After struggling on the defensive end during the regular season, Alabama has played its best on that end this postseason.
Alabama has not been shy about its offense-first approach under head coach Nate Oats, and incredibly efficient scoring units have been a hallmark of the Oats era.
However, before this season, Alabama’s best teams — the Sweet 16 squads of 2021 and 2023 — also had one of the nation’s top three defenses.
This season, the Crimson Tide’s posted their worst adjusted defensive efficiency ranking of the last four years. And in the 10 games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, their defense ranked in the bottom third nationally.
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However, everything suddenly changed once the Big Dance started. Alabama’s defense has improved drastically across the board through four NCAA Tournament games. While it’s still not elite, it has been more than good enough given the way its offense is humming.
So, what changed?
Focus helped turn the Tide
There hasn’t been a schematic adjustment implemented by Oats or a major shift in rotations. According to several Alabama players, it simply has been a matter of focus.
“What’s changed for us the most is just our urgency and willingness to play defense,” guard Aaron Estrada told Heat Check CBB. “We showed spurts throughout the season where we played good defense, but it wouldn’t be for a full 40 minutes or every possession.
“I think everybody just flipped their whole mindset. We said that this is what we have to do to win, and we’re all winners. We came here to win a national championship.”
Oats talked about his team needing to improve their defensive focus on multiple occasions during the Tide’s late-season swoon, yet nothing seemed to work — that is, until freshman Davin Cosby messaged the players’ group text after arriving in Spokane for their first NCAA Tournament game.
“He talked about how if we want to win and to get to where we want to get to and accomplish our team goals, it starts now,” Estrada said of Cosby’s message to the squad. “That was when everything turned around for us.”
It may seem simple, but that message — combined with the pending finality of the season — really got through to the Crimson Tide.
“Everyone really just locked in mentally,” forward Grant Nelson told Heat Check CBB. “I think we knew that if we didn’t play our best or slack a little bit, our season would be over. We realized that this team is really special. We have one of the best offenses of all time and we want to keep it going.”
This improvement isn’t a byproduct of facing poor offenses, either. North Carolina and Clemson, Alabama’s last two opponents, each boasted top-25 offenses nationally. Meanwhile, the Tide’s first-round opponent (Charleston) had one of the better offenses in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama has been tested on the perimeter and the interior and has passed every time, all while its season hangs in the balance.
UConn, though, presents a tougher challenge. First off, the Huskies run some of the most sophisticated offensive sets in the country. Meanwhile, all five starters average between 10.7 and 15.0 points and can take over games with their individual offense, too. It’s why UConn has the nation’s most efficient offense on KenPom.
Good thing this Alabama team isn’t one to shy away from any challenge.
“We play every possession like it’s our last possession,” Mark Sears said. “We play like every possession matters, especially when it gets deep down in the clock.
“We’re a totally different team now than we were at the beginning of the year.”
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