NASHVILLE ― The SEC Tournament bracket was lining up perfectly for Alabama basketball.
Teams the Crimson Tide showed it could beat in the regular season won their games Friday. Teams to whom Alabama had lost in the regular season (Tennessee, Kentucky) lost their games Friday and bowed out of the conference tournament.
If only the Crimson Tide had won its game Friday. That was the part that didn’t go so perfectly.
Florida took control of the game late in the first half and cruised to a victory, knocking Alabama out of the SEC Tournament quarterfinals with a 102-88 victory at Bridgestone Arena. The Gators won two of three matchups with the Crimson Tide this season.
Here are observations and takeaways from the SEC Tournament quarterfinal game between No. 3 seed Alabama (21-11) and No. 6 seed Florida (23-10).
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Alabama basketball starts hot, then falls apart
Alabama couldn’t have asked for a much better start.
The Crimson Tide began the game on a tear, scoring on four of its first five possessions. Meanwhile, the defense brought intensity that stifled the Gators, who started 0-for-4. Alabama dominated on the glass early, and that translated to a fast lead. The Crimson Tide started in a way that inspired confidence in its ability to take it to Florida.
Or so it looked.
The hot start cooled off. Alabama began to stumble offensively, finding ways not to score, whether because of turnovers, missed shots or avoidable mistakes. Alabama faltering offensively bled over into defense. The Crimson Tide stopped getting stops, and the Gators went to work.
Florida ended the first half on a 21-2 run over the final 5:24 before the break. Alabama went 1-for-10 before heading into the locker room.
Halftime doesn’t provide boost
Little that Alabama did after halftime looked like the stuff of comebacks.
The Crimson Tide didn’t come out of the locker room with renewed energy, all of a sudden getting defensive stops and draining shots. Instead, Alabama started 0-for-2 while Florida went 2-for-2.
While those percentages changed for both sides, that about summed up how it went for the Crimson Tide as the second half progressed. Alabama couldn’t catch enough of a hot streak offensively with limited success from beyond the arc for much of the half. Meanwhile, Florida kept chipping away on the offensive end and extending its lead.
It quickly became clear a comeback wasn’t going to be happening. Alabama went on a small run toward the end of the second half, but it was too little too late.
What’s next?
Alabama’s trip to Nashville ends after only one game. Instead of playing Saturday, the Crimson Tide will return to Tuscaloosa. Alabama will then learn of its NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday. The Crimson Tide has previously been projected as a No. 4 seed for March Madness heading into the week.
Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men’s basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
First appeared on www.tuscaloosanews.com