Crimson Tide Drop Second Straight Game Against Top 10 Opponent

Alabama battled through foul trouble and a cold night from three to keep it close, but could not get it done against its second straight top-10 team: the Creighton Bluejays. Alabama started slow offensively, with just three points at the first media timeout. Mark Sears led Alabama with 19 points.

Nate Oats emphasizes the three-point line for the Crimson Tide. Shooting 1-for-11 in the first is not typically a recipe for success for an Oats-led team, and that was the case tonight. While the Crimson Tide shot 4-for-22 from three in the game, 62 of Alabama's 82 total points came inside the paint.

In the second half, the three-point shot didn't work much better. Alabama shot 3-for-11 from three in the second half. Entering the game, Alabama shot 42.8% from three. Tonight's 18.2% from the arc won't help the season average, and it certainly won't make Coach Oats happy.

Free throws were also an issue for Alabama. They shot 61.5% from the stripe. Alabama entered tonight's contest shooting 77.7% from the line.

In addition to the Crimson Tide's big game in the paint, fouls played a big part in Alabama's loss. Nelson, Pringle, Wrightsell, Wague, and Walters all played the majority of the second half in foul trouble, leading to a strong performance from Alabama's bench. Wague would foul out with a little under seven minutes remaining in the ball game, while Pringle would foul out with around three minutes remaining. Bench players, led by Pringle, scored 39 points for Alabama.

Alabama drops its second straight game, and the schedule won't get much easier. The Crimson Tide will travel to Arizona to take on the top-ranked Arizona Wildcats on Wednesday, who just lost to Purdue.