Alabama Basketball Loses to Oregon in Dramatic Fashion: Three Takeaways

Alabama basketball falls to Oregon in  the First Players Era Thanksgiving Festival Championship to finish second.

Alabama had chances all night to pull away, but turnovers and guys not stepping up cost them. Team lost 83-81, but showed fight in the last 30 seconds, down by six and tying it up before Nate Biddle hits a game-winner with 4.5 seconds.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. went down with an apparent lower-leg injury after slipping while going after an offensive rebound. Alabama will miss one of the most efficient players in the country. The team hopes to have transfer and American Conference Co-Player of the Year Chris Youngblood back for either this week’s clash in Chapel Hill or on December 14th versus Creighton.

“We are concerned about his achilles, and they’re going to get it tested when we get back to Tuscaloosa,” said head coach Nate Oats.

Takeaway #1: Turnovers

Alabama, on the offensive end, continues to look disjointed and not on the same page. Whether that is trying to make extra passes or just dribbling the ball out of bounds, Alabama continues to rack up turnovers that are very fixable and will need to improve over time before SEC play. The stat that haunted the Tide in the matchup were the points off turnovers, where the Ducks dominated, wining 17-5, and any live ball turnover are extra possessions and chances to ruin momentum.

“Our turnovers have been haunting us in Vegas,” said Oats.

Takeaway #2: Jarin Stevenson and Labaron Philon step up

Both guys have struggled so far in Las Vegas, especially Labaron Philon, who came out scorching from the field starting 3-3 with eight points in the first 10 minutes. Philon finished the game with 15, and with Wrightsell going down will need to continue to be involved in scoring and running the offense. Jarin Stevenson stepped up big time in the tournament, especially from the outside, after starting 0-18; Stevenson went 5-7 in the last two games going 3/4 against Oregon with 11 big points when Alabama was down as much as eight with 10 minutes left. Stevenson had what looked like a block on a chase down, but the referees reviewed the play and called it a goaltend with under two minutes left in what was a big call.

Takeaway #3: Nate Biddle dominates Tide bigs

Alabama basketball could not stop the 7″0 big man Nate Biddle, who hit the go-ahead put-back dunk with 4.5 left to give the Oregon Ducks the win.

Biddle finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. He was a big disruptor around the rim, which Alabama had trouble finishing around.

Next up for Alabama (6-2): at North Carolina (4-3) -Dec. 4 at 7:15 p.m. EST

Next up for Oregon (8-0): at USC (5-3) -Dec. 4 at 10:30 p.m. EST