BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— Second, third, fourth and even fifth chances are far from ideal for a defense in the game of basketball. However, repeat opportunities were aplenty in No. 1 Arizona’s 96-75 win against Alabama in the C.M. Newton Classic on Saturday night. The Crimson Tide surrendered 22 offensive rebounds and only nabbed three. The total rebounding margin was 52-32 Wildcats.
“The toughness factor was a problem,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said. “You can’t win games giving your opponent 28 more field goal attempts. Offensive glass, we had three the whole game. They had 22. We lost the rebounds by 20 again. This has been a recurring issue with us… When we play these tough, physical teams, we haven’t answered the bell real well on the glass.”
Oats pointed out that Arizona’s two centers, Mo Krivas and Tobe Awaka, combined for 29 rebounds. Sixteen of those boards were on the offensive end; nine belonged to Krivas. As a team, the Crimson Tide had 32 total rebounds. Situations like that create statistics such as the one that eventuated from Saturday’s contest wherein Arizona had 84 attempts from the field and No. 12 Alabama had 56…