'Bama is falling apart...but

    You don't have to be a basketball guru to see what's wrong with Alabama. Whether Nat Oats can find a solution to what's going on with his team is the question

. The answer to that is both yes and no. Oats can't do anything about his current roster. This season, the lack of power, poor perimeter defense, and lack of quality depth can't be fixed. The Tide isn't a physically strong team. That's the no part. The yes part is up to the players. Can Jahvon Quinerly regain his shooting touch? Of course, he can. The old saying that 'shooters gotta' shoot' is actual. My personal belief is that Quinerly is suffering from a lack of confidence. That's different from just going through a cold shooting spell. JQ is also passing up open three-point opportunities, and it's not a good sign.

 

    Alabama might be able to be more competitive when the shots start falling from downtown. Shackleford made five in the first half against Georgia. He made zero in the second half. In fairness to Shack, the Dawgs made even finding shots difficult in the second half. The defense can improve if better effort, but Alabama has only one stopper. Keon Ellis is the only tough defender the Tide has. I'll give a Kudo to Juwan Gary when he plays. Gary is a banger. 

     The Tide needs to quit turning the ball over. Most Tide turnovers are just careless mistakes, and most are unforced. You'll lose games when you are soaring around 15-20 mistakes a game. If Alabama quits gift wrapping additional shot opportunities, they can win close games. Here's the problem with the offense the Tide uses - to run and gun, you will make some turnovers. That can't be helped, but I think the team can cut down on unforced errors. Those errors are killing the Tide.

     If Alabama wants to understand the problem, they need to look in a mirror. Team chemistry is missing. If the players decide to give 100% every time they are on the floor, things will improve. It isn't going to be like last season. I'd advise the players to dedicate themselves to being a leader. Instead of who is the team leader, each could say, "I'll be the team leader." There is only so much a coach can do. The remainder falls on the players. 

     This is not last season's team. The Tide lost five key players last season. I've written about that before, and I won't rehash the details. What Alabama can do is be the best team they can be. They were good enough to beat Gonzaga and Houston. That means there is an untapped potential waiting to be found again. Is it good enough to be a four seed or better? I don't think so, but this team can beat anyone when they shoot well and reduce the turnovers on any given night. Rebounding will always be a problem with this team, but they have improved in that area. C.M. Newton once told me that it isn't about just getting the most boards. It's about getting the ones that count. 

    One thing for sure - keep shooting. Keep throwing them up from downtown, and they'll start finding the nylon. Things will look a lot better then. And for Heaven's Sake, please build this program a new arena.