No. 13 Alabama and struggling Texas look to get back on the winning track when they square off on Saturday in a Southeastern Conference clash in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Crimson Tide (11-4, 1-1 SEC) head home after a foul-filled 96-90 loss at undefeated No. 11 Vanderbilt on Wednesday. Amari Allen had a career-high 25 points to lead Alabama in a game that was dragged down by 64 called fouls and four foul-outs.
“Our guys did a decent job of answering after we weren’t ready to go to start the game,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “We didn’t score it well enough because I didn’t think we got as good of shots as we needed to get. We didn’t move the ball like we needed to. We had nine assists on the game. Ball didn’t move.”
Labaron Philon Jr., the Crimson Tide’s leading scorer at 21.3 points per game, exited the game with 16:06 left and didn’t return. Oats said Thursday that Philon suffered “full-body cramps” and could not finish the game against Vanderbilt even after receiving an IV. Philon was listed as probable on Friday’s SEC availability report.
The loss in Nashville snapped a four-game winning streak for the Crimson Tide. All four of Alabama’s losses this season have been against opponents ranked in the top 12 of the AP poll.
“We’re gonna have to play a lot better than we did (against Vanderbilt) to beat a lot of teams in our league,” Oats said. “We gotta get back, regroup, get some guys healthy, put the Texas scout in and then we’re gonna have to give a lot better effort on Saturday.”
The Longhorns (9-6, 0-2 SEC) are desperately seeking answers after back-to-back losses to begin league play, most recently an 85-71 setback at No. 21 Tennessee on Tuesday.
Tramon Mark led Texas with 20 points and Camden Heide had 16 as the Longhorns trailed 48-33 at the break and never made a serious run after halftime.
Texas’ lethargic effort, especially in the first half and the first three minutes after intermission, prompted coach Sean Miller to bench three of his starters for the rest of the game.
“We’re not a very good team,” Miller explained. “We have a long way to go, but what we have to do is we have to be a team that’s connected and plays the game with great effort.
“If you can’t play with effort, it’s going to be a very, very hard next couple of months, and I think you’ll see that. Our lineup has to change. I can’t keep playing certain guys. We’re at that point. We’re just going to have to go with whoever is ready to play hard. We have to go with them, because that’s going to be our best bet.”
Eight of Texas’ nine wins this season have come against Quadrant 4 opponents (including one non-Division I, Chaminade). Saturday’s game will be the fifth this year, and second in a row, for the Longhorns against an opponent ranked in the AP Top 25.
It has not helped the Longhorns that they are obviously not on the same page as their coach.
“We had a couple guys that just really didn’t want to play, and if you don’t want to play, you’re not allowed in the game,” Miller said. “You can’t be the guy caught up in your own world, your own effort level, things that are happening to you.”
–Field Level Media
