Is it time to be worried about Alabama’s offense? Nate Oats is

Alabama men’s basketball could have a problem brewing on offense.

That will especially apply if the performance against Ole Miss bleeds over into other games.

Alabama sputtered all night offensively, and it resulted in a double-digit loss at home. The no. 21 rebels beat no. 4 Alabama 74-64 at Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday. It marked the first loss in conference play for the Crimson Tide (14-3, 3-1 SEC) and the first loss since Nov. 30.

Alabama averaged .889 points per game. possession. That’s nowhere near the number the Crimson Tide wants or expects.

“I think we should all be pretty concerned to be honest with you,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said of the direction of the offense. “We’re not aggressive, except for our rebounds. The guards didn’t come off attacking a contact like we try to coach them to do. We don’t shoot the ball very well. Part of that is we don’t get very good shots .”

Offensive rebounding has been one thing Oats could count on before Tuesday. The Crimson Tide entered the game ranked No. 11 in rebound percentage in the country, according to KenPom. A few past highlights: The Crimson Tide grabbed 20 offensive boards against Oklahoma and 18 against Texas A&M. Both conferences win.

After that, Alabama only managed to grab four offensive rebounds in the loss to Ole Miss.

“Maybe the most disappointing thing about the night in my opinion was our lack of effort on the offensive glass,” Oats said. “I don’t know if our guys didn’t realize that’s what’s kept our offense going. The offensive rebound rate has really saved us in some of these games.”

It didn’t in the game against Ole Miss, which revealed some other problems.

Alabama made the fewest 3-pointers of the season with five on 20 attempts (25%). That’s not the worst percentage of the season, but it’s certainly nowhere near the number the Crimson Tide would like.

Alabama doesn’t need to make triples at a high clip to win games. But it wants to do better than it has done at times this season. Consistent clutch shooting hasn’t always been there.

And then there is the turnover. Alabama tied a season-high against Ole Miss with 21. The Crimson Tide turned the ball over on 29.2% of possessions.

The problem is, it’s not just limited to the Ole Miss game. Turnovers have been an issue at other times as well, though they haven’t always cost the Crimson Tide wins. Per KenPom, Alabama ranked No. 112 in turnover percentage heading into Tuesday, and the Crimson Tide dropped to No. 157 after the match.

Ole Miss was one of the best in the country for turning over teams, now ranked 10th. So it’s understandable that Alabama had some issues. But 21 turnovers is not a formula for any kind of successful or efficient offense.

“We lost this game on the offensive end,” Oats said. “We lost the game with our turnovers and lack of effort on the offensive glass. Guys that we count on to get offensive rebounds came through with nothing for us.”

The key for Alabama will be to hit reset on offense before the road matchup against Kentucky this Saturday (11 a.m. CT, ESPN). The Crimson Tide must move past the troubling Ole Miss performance of the past and cut off any troubling trends before they have room to grow.

There is still plenty of season left to play and time for the offense to get back on track, although there are some troubling elements after the loss to Ole Miss. Alabama still has the No. 9 in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. This is a drop from no. 2 ranking heading into the game, but it’s still top 10.

“We’re going to spend a lot of time evaluating this one,” Oats said. “We’re definitely going to have to get back on the offensive boards. It’s saved our offense. I don’t know if our guys felt like they didn’t need more or what. It obviously didn’t work out very well for us.”

Nick Kelly is a beat writer from Alabama AL.com and Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.