Alabama experienced another thrill in the Players Era Festival finale on Saturday. After narrow victories over Houston and Rutgers, the Crimson Tide narrowly failed 83:81 against a strong Oregon team. No. 9 Alabama (7-2) lost its second game of the season and finished second in the first edition of the multi-team event.

The tide certainly didn’t go down without a fight. Alabama almost came back from a five-point deficit 31 seconds after a steal and free throw from Mark Sears, followed by an offensive rebound from Mouahmed Dioubate that led to two more free throws, tying the game at 81.

After a quick Oregon basket, Grant Nelson’s final layup at the buzzer was missed in time and the Tide were unable to mount an improbable comeback. Despite the loss, Alabama will still earn $1.25 million for its second-place NIL team, and the team certainly gained much-needed experience against three quality opponents during the tournament.

Here are three takeaways from Alabama’s final game of the Player’s Era Festival.

The way both teams scored the goals on Saturday quickly became apparent. Oregon’s offensive discipline allowed the Ducks to continually create opportunities, while Alabama shot freely as usual and, as in the win over Rutgers, found success from 3-point range.

Oregon scored more than half of its 39 total points in the first half in the lane and finished the game with 38 points. The Ducks targeted mismatches and switched to create them. They also leaned heavily on center Nate Bittle, who finished the game with 19 points and nine rebounds, including the game-winning putback dunk.

Alabama began to slip in the second half after guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. left the game with a lower leg injury. The Tide’s shot stopped falling and Oregon extended the lead to double digits midway through the second half. But like everyone, disciplined Nate Oats On the other hand, Alabama didn’t give up or stop shooting. The Tide went on a quick 12-4 run to cut the Ducks’ lead. Forward Jarin Stevenson hit three more three-pointers and appears to have rediscovered his shooting form. Stevenson finished the game with 11 points on 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

As the game progressed, both teams began to change their style to counter the other. Alabama narrowed the deficit in post scoring and scored 30 points on offense. While Oregon got Bittle going in the lane, the Ducks – particularly guard Keeshawn Barthelemy – started hitting a few key threes. Barthelemy finished the game with 22 points on four long-range shots that helped hold back the Tide.

While Alabama’s pace against Oregon was much quicker than in Wednesday’s game against Rutgers, they still made mistakes due to some loose basketball play and Oregon’s strong defense.

Alabama turned the ball over 15 times Saturday night. Nine of those turnovers came in the first half, helping Oregon go on a 10-2 run and take the lead in the opening period. On offense, Alabama quickly got the ball up front – and even took advantage of some transition possessions – but in half-court sets, the Tide players seemed to be stuck with no option as they drove into the lane to get paint contact and then tried to score. to kick the ball out. Alabama was too loose with the ball, while Oregon’s defense cut off passing lanes and stuck with players moving away from the ball.

In contrast, Oregon was much more cautious in possession on offense. The Ducks didn’t score their first turnover until 6:03 into the first half and finished the game with just 3 turnovers. Oregon finished the game with just eight turnovers as Alabama didn’t cause the same disruptions as the Ducks on defense.

Oregon continued to increase the pressure while Alabama continued to give the ball away. That recipe helped Oregon take another lead, 15-5, and build an eight-point lead with just over 12 minutes left. It was only after double-digit turnovers that Alabama was able to get back into the game by finally cleaning up. Alabama’s defense also started coming alive late. Stevenson nearly scored the game-winning goal for Alabama late in the game when he thwarted an Oregon fastbreak layup attempt, but the referees ruled it a goaltender.

Alabama freshman guard Labaron Philon has been one of college basketball’s breakout stars in the early weeks of the season. But Philon’s form initially didn’t seem to follow him to Las Vegas. Philon scored just five points combined in Alabama’s wins over Houston and Rutgers after big scoring performances against Illinois and Purdue.

Instead of hanging his head, Philon found his groove in the championship game. He scored eight points in four minutes in the first half, starting another outstanding performance for Alabama. The freshman guard led Alabama with 15 points.

Philon is still developing his outside game. He shot just 25% from 3-point range early in the game, but drilled both attempts from long range on Saturday. He also showed the persistent effort and skill that has become an integral part of Philon’s game. He matched Nelson’s performance with seven rebounds and had two assists and a steal.

With the Players Era Festival in the books, Alabama begins preparations for a trip to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Crimson Tide will face No. 12 North Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Tipoff is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. at the Dean E. Smith Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.