For a half Tuesday night, it looked as though good was coming from made threes by Alabama basketball. The Crimson Tide was 7-for-16, good for 44 percent from outside the arc. Even with a late, first-half spurt by the Vols, the Crimson Tide led by eight at the break.
The second-half was a different game. Credit Rick Barnes for igniting his team’s defense. In the end, the only thing tied to three for the Tide was a third straight loss. The Tide’s long-range accuracy dipped to 36 percent in the second-half. The cooler shooting did not determine the outcome in the one-point loss.