Scottie Pippen Jr made it clear they wanted Bama and they are "very beatable". Well Alabama's 12 loss record will back that up, but for Stack to say they gave away the last matchup was funny. They went up early, but Alabama dominated afterward and was en route to a double digit win before the refs took over calling every foul and Alabama turned it over. Look for that as bulletin board material for Alabama.
I got word that Alabama was very loose and energetic at their shootaround yesterday and feel like they have a chip on their shoulder. They are the defending tournament champs and they want to show they can do it again. While it will be a tougher road this go around being the 6 seed, they're certainly capable. Their guard play has been fantastic of late and that is what will carry them in March. While the LSU game was a missed opportunity, I saw enough from them where I am comfortable with where they are at. March madness is all about matchups, but this team has shown they can beat the best teams.
Tonight versus Vanderbilt will be all about slowing down Pippen and Robbins. They both had a good game last matchup. Robbins is the tougher matchup for Bama as Bediako will have to stay out of foul trouble, because he did a solid job on him. Gurley and Rojas are just too undersized to really matchup in the post. Look for Alabama to double Pippen off the high screens to force the pass out and just hope the help defense rotates quick enough. Theres not anyone else that scares you on this team outside of those two.
Offensively, Alabama just has to slow down with the turnovers. They turned it over 5 of their first 6 possessions the last matchup and dug themselves a hole. They ultimately climbed out of it, but they won't be able to every game. Initiate the pick n roll and make Robbins defend the perimeter to open up space for cuts. "Live and Die by the 3" is a false narrative so I won't say they need to make 15 threes to win. Their worst shooting nights are some of their bigger wins. It's all about playing defense and getting out and going off forced turnovers and rebounds. Shack, JQ, and Keon need to have good games.
I got word that Alabama was very loose and energetic at their shootaround yesterday and feel like they have a chip on their shoulder. They are the defending tournament champs and they want to show they can do it again. While it will be a tougher road this go around being the 6 seed, they're certainly capable. Their guard play has been fantastic of late and that is what will carry them in March. While the LSU game was a missed opportunity, I saw enough from them where I am comfortable with where they are at. March madness is all about matchups, but this team has shown they can beat the best teams.
Tonight versus Vanderbilt will be all about slowing down Pippen and Robbins. They both had a good game last matchup. Robbins is the tougher matchup for Bama as Bediako will have to stay out of foul trouble, because he did a solid job on him. Gurley and Rojas are just too undersized to really matchup in the post. Look for Alabama to double Pippen off the high screens to force the pass out and just hope the help defense rotates quick enough. Theres not anyone else that scares you on this team outside of those two.
Offensively, Alabama just has to slow down with the turnovers. They turned it over 5 of their first 6 possessions the last matchup and dug themselves a hole. They ultimately climbed out of it, but they won't be able to every game. Initiate the pick n roll and make Robbins defend the perimeter to open up space for cuts. "Live and Die by the 3" is a false narrative so I won't say they need to make 15 threes to win. Their worst shooting nights are some of their bigger wins. It's all about playing defense and getting out and going off forced turnovers and rebounds. Shack, JQ, and Keon need to have good games.
