Factors within the Paint: Each sport is a conflict — Alabama’s street truly grows harder after the New Yr.

Here is right this moment’s installment of our semi-regular roundup of information on the placement of tides, analytically talking. Alabama has solely performed one sport, as a result of Finals, so not a lot has modified over the previous week (though Alabama is enjoying higher protection, it’s taking pictures a bit higher from the arc, and hopefully Aiden Holloway will discover ways to break the press).

Tape story

AP: No. 7 (final week 10)
Trainers: No. 7 (final week No. 9)
RBI: No. 4 (final week 8)
internet rating: No. 10 (final week 13, 3-2, 1st quarter)
Greatest internet win: No. 11 Illinois
Worst internet loss: No. 27 Bordeaux
SOS: Fourth

Scoring offense: fifth (89.2 ppg)
Help/to ratio: 77th (1.38)
PPG bench: 22 (33.44)
Efficient taking pictures: seventy (.551)
Break factors: 86 (13.00)
3 Pubg: Sixteenth (30.3)
3P%: 207th place (32.97%)
Free Commerce Settlement p: Eleventh (27.0)
foot%: 138th place (72.84%)
To p: 238 (12.9 pg)

Protection registration: 315 (78.1 PPG)
Protection FG%: 83rd place (40.728%)
3PT protection: twenty ninth (27.9%)
Def. being pregnant. p: Seventh (30.56)
on. Doubt. p: 66 (12.89)
vs. Doubt. p: 63 (37.2)
Doubt. margin: 68 (6.0 graduate)
To pressured PG: 318 (10.83 pg)
To the margin: 306 (-2.6 pg)

Ken Increase: seventh place (4th cease, thirty fourth protection, sixth rhythm)
Evan Mia: seventh place (3 stops, twentieth protection, 2nd rhythm)
Bart Torvik: 7 (3 off, protection 30, tempo 5)

Greatest stats: Opponent-adjusted offense (122.7 factors per 100 possessions, 2nd total)
Worst statistics: Adjusted opponent turnover share (13.6%, 338th)

Since we final checked in on the Tide, the remainder of the nation has been a large number — virtually everybody who performed an excellent schedule has already had a loss after 2-3 weeks, and half of the highest 12 groups are already carrying two of them. Hell, 4 Groups contained in the Internet Prime 30 have already got three losses, together with No. 8 Houston. Even KenPom No. 30 UNC, which sits there at 5-4 on the season, has 4 Of them. In truth, solely 15 groups within the high 50 have fewer than two losses.

There may be a whole lot of parity on the high stage in comparison with KenPom’s high 50 groups, as there are solely 4 flawless groups (Utah State, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, and Florida). None of them have a schedule that ranks 217th in problem. The alleged AP No. 1 this week, Tennessee, performed one of many weakest groups in your complete nation: No. 344.

However for each Florida and Tennessee, there are many good groups which might be rallying collectively in a “put together for March” method — punishing themselves in November and December, even earlier than convention schedules, with the hope of getting a mentally robust crew and a powerful squad. Put up-season bonus. It will be very tough for anybody to face this sort of problem with out getting a scratch right here and there. So, we’ll must see who will profit from this in about 4 or 5 months. However you may’t assist however assume groups like Alabama (4th), Auburn (eighth) and Gonzaga (thirteenth) will reap these dividends later.

Do not attempt to perceive which crew is healthier by enjoying a transitive sport both. Take Bama’s subsequent opponent, the hated Creighton Blue Jays. Creighton was overwhelmed by almost twenty factors by an honest Nebraska crew. Certain, the Huskers, ranked 62nd, are a strong crew, however they’re extra like “NCAA bubble”-good than “beat Creighton by 20 factors”-good. Then those self same Blue Jays rotated per week later and beat Kansas by fifteen factors in a sport through which they managed the publish, turned the lights out from the perimeter, and did not path for 38:13 of the sport.

2024-2025 would not seem to be the yr you “pack your lunch as a result of anybody can beat you.” There are even explosions ready for you virtually each week on schedule. Nowhere does this ring more true than in Alabama. The Tide’s SEC schedule, which shocked us in June with its diploma of problem, has one way or the other managed to get even worse.

With almost a 3rd of the common season within the books, here is what the remainder of Alabama’s roster appears to be like like:

• Creighton (No. 42) – T2
• @North Dakota (No. 282) – T4
• Kent State (No. 116) – T3
• South Dakota State (No. 118) – T3
• Oklahoma (No. 13) – T1
• @South Carolina (No. 66) – T1
• @Tamo (No. 17) – T1
• Ole Miss (No. 19) – T1
• @Kentucky (No. 5) – T1
• Vanderbilt (No. 60) – T2
• LSU (No. 54) – T2
• @Miss Nation (No. 25) – T1
• Georgia (No. 37) – T1
• @Arkansas (No. 38) – T1
• @Texas (No. 42) – T1
• Auburn (No. 2) – T1
• @Missouri (No. 50) – T1
• Kentucky (No. 5) – T1
• Miss State (No. 25) – T1
• @Tennessee (No. 1) – T1
• Florida (No. 9) – T1
• @Auburn (No. 2) – T1

Let that sink in for a minute: Creighton is among the Tide Islands Simpler Main convention video games remaining on the schedule. The third-easiest crew on the SEC schedule can be Alabama — and the Jays can be thirteenth out of the 16 groups ranked by KenPom. It is Bama’s schedule. Nonetheless There are 15 video games remaining within the high tier, 11 of which can face high 25 groups, three video games in opposition to high 10 groups on the street, and a closing two weeks that finish with 4 high 10 groups in 5 video games.

So, Alabama followers might imagine they’ll breathe a bit simpler after a really tough begin to the season, however the street is transferring Harder Any more, it is not simpler. Get pleasure from these subsequent two weeks because the Tide performs its quartet of groups from the Higher Midwest, as a result of each sport after the brand new yr is an absolute conflict: Solely two T2 opponents the remainder of the best way (and I am not satisfied they’re going to end as T2 in any occasion).

All this chaos, and staring within the mirror, obtained me considering: Perhaps Nate Oats is not difficult this crew early to prepare for March, a lot as he is doing it to arrange them for January and February. The SEC has come a great distance in just some years, and one of many best-compensated coaches within the nation can have his hold within the coming winter months.

Say Hosanna. Alabama will want it.

Roll the tide.