 game lead over A&M. We finish with @ Carolina, then home against an Arkansas team that is on the rise, home against Auburn, then finish with Aggie. They finish with UT going to College Station, on the road with both Mississippi schools, then host Bama. The chips are down, it's time to start playing our best ball because it's tourney time.

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That game just tells me Alabama can lose to any team. Every tournament game will be interesting because Bama can get bounced any round.

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Funny isn’t it. Alabama tosses arguably the best team in the country like a salad in THEIR house and then some random schmucks from the Midwest do anything they want.



And then go on to get blown out every game after Alabama. Just how the cookie crumbles with bama lately it seems.

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And then go on to get blown out every game after Alabama. Just how the cookie crumbles with bama lately it seems.

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It's not just Alabama - it's basketball. It's somewhat like a golf swing, it can come and go without even knowing the reason why, though at other times the reason is obvious. Much of it has to do with the nature of shooting - just a tad off and you can look like a different team. Also, home vs road, different refs, etc.

The same two teams can play within a week on a neutral floor and there be a 40-50 point swing. The NBA plays 7 game series and the best team doesn't always win, how much more in a one-and-done tournament do we see the crazy things that happen in "March Madness" with 15 seeds beating 2 seeds, etc.

It's not just Alabama with the apparent inconsistency, it's basketball.

We're legit the best team in the country when we don't turn the ball over and the point guards don't try to play heroball.