Alabama Crimson Tide
SEC (19-15, 8-10)
Coach Avery Johnson has spent his first two seasons at Alabama rebuilding the program. This was supposed to be the year the Crimson Tide could compete for an SEC title. Things did not go that well though for Alabama. But the team still managed to go 8-10 in a tough conference.
Big Wins: 12/30 Texas A&M (79-57), 1/17 Auburn (76-71), 2/10 Tennessee (78-50)
Bad Losses: 11/25 vs Minnesota (84-89), 1/2 at Vanderbilt (75-76), 1/23 at Mississippi (66-78)
Coach: Avery Johnson
Why They Can Surprise:
Alabama has four very good players who will make a big impact in March. Collin Sexton is the team’s top scorer with 19.0 points per game. The 6-3 freshman is not much of a shooter, but Sexton is extremely difficult to stop when attacking the basket. He will finish around the rim or dish the ball out to one of his teammates. Like Sexton, Dazon Ingram is a very good passer who can score in bunches around the basket. With those two creating offense, the Crimson Tide are very capable of scoring in the half-court offense. John Petty is the team’s most prolific shooter and will get open looks while the opposition concentrates on Sexton and Ingram attacking the basket. Donta Hall in the paint will also keep the opposing defense’s attention. The 6-9 forward is averaging 10.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. He is having a terrific junior campaign and is a beast on both ends of the floor. With Daniel Giddens spending some time on the floor as well, Alabama does not lose their shot blocking threat when Hall needs a break.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Alabama has struggled in many facets of the game this year. If Petty’s shots are not falling, this is a pretty bad three-point shooting team. The squad as a whole also struggles at the charity stripe. The rebounding numbers are not good either despite Hall’s best efforts and the ability of Ingram to hit the glass from the wing. But the biggest concern during the tournament will be the turnovers. Considering this is not a team that wants to get up and down the floor, committing about 14 turnovers per game is way too many.
Probable Starters:
Collin Sexton, Freshman, Guard, 19.0 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.8 rpg
Dazon Ingram, Sophomore, Guard, 9.9 ppg, 2.6 apg, 5.6 rpg
John Petty, Freshman, Guard, 10.1 ppg, 1.8 apg
Donta Hall, Junior, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 bpg
Daniel Giddens, Sophomore, Center, 4.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Key Role Players:
Braxton Key, Sophomore, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Alex Reese, Freshman, Forward, 3.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg
Avery Johnson Jr, Junior, Guard, 4.3 ppg
Herbert Jones, Freshman, Guard, 4.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.4 (222nd in nation, 12th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.7 (106, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.9 (116, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.1 (38, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.4 (295, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.3 (317, 11)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.9 (308, 13)
Rebound Margin: 0.1 (198, 10)
Assists Per Game: 12.8 (243, 11)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.2 (292, 13)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2017 NIT First Round loss to Richmond
2016 NIT First Round loss to Creighton
2015 NIT First Round win over Illinois
2015 NIT Second Round loss to Miami (FL)
2013 NIT First Round win over Northeastern
2013 NIT Second Round win over Stanford
2013 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Maryland
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Creighton
2011 NIT First Round win over Coastal Carolina
2011 NIT Second Round win over New Mexico
2011 NIT Quarterfinal win over Miami
2011 NIT Semifinal win over Colorado
2011 NIT Final loss to Wichita State
2007 NIT First Round loss to Massachusetts
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Marquette
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to UCLA
2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Milwaukee
2004 NCAA Round of 64 win over Southern Illinois
2004 NCAA Round of 32 win over Stanford
2004 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Syracuse
2004 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
*all team stats through 3/4
