Even after concluding a non-conference schedule that featured the likes of #4 Gonzaga and #12 Houston - arguably the toughest slate any team in the country has taken on - the 19th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3, NET: 23, Kenpom: 19) is still trying to figure things out. After dispatching both of the aforementioned 2021 Final Four participants, Alabama ended the first half of the season with less than encouraging performances against Memphis, Jacksonville State, and Davidson - two of which ended up as outright losses.
So, despite a strong record against a brutal stretch, one that any of us would have absolutely taken prior to the season beginning, the Tide finds itself in search of answering a few questions - how to better take care of the ball, prevent blow-bys on defense, keep the opponents off of the offensive glass, etc.