As Tari Eason secured four successive points, the Crimson Tide got the ball back trailing by one in overtime. LSU called a timeout with 38 seconds left on the clock to give Alabama a chance to choose how to use its upcoming and maybe final possession.
The Crimson Tide wasted their chance
With only four seconds left on the shot clock, Alabama was forced to inbound a pass, giving them one final chance. The issue is that JD Davison didn’t seem to be aware that the Crimson Tide had that little time left.
Davison smashed but didn’t manage to hit even close to the buzzer and Alabama made a turnaround with eight seconds left. LSU defeated No. 24 Alabama 80-77 in overtime after making two free throws to finish the game.
Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats said:
“One of my assistants said they had eye contact with both players involved, (Jahvon Quinerly) and (Davison), and let them know.”
He added:
“But JD said he didn’t know. That’s on me. As the head coach, I’ve got to make sure to look every guy in the eye and tell them myself. There’s four seconds on the clock. JD said he did not know. That’s on us. I thought everybody was aware.”
Oats quoted that he would have preferred to miss a 3-pointer than having to foul after a turnaround in a short time period. With seven seconds left, Eric Gaines of LSU was fouled by Davison. Gaines stumbled and made both of his free throw attempts to increase the margin to three points. In the dying seconds, Alabama (19-12, 9-9 SEC) had a chance to attempt a 3-pointer, but Quinerly was unable to make the shot, and LSU triumphed. The regular-season series between the Crimson Tide and Tigers were split. The previous five games had been victories for Alabama.
Additionally, Alabama has now dropped its final two games of the season in a row, with each game featuring at least 19 turnovers. On Wednesday, the first trip was to Texas A&M. Then, while playing the Tigers, Alabama did 20 turnovers.
Alabama would have received the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament if the Crimson Tide had beaten the Tigers (21-10, 9-9 SEC). It’s still possible, but it will rely on how Saturday’s remaining SEC games play out.
In Tampa, Florida, the conference tournament is scheduled to start on Wednesday, while Alabama is scheduled to start playing on Thursday. On Sunday, March 13, the Crimson Tide will then earn its NCAA Tournament seed.
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