It was another defeat for Alabama in beatdown fashion Tuesday night, falling 105-87 in Gainesville against Florida.
In what was yet another horrendous defensive performance, head coach Nate Oats addressed the struggles on that end of the floor in his postgame media availability:
"Our guys have to understand that there's a defensive mindset that has to be there every play no matter what happens on offense and really, to be honest with you, no matter what happens on defense." – Alabama Head Coach Nate Oats after giving up 105 points in the loss at Florida. pic.twitter.com/St8mDebvJn
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) March 6, 2024
“Our guys have to understand that there’s a defensive mindset that has to be there every play no matter what happens on offense and really, to be honest with you, no matter what happens on defense…Right now we have too many guys that get frustrated and have too many letdowns,” Oats said.
The Tide have had a fall off on the defensive end of epic proportions this season in an Oats system that while fast offense is a staple, defensive fortitude is critical as well.
Last season, Alabama finished with the No. 3 overall adjusted defense in the nation, per KenPom. This year, the unit has fallen into the triple digits in the same category with a ranking of 106.
While Alabama has the No. 1 offense in the nation, a potent offense is simply not going to matter enough when the defense is as poor as it is.
As the NCAA Tournament approaches, Alabama must get the defense to a level where it’s not a complete liability if it wants any hopes of a tournament run.
At the same time, it is beginning to feel like if things have not improved by now, they won’t improve this season and the Tide will have to rely on a hot offense in order to win at all this postseason.
