The FOX telecast lingered on Mark Sears’ final shot.

The ball halfway through the basket, swooshing around, Alabama had nearly forced its way into overtime against Creighton, a top-10 team on the road. But as the case has been for most of the season, there just wasn’t enough “winning stuff” going the Crimson Tide’s way on Saturday night, and Sears’ attempt swirled off the rim.

“I think it reaffirmed what we already knew after the Purdue game, Clemson, Ohio State. I mean you look at the efficiency metrics, a lot of them have us top 10 in the country,” head coach Nate Oats said postgame. “Nobody in the country has us top 10 because we don’t make enough winning plays in the game. We’re right there.”

In 2022, Alabama didn’t lose its fourth game until Feb. 15. But the 2023 Crimson Tide reached that mark within 10 games after an 85-82 final score. Up next is a date on Dec. 20 in Phoenix against No. 1 Arizona.

Per KenPom’s adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency metrics, Alabama is the No. 9 team nationally, right behind 7-2 Auburn. The Tide has the top-rated offense, ranking top-25 in 3-points and two-point field goal rates. Mark Sears has also graded out as one of the best offensive players in the SEC (he’s 10th in KenPom’s Player of the Year standings).

But that’s been paired with below-average defensive metrics like effective field-goal percentage (221st) and turnover rate (230th). Essentially, against major conference opponents, Alabama is getting into shootouts and the new-look roster — the team is ranked 275th in minutes continuity — can’t find the formula late in crunch time.

Both against Creighton in Omaha and on Nov. 28 at home against Clemson, Alabama held a 66-63 lead with eight minutes remaining. The Tigers outscored Alabama by 11 down the stretch and the Bluejays by six. Against Purdue, Alabama also trailed by one point with 3:30 left.

“We had some positive things, I think we played well in stretches,” Oats said. ” … In our four losses, we’ve shown that we’re right there with all the best teams in the country. But we don’t enough winning stuff to actually win the game.”

Oats has harped on his team’s defensive effort over the last month and noted its slight improvement. Creighton went six of 18 from 3-point range, but Oats said a few misses were due to Bluejays shooters missing open shots. Alabama out-rebounded Creighton 37-32.

Alabama is 1-5 in Quadrant-1 games according to the NCAA Net rankings. Such wins are usually the bedrock of tournament resumes and the Tide has a chance for a marquee one versus Arizona next week.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].