SEC Basketball opened up with a terrific showdown between Bama and the Gators with a Florida win. While in the past few years losing to Florida hasn’t been a bad thing this year the Tide should be ashamed. With a 7 point lead at halftime, the Tide failed to stop the pick and roll and succumbed at the end.

Like I said, it doesn’t seem like a bad thing to lose to Florida because they have been so good in recent years, but this is a home game against a team that has not overachieved this season. This is the first road win and first decent victory for the Gators this season. Billy Donovan has coddled his young gator squad this season except for a road test at Ohio St. and they have performed as expected in every game except for a loss at home to Florida St. and this win on the road against an Alabama team that should’ve won.
With no Ronald Steele, no one has picked the Tide to do much this season despite having Richard Hendrix in the front court, but in the SEC you have to defend your home court. You have to stand up and say we’re not gonna let a team come in here and beat us on reputation.
Alabama’s keys to losing this game?
Three pointers: shooting 8-26, defending 11-22
Front Court: Richard Hendrix 24 pts, rest of Alabama Big Men 4 points
Free Throws: 15-26 from the line
These are the reasons you lost.
Oh and 51 points from freshman on the Florida team. With only one upperclassman in Hodge playing for this Florida team, this is a big win especially in the year of the freshman. The inexperience on this Florida team may cost them in future game, with Nick Calathes missing a key freethrow that could’ve given Bama a shot back in the game, but was bailed out by a key rebound by Dan Werner. With only 76% free throw percentage, maybe Donovan should try to put the games in the hands of someone with a little more experience than one road game.




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