Thoughts on Texas A&M win...

great game, they seem to be handling the loss well over on the a&m site

Trelly is indeed back and it is a very beautiful thing to see 🐘

Great to see Mallette bounce back tonight.

MaxNob13 said:

Great to see Mallette bounce back tonight.

That tap out to Holloway(think it was him, correct me if I’m wrong) right before the half to get that three pointer was a great play on his part.

FAU said:

great game, they seem to be handling the loss well over on the a&m site

9.9=10 I guess. Still had a shot to go to OT and they missed the shot

Bucky’s team remind me in a way of Huggins teams at WVU with the pressure. Would agree that the guards handled the pressure really well tonight out of press. If Amari keeps working on a quicker first step on his drive, he will be a top 10 pick next year(already really good). Hopeful that this is a turning point and we rattle off a few in a row

Blake Byler said:

Here are my thoughts, takeaways and observations from a massive win over Texas A&M tonight: https://www.on3.com/teams/alabama-crimson-tide/news/takeaways-alabama-100-texas-am-97/

Outside of A&M and Florida at 2 SEC losses each, there are 9 teams between 3 and 5 losses. That’s better than half the league within 2 games of each other. The chase to being in the top 4 and avoiding having to play on Thursday in Nashville is going to be fierce. And honestly, I expect A&M to join that second group as soon as this weekend. Big time effort game from Mallette, both on court and off. When he got into foul trouble in the second half and had to come out of the game, rather than sulk he took a seat at the midcourt edge of our bench. He was the first person to greet most of the players coming out of the game, and there was a real passion to how he was talking to those guys. He’s so easy to pull for. Wrightsell is up to 33% now on the year. That’s obviously well below expectation for him, but it’s been on a steady increase as he’s gotten more regular playing time. Since starting league play 1/7 against Kentucky, he’s at a 44% clip in the last 5. Obviously that 7/10 game is doing a lot of work, but even including the Kentucky game he’s at 40% in SEC play. That’s the Wrightsell we expected to see. I said last week that getting Allen back for this game would be massive. On top of him just being one of our better players, it was pretty obvious that he was going to be key against their press. They force teams into a 19.6% turnover rate on the season and we were at 7.7% tonight. That’s absolutely elite and was the difference in the game. Allen was a huge part of that, and the tape from this game will be one of the many reasons why he’s unlikely to still be a college basketball player next year. He’s just an absolutely mature player and able to do so many things at 6’8 to help you win games. Philon has a had a weird tendency the last month to start slow in the first half and then finish strong. I don’t know if it’s that teams are trying to take him away early and only after other guys prove they can beat them, they have to stop keying on Philon and that lets him get loose; or if it’s something completely different altogether. He needs to start fast on Saturday tho. I really hope we can hang on to Jemison. He’s such a great fit for this system and is going to be a really good player once he gets better at finishing at the rim. That OOB play from Allen to him for the dunk was a thing of beauty. It’s not being talked about enough. Things looked pretty bleak down 77-71 with no momentum. That’s when Philon and Holloway did what star players should do, and they just grinded out a win. That’s a big time finish by both of them. I put it in another thread, but we need to stick with playing Bediako and Sherrell one at a time. I get why Oats did it, but through 3 games Bediako was at +21 and Sherrell at +19 when they were playing solo, and +0 when playing together. We’re just a better team with one of them on the floor with 4 guards/wings. Plus it means not having to play Williamson any.

Pjones1234! said:

Bucky’s team remind me in a way of Huggins teams at WVU with the pressure. Would agree that the guards handled the pressure really well tonight out of press. If Amari keeps working on a quicker first step on his drive, he will be a top 10 pick next year(already really good). Hopeful that this is a turning point and we rattle off a few in a row

I think in a normal year Amari might have a shot at top 10, but this draft class is absolutely loaded. It’s gonna be one of the deeper drafts in the last 20 years.

I was sauced at a work event. First game I’ve “missed” in years, but looks like it was a stressful one. RTR fellas

nxojkt said:

Outside of A&M and Florida at 2 SEC losses each, there are 9 teams between 3 and 5 losses. That’s better than half the league within 2 games of each other. The chase to being in the top 4 and avoiding having to play on Thursday in Nashville is going to be fierce. And honestly, I expect A&M to join that second group as soon as this weekend. Big time effort game from Mallette, both on court and off. When he got into foul trouble in the second half and had to come out of the game, rather than sulk he took a seat at the midcourt edge of our bench. He was the first person to greet most of the players coming out of the game, and there was a real passion to how he was talking to those guys. He’s so easy to pull for. Wrightsell is up to 33% now on the year. That’s obviously well below expectation for him, but it’s been on a steady increase as he’s gotten more regular playing time. Since starting league play 1/7 against Kentucky, he’s at a 44% clip in the last 5. Obviously that 7/10 game is doing a lot of work, but even including the Kentucky game he’s at 40% in SEC play. That’s the Wrightsell we expected to see. I said last week that getting Allen back for this game would be massive. On top of him just being one of our better players, it was pretty obvious that he was going to be key against their press. They force teams into a 19.6% turnover rate on the season and we were at 7.7% tonight. That’s absolutely elite and was the difference in the game. Allen was a huge part of that, and the tape from this game will be one of the many reasons why he’s unlikely to still be a college basketball player next year. He’s just an absolutely mature player and able to do so many things at 6’8 to help you win games. Philon has a had a weird tendency the last month to start slow in the first half and then finish strong. I don’t know if it’s that teams are trying to take him away early and only after other guys prove they can beat them, they have to stop keying on Philon and that lets him get loose; or if it’s something completely different altogether. He needs to start fast on Saturday tho. I really hope we can hang on to Jemison. He’s such a great fit for this system and is going to be a really good player once he gets better at finishing at the rim. That OOB play from Allen to him for the dunk was a thing of beauty. It’s not being talked about enough. Things looked pretty bleak down 77-71 with no momentum. That’s when Philon and Holloway did what star players should do, and they just grinded out a win. That’s a big time finish by both of them. I put it in another thread, but we need to stick with playing Bediako and Sherrell one at a time. I get why Oats did it, but through 3 games Bediako was at +21 and Sherrell at +19 when they were playing solo, and +0 when playing together. We’re just a better team with one of them on the floor with 4 guards/wings. Plus it means not having to play Williamson any.

Just got back from the game and my dad and I were discussing exactly your point that the one big lineup seems to be the best path going forward. We just seem to have better ball movement and flow to our offense from the 4 out look. Also, I thought Holloway was our best performer and possibly his best in a Bama uniform. Philon looked more banged up than Aden as the game went on and certainly was key, but Holloway’s all around performance was impressive, especially the 6 rebounds.

We handled the press very well. Press break actually got us several wide open corner 3’s that we didn’t hit. We need to cash in on those opportunities. Jemison probably needs to be playing a little more. His production in the first half will get overlooked in this game but probably saved us overall. I haven’t been very impressed with Bediako in the last two games. I thought we were definitely better with Sherrell on the floor tonight. I expect A&M to drop 2 of the next 3 and be right in the logjam behind Florida.

BamaGTS said:

Just got back from the game and my dad and I were discussing exactly your point that the one big lineup seems to be the best path going forward. We just seem to have better ball movement and flow to our offense from the 4 out look. Also, I thought Holloway was our best performer and possibly his best in a Bama uniform. Philon looked more banged up than Aden as the game went on and certainly was key, but Holloway’s all around performance was impressive, especially the 6 rebounds.

Holloway got beat off the dribble a fair amount tonight. I don’t think it’s an effort thing, I just don’t think he’s a very good defender and he loses leverage consistently. You have to play him because he is a pure bucket but the defense is going to suffer a little as a result.

BamaGTS said:

Just got back from the game and my dad and I were discussing exactly your point that the one big lineup seems to be the best path going forward. We just seem to have better ball movement and flow to our offense from the 4 out look. Also, I thought Holloway was our best performer and possibly his best in a Bama uniform. Philon looked more banged up than Aden as the game went on and certainly was key, but Holloway’s all around performance was impressive, especially the 6 rebounds.

Holloway split the hard hat award with Allen tonight. That’s the kind of effort we need from him every game. He’s capable of it, he’s just gotta not let how he’s playing on offense dictate how hard he plays on defense. He only had 2 FGA at the half, but he stayed locked in and engaged. That’s what Oats meant when he talked about them “worrying about the right things.” Philon played really tough that second half. I don’t know whether he and Rylan banged knees or if he took the knee to the thigh on the play just before the half, but he was playing pretty dead legged the second half. People are gonna lose it, but I’m guessing he’ll be either probable or questionable on Friday’s injury report. I expect he’ll play tho. Bediako’s attorneys have asked that the hearing be moved back until later in the month. If the ncaa doesn’t object to it, the way Bediako didn’t object to the request for recusal of judge Roberts, I think it’ll be a pretty clear sign that both sides are content to kick that can down the road until the season is over. It means Bediako doesn’t have to risk losing and the ncaa doesn’t have to risk the precedent being set by an actual ruling. I think both sides would be pleased with that outcome. Assuming that happens or Bediako just wins outright, we need to stick with the lineups with just one of them at a time. What you and your dad saw was accurate. There’s just much, much better flow to the offense when 4 guys can attack off the dribble and force teams to guard the 3pt line with more aggressiveness. Sherrell is a good shooter for a big, but teams are content letting him shoot in a way they simply aren’t with anyone other than Bediako.

One other thing: I liked how we tightened the rotation. Once TBB gets back, I imagine he will be added but it will remain with 9

Blake Byler said:

Here are my thoughts, takeaways and observations from a massive win over Texas A&M tonight: https://www.on3.com/teams/alabama-crimson-tide/news/takeaways-alabama-100-texas-am-97/

I asked you in one of your posts where you asked for our questions if you didn’t think it was time to cut down the rotation to 8 or at most 9-it seems to go better with shorter rotation-

nxojkt said:

I put it in another thread, but we need to stick with playing Bediako and Sherrell one at a time. I get why Oats did it, but through 3 games Bediako was at +21 and Sherrell at +19 when they were playing solo, and +0 when playing together. We’re just a better team with one of them on the floor with 4 guards/wings. Plus it means not having to play Williamson any.

Couldn’t agree more here. Rotation at this point should pretty much always be three guards, one wing, one big, with Allen being able to count as either a guard or wing.

DHS52 said:

I asked you in one of your posts where you asked for our questions if you didn’t think it was time to cut down the rotation to 8 or at most 9-it seems to go better with shorter rotation-

It absolutely does. Oats has seen enough from everyone to know who the best guys are — when healthy — and he’s gonna do that from here on out it seems.

just with how this offense flows… I don’t like when Philon and Allen are both off the floor together. It has to be one or the other imo. There’s even been a few occasions where Philon, Allen and Holloway were all off the floor and our offense felt like it took a nose dive. The 9 man rotation once TBB is back in will be damn good. This team can accomplish alot, it’s all about staying focused on the right things and staying healthy.

Blake Byler said:

Couldn’t agree more here. Rotation at this point should pretty much always be three guards, one wing, one big, with Allen being able to count as either a guard or wing.

Allen’s versatility is a massive thing for this team. I know during summer drills that we were actually using TBB and Bristow a bit as “point forwards,” but neither guy has the pure basketball skill that Allen does. I think we could legitimately ask him to be the full time PG and he could do it. It’s not just skill, either. Like you said, he makes really good decisions with the ball. Just an outstanding player.

nxojkt said:

Holloway split the hard hat award with Allen tonight. That’s the kind of effort we need from him every game. He’s capable of it, he’s just gotta not let how he’s playing on offense dictate how hard he plays on defense. He only had 2 FGA at the half, but he stayed locked in and engaged. That’s what Oats meant when he talked about them “worrying about the right things.” Philon played really tough that second half. I don’t know whether he and Rylan banged knees or if he took the knee to the thigh on the play just before the half, but he was playing pretty dead legged the second half. People are gonna lose it, but I’m guessing he’ll be either probable or questionable on Friday’s injury report. I expect he’ll play tho. Bediako’s attorneys have asked that the hearing be moved back until later in the month. If the ncaa doesn’t object to it, the way Bediako didn’t object to the request for recusal of judge Roberts, I think it’ll be a pretty clear sign that both sides are content to kick that can down the road until the season is over. It means Bediako doesn’t have to risk losing and the ncaa doesn’t have to risk the precedent being set by an actual ruling. I think both sides would be pleased with that outcome. Assuming that happens or Bediako just wins outright, we need to stick with the lineups with just one of them at a time. What you and your dad saw was accurate. There’s just much, much better flow to the offense when 4 guys can attack off the dribble and force teams to guard the 3pt line with more aggressiveness. Sherrell is a good shooter for a big, but teams are content letting him shoot in a way they simply aren’t with anyone other than Bediako.

Holloway has gotten sooo much better since he arrived. I feel like he’s our most dependable player.

T12 said:

Holloway has gotten sooo much better since he arrived. I feel like he’s our most dependable player.

He still has a tendency to let himself be taken out of games. That happened in the first half when he only had 2 FGA. He needs to eliminate that. But otherwise, he’s really figured out how to score even on nights where he’s not just lighting it up from 3. Tonight was one of those games. The task for him for next year will be to grow into a better defender. He’s lacking the length and lateral quickness to be an elite defender, but he’s demonstrated enough times that he’s capable of being better than he consistently is. Lock that down and he can be an SEC Player of the Year candidate next year.

nxojkt said:

He still has a tendency to let himself be taken out of games. That happened in the first half when he only had 2 FGA. He needs to eliminate that. But otherwise, he’s really figured out how to score even on nights where he’s not just lighting it up from 3. Tonight was one of those games. The task for him for next year will be to grow into a better defender. He’s lacking the length and lateral quickness to be an elite defender, but he’s demonstrated enough times that he’s capable of being better than he consistently is. Lock that down and he can be an SEC Player of the Year candidate next year.

All true, but he’s already much better than he was on defense, and he seems stronger with the ball. And that shot is just sweet.

A big win tonight for sure! It really felt like a must win game if we wanted any positive traction going into the back half of the schedule. It seems like every few games someone has a break out moment where we hope its a good sign and then they vanish for a few games or sit on the injury report. So I hope we can keep Wrightsell and Mallette getting warmer and find a way to get Jemison more open lanes. All season Jemison has been an eyelash away from going off but a circus layup attempt rolls off the rim or he somehow gets called for a foul when he was the one that got hammered. For weeks it seemed like he was the guy the officials were eager to call a foul on so he hasn't been able to stay on the court for very long. Sherrell going 8-8 on free throws is a huge somewhat hidden stat. Those free throws were his only points to go with 8 rebounds. Speaking of free throws we have to have our "good" free throw shooters make their free throws late. Missing 2 free throws in the closing minute gave a&m a chance at the end.