Mistakes cost Tide potential win

TUSCALOOSA — You can pat them on the head for playing a good game, keeping it respectable and giving Kentucky a scare.

Or you can shake your head and kick the ground about what a missed opportunity Saturday was for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Let’s kick.

15,316 people crowded into Coleman Coliseum — easily the biggest of the season — and not many were wearing blue.

This was a chance for Mark Gottfried’s team to win a big game, at home, on regional television. This was a chance to win back some support, or at least win over some new faces, for a coach whose job is on the line this season.

They did a lot of things right to position themselves for a victory. But they didn’t finish.

And in the Southeastern Conference, even against Kentucky, close doesn’t count.

Point guard Mikhail Torrance, coming off games in which he scored 20, 24 and 24 points, had zero. Zip. He played 24 minutes and had one assist, two steals,
five rebounds and two turnovers. But didn’t his newly shaved head shine in the TV lights?

“He just seemed to have one of those days,” Tide coach Mark Gottfried said. “That’s going to happen sometimes.”

Leading scorers Alonzo Gee (14.3 ppg average) and Senario Hillman (13.6 ppg) combined for 6-for-22 shooting from the field and 17 total points.

While Alabama’s inability to take advantage of Patrick Patterson’s 10-minute absence with foul trouble was a big factor in this loss, Crimson Tide coach Mark Gottfried said the trouble began much earlier.

“I looked at our chart and we had 13 chances around the rim and couldn’t get the ball in the basket in the first half,” Gottfried said.

It wasn’t any better at crunch time, either.

But there really were some bright spots. JaMychal Green was Alabama’s best player Saturday. That should continue as the freshman learns to steer clear of foul trouble and earn more minutes.

Green’s scoring line was OK — 5-for-9 from the field, 5-for-7 from the foul line, 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots, a steal and three turnovers in a team-leading 36 minutes.

But the energy he brings inside allowed Alabama to play with Kentucky inside.

Billy Gillispie said he thinks Patrick Patterson is an All-American. Patterson had six points and five defensive rebounds in 27 minutes before fouling out.

“It wasn’t Patrick’s best game offensively,” Gillispie said. “But they did a fantastic job taking that away from us.”

Justin Knox said Green deserves credit for a good bit of that.

“He played a very good game — getting offensive boards, keeping plays alive, getting Patterson in foul trouble,” Knox said.

“He’s improving every game. He’s only going to get better from here.”

Green was disgusted with the final six minutes.

“We had too many turnovers and our shots weren’t falling,” he noted.

He also was honest enough to provide an explanation.

“I guess we just ran out of gas.”

He said the pace was exhausting. But it was another learning experience.

“I’m trying to stop making dumb fouls, stay on the court and help my team win,” Green said. “That’s what I tried to do tonight.”

Still, the inside play of Knox, Green and Yamene Coleman kept Kentucky from dominating the game inside. Both teams had 20 points in the paint and
Alabama, while outrebounded 42-36, gave UK just 11 offensive rebounds and three second-chance points.

“As a group, it was a confidence boost,” Knox said, speaking for the inside players. “We really wanted to keep good angles in the post. I think we did a good job keeping them in check, keeping them out of the paint.”

But the points got scarce in the second half, particularly at crunch time. And with so many eyes on this game, Alabama left the arena knowing a big one got away.