Three snack bars from the catastrophic SEC tournament from Alabama Basketball against Florida

Gators Chomp Alabama Guards

The striker of Alabama, Grant Nelson, is in second place in points in points per game this season, but only the guards are the number 1 and 3-5. These players are all-sec-first team member Mark Sears, Freshman Phenom Labaron Philon and Sharpshooter Aden Holloway and Chris Youngblood.

Like Alabama, Florida's awakening are big goal scorers because the position keeps the top 3 places in the team in points per game. These players are all-sec first team member Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard-Alles, which on average at least 13 points.

This struggle between some of the best guards in the nation had a lot of hype, but it was simply not a competition from the start. With six templates, Clayton scored 22 points to 6 out of 11, and Martin and Richard scored 16 each.

Youngblood was one of Alabama's tiny light lights when he ended with 14 points, but Sears added nine with 3-against 10 shootings, and Philon had three out of 1 out of 9.

“We surpassed with the three starters and our three starters with 54: 26,” said Nate Oats, head coach of Alabama, during the press conference after the game. “For me, however, it was more if they are enclosed with what you have to do to win a game and you are really talented on the offensive. The offensive takes care of yourself.

“I go back to what we said it would be. Was we the hardest game, the hardest team on the floor? Was our back court the hardest, toughest back court on the floor? When we were locked on the defensive end, we no longer play.

Hafer moved out Philon, from whom he said he had to deal with “for large parts of the game” on both sides of the ball. Philon had one of the best games of his career against Kentucky on Friday. Oats explained that its typical two-way excellence is required for the NCAA tournament and that Florida already receives one leg in this regard.

“You have a hard back yard,” said Oats. “You are also very good defensively. You also have some of the best defensive guards in the country. So you have obviously did a good job with us.”

The early second half tells Tale

The purple tide led Florida 47-45 during the break. In view of the fact that the first game on March 5th was lost when Alabama lost 99-94, but had a big comeback too late to achieve a more respectable score, this was a relatively positive start against the Gators No. 1 seed projection at the NCAA tournament.

At the end of the first half, Alabama striker Nelson limped off the pitch with a knee injury. The flood remained the course in these last minutes, but when Nelson did not start in the second half, the Gators Alabama absolutely distributed at the beginning of the second half when they were surprising 17: 2.

Timeouts are a way to cool opponents when they are in a hot strip. Alabama head coach Nate Oats, however, did not seem to be interested in giving his team a short break, even if after five minutes after five minutes after the slaughter of 64: 50.

“I told you, 'Should I call a break and tell you that you should play harder?' After the first time we were playing in the video room when we played Florida, ”said Oats. It is not because we are tired. We can invent many excuses.

“We played last night, they played last night. 15-minute break at half-time, they played harder than we do. You have to find out whether your harder will play or not. Then you will find out a few things to be honest with you.

The Crimson Tide never really reset after the big run. The evaluation improved, but the defense remained the same everywhere. In fact, the 104 points that Alabama allows to Florida is a SEC tournament record – one that previously lasted 27 years.

What is Florida's secret?

Alabama has lost his last four matchups against Florida. Here is the Gator's point of the total for each game. 105, 102, 99 and now 104. The defense of Crimson Tide has been a shaky topic in recent years, but has shown positive signs against many SEC teams.

Not Florida. It cannot be denied that the head coach of Florida, Todd Golden, has the number of oats and Alabama. What have Golden and the Gators doing with the flood in the past two years?

“You do a good job if you guide us from the line … You did a better job to get your guards going, open than we do,” said Oats. “You did a good job to get us off the line and push us into your shot blocker. I don't think we made great edges of the edge. We did not end well.

“Good shooting. We have not done a great readings. You did a good job. I think we will not see you until maybe an elite-night or final four game, depending on where we are all placed. They are good. They have had in the past few weeks.

Golden also had ideas why his team overwhelmed Alabama and Saturday was the most obvious, especially during the 17: 2 run.

“In this way I thought the war of the transition again,” said Golden. We started wearing them. We were able to get a transition, a little confidence, a little dynamic. It only seemed as if we were able to keep the gasoline on the gas for the 12 minutes up to half of the gas. 20 points ahead of seven minutes before the end.

“Again collective. Different boys made games. I thought our big ones put pressure on the offensive glass. Our guards did a great job to make the right game, make big shots. Playing at a high level of basketball.”

Alabama made it very clear throughout the season that it can hang with some of the best teams in the country, and can defeat them, and its No. 5 reflects this in the AP Top 25. But Florida seems to be the cryptonite of the crimson tide.