Gottfried seeking answers to Tide's problems

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama coach Mark Gottfried is hardly ready to panic over his team&#39;s recent struggles.<br> <br> He&#39;s also not about to start analyzing the 12th-ranked Crimson Tide&#39;s NCAA tournament chances, which once seemed assured.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s a long basketball season, and there&#39;s a ton of basketball left,&#39;&#39; Gottfried said Thursday on the Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference. ``My objective is to get this team to play better basketball and hopefully maximize ourselves.<br> <br> ``I think the last couple of weeks we haven&#39;t done that. That&#39;s where our concern is right now. Period.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Tide (15-4, 2-3 SEC) is trying to rebound from Tuesday night&#39;s 81-57 loss at Auburn when Arkansas (13-7, 2-4) visits on Saturday.<br> <br> The Razorbacks started Alabama&#39;s current troubles with an 88-61 win in Fayetteville on Jan. 6. The Tide has lost its first three SEC road games by an average of 24 points but is 10-0 at home this season.<br> <br> Gottfried doesn&#39;t believe that first meeting with Arkansas will impact the rematch.<br> <br> ``That was a while back,&#39;&#39; he said. ``You learn from your mistakes, good and bad, even if you play well. Each game is its own game. Very few times in our league does one game affect another game, if you&#39;re winning or you&#39;re losing.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Alabama has lost two of its last three games and had to rally from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat Georgia.<br> <br> With 11 regular-season SEC games and the league tournament awaiting, it might be premature to start wondering whether the Tide can continue its five-year streak of NCAA bids.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re not even thinking about that,&#39;&#39; Gottfried said. ``I want this team to become the best team it can be. This is a long season, a lot of ups and downs. We&#39;re going to keep working hard every day.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Tide&#39;s troubles include several of the team&#39;s stars.<br> <br> Richard Hendrix has managed just 10 points in the past two games with his minutes limited by foul trouble.<br> <br> Jermareo Davidson is shooting just 31 percent from the floor over the last five games.<br> <br> Point guard Ronald Steele hit the game-winning shot against Georgia but is still affected by tendinitis in his right knee. He scored 19 points in the Auburn game but also had five turnovers.<br> <br> ``We just haven&#39;t been very sharp in really any phases of the game in those losses that we&#39;ve had, offensively and defensively,&#39;&#39; Gottfried said. ``We just have to get better.&#39;&#39;