Alabama Basketball: 3 keys for the Tide against Arizona

Alabama Basketball has an amazing opportunity to right the ship against the Arizona Wildcats. What do they have to do to get a win? Here are three keys to victory.

TV Schedule: Sunday, Dec. 9th, 1:00 p.m. ET, ESPN

Arena: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, AL

Alabama Basketball has a huge test this week against the Arizona Wildcats. In this game, the Tide will try to end a two-game losing streak suffered by the hands of UCF and Georgia State. Games like these will mean a lot to Alabama when it comes time to learn who made March Madness.

The fact that this game is home should give Coach Johnson’s squad a boost in energy, but that hasn’t always proven to be enough. In the aforementioned loss to Georgia State, the Tide blew a 22-point lead at home to an inferior opponent. The game ended on a heartbreaking buzzer-beating perimeter shot to send the Panther fans home with smiles on their faces.

In that game, Alabama did most things right. They shot more free throws, out rebounded, and kept the same amount of turnovers. The loss was mostly a failure to maintain the momentum from the first half. After flexing on State the first 20 minutes, they failed to finish their set in the second half. These issues will have to be fixed by the Tide before SEC play.

Arizona has played relatively well despite not winning any major games. Their sole losses on the season come from Gonzaga and Auburn, two of the best teams in the nation. However, neither of these games were competitive at all. Arizona might become a team that rides the middle of the pack: too good to lose to non-contenders, but too bad to beat top teams. This game might be a test for both teams to see who can prove that they are  worthy of competing on the big stage.

So, what does Alabama have to do to win this game? I’ve mapped out three keys that will lead to success this weekend.

*All stats come from Sports Reference