TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Streaky Alabama has created different
obstacles to making the NCAA tournament this season.

A recent four-game losing streak and slumping star Tony Mitchell
have left a Crimson Tide team once ranked as high as No. 11 needing a strong finish to end a six-year NCAA drought.

The Tide (14-7, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) still has
nonconference wins over Wichita State, Purdue, Georgia Tech and
Oklahoma State after a weak schedule helped send the team to the
NIT last year.

"They're in a lot better shape at this point this year than
last year," said Jerry Palm, who runs collegerpi.com. "Not even
close. Last year it was going to take a miracle to get in the
tournament. They had a wretched nonconference schedule, they didn't
play very well in it and the league wasn't very good."

This time, Alabama fell from the Top 25 on Dec. 19 after losing
three of four games. Then the Tide went on a five-game win streak
and seemed back on track before trouble struck again.

A four-game skid included a lackluster effort against No. 25
Vanderbilt and a loss to South Carolina -- the Gamecocks' only SEC
win so far -- and left the Tide's hopes for its first NCAA
tournament berth since 2006 limping. Alabama rebounded with a win
over Arkansas last weekend and hosts Mississippi on Saturday.

"We've got nine games left and we're still in control of our
destiny," forward Andrew Steele said. "We try to keep that
perspective in mind. We can't think too far ahead and we can't look
too far back in the past."

Getting Mitchell going would be a nice start.

Mitchell's scoring average has dipped 2.1 points to 13.1 over
the past month. He has made 15 of 50 baskets in the last five
games, including the first scoreless outing of his career against
Vandy.

Leading scorer JaMychal Green came off the bench with a solid
14-point, eight-rebound performance against Arkansas and scored 22 in helping the Tide take No. 1 Kentucky down to the wire at Rupp
Arena. But he also has a pair of six-point efforts over the last
four games.

Beyond those two and Steele, the Tide is a young team, and it
has showed at times.

Coach Anthony Grant said Steele had provided leadership since
returning a month ago after getting medically cleared to play
following several concussions. But, he said, the Tide needs more
consistency in that area.

Freshmen Trevor Lacey, Levi Randolph, Nick Jacobs and Rodney
Cooper have started a combined 47 games.

Steele still thinks the Tide has a shot at making a similar run
to last year's group, which went 12-4 in SEC games and won nine of
10 during one stretch late in the season, then made the
championship game of the NIT.

"I think so but then I think it's two totally different
teams," he said. "Last year's team was a lot more experienced,
where we were mostly juniors and seniors. This year half our team
is freshmen. I think we can kind of look back on the run that last
year's team made, but we can't so much live in the past."

Palm thinks the Tide can make the NCAA tournament if it fares
well in its final five games at Coleman Coliseum, a schedule that
includes visits from No. 12 Florida and No. 22 Mississippi State,
and takes care of business in road games against Auburn and LSU.

"They've got to build on that" Arkansas win, he said.
"They're probably another four-game losing streak from sweating
out Selection Sunday."

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)