week 6 game of the week: Alabama vs. creighton
I know, the #1 team got taken down in an absolute classic between Arizona and Purdue. Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith look so much better, Zach Edey is probably going to repeat as the National Player of the Year, and Purdue is hands-down the best team in the country. But, I’ll take Alabama vs. Creighton as the best game this week provided.
This matchup between the Bluejays and the Crimson Tide was so enticing because the two are so similar. Both teams want to make threes and layups, mid-range is never meant to be an option. So, we were in for a shootout.
But, it really didn’t turn out that way. Both teams rely so heavily on the three to win games, and it seemed whichever squad got hot from outside would win this one. That wasn’t really the case.
Alabama shot a measly 4-22 from beyond the arc, and Creighton only 6-18. It was every other aspect of the game that made this such a great contest.
It started off as a 3-point contest early, and was the up-tempo matchup I was expecting. Then, Ryan Kalkbrenner went down around 7 minutes in, and the entire dynamic of the game changed. Nate Oats decided to attack this weakness that just opened up with the absence of Creighton’s 2-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Alabama began to attack the paint, and it worked. Nick Pringle was incredible in the first half. Off of pick-and-rolls and post-ups on the block, he brought his team out front with Creighton’s lack of a shot blocker. Mark Sears, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and Aaron Estrada faded from taking the best outside shot they could get, and transitioned to getting downhill and creating shots at the basket. The Tide absolutely dominated the paint battle, winning it 62-38. Before today, the fewest number of 3s it had made in a game was 8.
It’s becoming clear that Trey Alexander is the complete X-factor for this Creighton team. In both of their losses to UNLV and Colorado State, he was non-existent. Against Bama, he used his lethal mid-range game and dribble ability to keep his team in the fight despite not having Kalkbrenner.
In the second half, Kalkbrenner came back and completely changed the trajectory of the game. His ability to affect the game on both ends of the court provides such a boost for his team and is one of the biggest reasons it is a national championship contender.
Once Kalkbrenner came back in the game, Nate Oats had his team go back to what they know and lean on the 3-ball. It just wasn’t falling today and, if it had, Alabama definitely would’ve won this outing.
Kalkbrenner had 17 second half points and did his job on the defensive end. Alexander went for 22, and Baylor Scheierman was another massive boost with 20 of his own points.
Nick Pringle did an amazing job containing Kalkbrenner and providing a paint presence for the Tide, which they’ve lacked thus far, but foul trouble became an issue. He fouled out with around 3 minutes left, and Bama no longer had someone to stick with Kalkbrenner and make his life difficult. Pringle finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds.
With the lack of shooting, it was the offensive rebounding and second chance points that kept Alabama in this one until the very end. It had 17 offensive rebounds on the night.
In the end, it was the inability of Bama to make shots and the presence of Kalkbrenner that pushed this one the way of Creighton, 85-82.
For Creighton, we saw just how much of a difference Kalkbrenner makes. Fredrick King doesn’t play enough to be able to fill the shoes of Kalkbrenner, and we saw last year too when Kalkbrenner was hurt that Creighton really struggled without him.
For Alabama, they are now 6-4. But, I think Nate Oats is starting to figure this out. The offense looked so much more diverse, and we didn’t see it collapse with the absence of a 3-point shot like we’ve seen this season. The Tide will definitely be competing at the top of the SEC as this team continues to develop.
*all statistics taken from espn.com*