Why Alabama basketball was without its analytics team in SEC Tournament win over Kentucky
NASHVILLE, Tennessee − Kentucky was short-handed in its backcourt in a 99-70 loss to Alabama basketball Friday night in an SEC Tournament quarterfinal, and the Crimson Tide returned Derrion Reid from injury for his first action in weeks.
But that doesn't mean Alabama's bench was at full health.
According to UA coach Nate Oats, his analytics team contracted the flu virus in Nashville, and with a 29-point win secured, he was glad to issue a joking jab about it.
"The guys that run our analytics box score, two of them got the flu while we were here, so we got some subs in. So I don't even have that in front of me," Oats said. "I don't even know how many possessions we had. None of my analytics box scores are in front of me. Our subs in the analytics were not as good as our subs in the game."
Analytics have been a driver of Oats' coaching strategy since his days at Buffalo. And for such a big believer in advanced metrics to not have them in the SEC Tournament wasn't exactly ideal.
No matter; the Crimson Tide ran away with the victory in the second half.
Alabama placed five players in double-digit scoring, including 21 from freshman guard Labaron Philon, whose play has been a key factor in UA wins of late. Alabama (25-7) will face Florida on Saturday in the SEC semifinals (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). With a victory, it could make a strong case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Alabama basketball was without its analytics team in win over UK
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