The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide faced a tough challenge on the road against No. 13 Purdue, ultimately falling 87-78 in a game that exposed several weaknesses in their game plan. The Boilermakers controlled both halves, taking the first half 42-40 and the second half 45-38, leaving Nate Oats and his team searching for answers.
Following the loss, Alabama head coach Nate Oats was candid about the team’s performance. He acknowledged the value of these high-stakes non-conference matchups but didn’t shy away from admitting where things went wrong.
“We schedule these games for a reason, where we’d like to go against the best teams in the country and figure out what we got work on. We’ve got plenty to work on after this game,” Oats stated. “Braden Smith’s one of the best guards in the country. They don’t turn the ball over. They had three turnovers as a team. We got beat up in the post a little bit more than I thought we were going to.”
Oats admitted that Purdue’s interior game caught them off guard. “We didn’t prepare enough for their post-ups,” Oats said. “I didn’t know [Kaufman-Renn] was that good. He kind of killed us in there. It wasn’t just Cliff, it was everybody that guarded him. The coaching staff’s got to do a better job prepping for post-ups like that.”
Defensive Adjustments Needed
Another area of concern for Oats was Alabama’s defense, particularly their inability to stop Purdue’s guards from penetrating and converting mid-range shots. “Our defense struggled a little bit last year, and while I think we’re definitely going to be better this year, tonight wasn’t one of our best performances,” Oats admitted.
Purdue’s ability to score in the mid-range, caught Alabama off guard. “We needed to do a better job pushing them down to the rim to get some shot-blocking. We didn’t. They hit some tough shots, but we’ve got to be better on D.”
Struggles to Close Out Games
“We’ve got to do a better job closing games, especially when we get a lead,” Oats noted. “They just kind of walked us down after we got up six. We thought we could wear them down more, but they closed the game better than we did.”
Oats also highlighted the need to get their shooters better looks, as Alabama struggled to find rhythm from beyond the arc. “We didn’t do a great job getting our shooters open,” he admitted. “Purdue’s guards are super skilled. Smith and Loyer don’t turn the ball over too much and they don’t miss many open shots.”
Looking Ahead: Crimson Tide’s Next Test
“We’ve got a lot to improve on, and we’ll get back to the drawing board. The good thing is we have some time to correct our mistakes before facing Illinois,” Oats said, hoping for a stronger performance from his team at both ends of the floor.