VANDERBILT-ALABAMA -- MORE THAN COLLIN SEXTON

Insider forum for fans of Vanderbilt football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball. Signup for access here https://www.14powers.com/signup-for-membership/ If you are a premium member and are having trouble accessing this board please email donyates@vandymania.com Include your username in the email.
zemek
Commander
Posts: 431
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2016 4:17 pm

VANDERBILT-ALABAMA -- MORE THAN COLLIN SEXTON

Post by zemek »

Information and analysis on Alabama players provided by college basketball freelance researcher and writer Nathan Giese

The Vanderbilt men's basketball team didn't get the familiar ending it hoped for this past Saturday, before the end of 2017.

Vanderbilt chased down Florida on Senior Day, and it similarly used a late finishing kick to defeat the Gators in the SEC Tournament. It got very nervous for the home folks in Gainesville in this season's SEC opener, when Vanderbilt -- trailing by a substantial working margin for much of the day -- pulled within four points near the end of its road trip to Florida.

This time, however, the Gators regrouped, mainly thanks to Chris Chiozza, whose bucket stopped Vanderbilt's charge. The Commodores don't lack for effort -- they make their opponents work -- but they do lack efficiency at both ends of the floor. Resolute rallies and confident comebacks are admirable, but they are not sustainable over the full course of a season. Vanderbilt goes through debilitating stretches of play against virtually every quality team it faces. The Dores have been unable to follow one of the cardinal rules of basketball: minimize bad runs and droughts. Scoring only 20 points in the first half on Saturday stacked the odds against VU, and this team -- as any observer can see -- is not physically imposing enough on defense to put opponents in highly uncomfortable situations. The chronic inability to force turnovers -- which can create easy baskets and greatly reduce strain on a full roster of players -- leaves Vanderbilt with a relatively low margin for error. Even when the effort is there, the physical prowess is not.

Forcing only five turnovers against Florida reduced VU's margins enough as it was; the 40-20 halftime deficit made the path all the way to the finish line nearly impossible to complete. VU darn near did the impossible, but the reality of lacking an extra measure of quality remains.

Now Vanderbilt turns its attention to Alabama, which waxed Texas A&M in a high-profile SEC opener. Everyone in the SEC and across the nation know about Collin Sexton, the man primarily responsible for the Crimson Tide's quick rise to an NCAA Tournament-level team. Alabama has made some missteps but owns a strength of schedule and a package of wins which will continue to look better in the coming months. Sexton creates offense in so many ways -- on his own and as a magnet for opposing defenses -- that the rest of his team doesn't feel overburdened.

That point's value is obvious, but it also owns a counterintuitive element. Alabama is led by Sexton, but this team is so much more than that. The star carries the role players, but the other side of the coin is that the role players are very good in their roles. They have to be; otherwise, the star is lost on an island, in much the way LeBron James was with the Cleveland Cavalier teams from 2008-2010 which fell short of making the NBA Finals and flamed out in the playoffs.

Alabama has role players who are worthy of being on the floor with Sexton. They supplement and enhance what he does -- coach Avery Johnson has a winning balance, and that emerged against A&M over the weekend. Alabama ground down the Aggies with defense, including and especially in the paint. Tyler Davis and Robert Williams represent a potent and imposing 1-2 frontcourt power punch, and Alabama was able to withstand that muscle and skill. Alabama's defense stood out more than anything the Tide attempted to do on offense.

Vanderbilt obviously needs to prevent Sexton from busting loose as a scorer, but VU will win this game if its offense can figure out and maneuver around Alabama's low-post defenders or draw them out of position. Effective inside-out offense -- probing the paint and getting players driving to the basket, forcing Alabama defenders to react, will give VU the template it seeks. It's easier said than done, however, given the quality of the Tide's defense.

Here is a look at Alabama's lineup:

Collin Sexton: He developed more of a following after almost willing Alabama to a win over Minnesota while playing 3-on-5 earlier this season. What made that performance so memorable was that, frankly, it played into Sexton’s skill set: one-on-one, using his speed as much as possible, and throwing caution to the wind -- just going for it.

Sexton is very quick with the ball and his role is to carry the load for the Crimson Tide. Avery Johnson is putting him into pick-and-roll situations more than most in college basketball, mostly because that’s what he’ll be doing in the NBA. Unsurprisingly, Sexton is thriving in that situation, averaging just under one point per possession. He’s hitting 45 percent of his shots, 39 percent from 3-point range and 79 percent of his over 100 free throw attempts.

Sexton does have the qualities of a very solid defender, but hasn’t shown them much this season. Part of that is an effort to try to stay out of foul trouble. It happens with top prospects. He does average at least one steal per game.

John Petty: He and Sexton have dominated the shot totals for Alabama and it’s not even close. Petty has taken 139 shots to Sexton’s 154 and 103 of those have been from three. He’s hitting under 40 percent beyond the arc, but the ratio tells the story. Petty wants to shoot the ball, especially with his 21 free throw attempts.

He also shares the "kinda-sorta defender" label with Sexton. He’s capable, just not much to get excited about. Other players on the Tide handle defense and dirty work at a very high level, part of why this team is so formidable.

Donta Hall: He leads the team in rebounding with 7.4 per contest. He also does not take a shot he can’t hit. Literally, he’s taken 85 shots and hit 63 of them, most of which are off cuts and offensive rebounds. The 6-foot-9 forward isn’t going to be featured in the offense, but he’ll get his stats through outworking the opposition. He also has 34 blocks on the year, which are near the top of the national leaderboard.

He’s extremely good on defense. How good? He’s allowed 34 total points to opponents as the primary defender. That’s one point for every block he has come up with. In early January, that's a staggeringly low total, but as one can readily see, it takes a lot of pressure off Sexton and Petty at the defensive end of the floor, hiding or at least minimizing their weaknesses. This, in turn, enables them to focus more on their offense and not lose steam later in games.

Dazon Ingram: Second on the team in rebounding (6.6) and the fourth player to average double-digit scoring numbers (11.3), Ingram has taken the third-most shots on the team and can make plays with his passing or scoring ability. He gets to the line frequently, does a solid job finishing in transition and is an average spot-up shooter.

Ingram spearheads the defensive perimeter for the Tide, which helps to keep Sexton on the floor. Opponents are hitting just 26 percent of their shots against Ingram and have a hard time hitting shots on him anywhere in his vicinity (whether he's the primary or secondary defender).

The Rest: Riley Norris, Daniel Giddens, Herbert James and Braxton Key have all started multiple games for Alabama this season, all averaging fewer than five points per game. Jones stands out with 17 steals (leading the team), though that’s about it for the rest. Alabama is a four-horse team, but they are pretty good horses.