Alabama Basketball: 3 keys for Final Four NCAA Tournament game against UConn

Take care of the ball

In order to let the shots fly from deep, the Crimson Tide will need the ball in their hands. That means keeping it away from the pesky arms of the Huskies.

Turnovers can sometimes be a problem for Alabama as they play loose on offense. Their first SEC loss, a 20-point defeat to the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville, can largely be attributed to the 22 turnovers the Crimson Tide had.

When it comes to turnovers, Alabama is middle-of-the-road on the national level. The team is averaging 11.9 turnovers per game; they have both the save average and the same number of turnovers this season as the team they nearly made in the Elite Eight, Arizona.

Despite the low point totals of its opponents in the NCAA Tournament, UConn's suffocating defense doesn't actually force a huge amount of turnovers. The Huskies force 10.66 turnovers per game, which ranks 283rd in the nation. Alabama forces more turnovers per game.

This game feels more like it will be a track meet than a defensive epic, although the Huskies can win either way. The Crimson Tide probably can't, though. They need this to be a high-scoring affair and protecting the ball is the way they can make that happen.