Bracketology and Bama...

Bama to be a part of history?

Grant has his work cut out for him this week...

    The addition of four new teams to the field of 64 not 68 is going to be interesting.  Then the thought hit me - Bama is very likely to be one of the play in teams to get the 12th seed somewhere.  That assumes that Bama finished at least 12-4 in the SEC and that ties for the SEC Crown. Here's the best thing Alabama has going for it at this point. If Bama beats Georgia on Saturday it means it will have beaten Georgia and Tennessee head to head. Those two Eastern Division teams seem to be fighting it out for an invitation along with the Crimson Tide.
     I don't think Bama can win in Florida. That makes the Georgia game huge. A loss to Florida would give the Tide 4 losses in the SEC.  Florida has to go to Kentucky and to Vanderbilt. They'll likely be underdogs in both but are probably better than either of those teams. If you love Bama you better pull for the Wildcats and 'Dores.  That would be the common sense scenario. But what if Bama beats Florida?  It could. Bama's defense is so solid they will always be close it seems win or lose.  That the Tide needs is some red hot shooting.

A peek ahead to next season...
     Hillman, Hines, and Davis will graduate.  Of those three it will be the junkyard dog, Chris Hines, who is hardest to replace. Hillmans defense will be missed but his offense was so hit and miss it seemed like Grant can't trust him in key moments. Personally, I'd put him in key defensive situations and say if you anything other than a break away I'll put you down quicker than a horse with two broken legs.  Davis turned out to be a solid defender but clearly his shooting on the road has been horrible. He can be replaced.  That leaves one of my favorite players, Chris Hines, to replace. Chris does nothing exceptionally well, but he doesn't do anything stupid to hurt you. He can rebound well, and has shown the ability to score when needed. He is like a utility player in baseball. He will be sorely missed.
Randolph, Cooper, Gueye, and Jacobs are all aboard. The of the four are four star rated players, and Cooper will have star number four before the recruiting period ends.  Bama continues to court Trevor Lacey of Huntsvillie who is wanted by almost everyone in the nation. Bama is seriously in the mix along with Kentucky and UCONN. I am not sure how the UCONN penalties will effect his view of that school. Kentucky isn't likely to have anyone leave early, at least that Lacey would compete against, and that should boost Bama's chances.  I've learned that Lacey really likes Bama (and Auburn as well) but  his family is strongly pushing him toward Kentucky.  I relative of Lacey's recently asked me what I thought.  I told him the kid needs to do what he wants to do.  But for what is is worth, I wouldn't send a dog to the Northeast for any reason, Kentucky has a lot of tradition and couldn't ever be a bad choice. I also said he could stay in Alabama and become a state treasure, or go to Kentucky a be another player.

     I personally think that Rodney Cooper has the most upside of anyone in the State and has had such a good senior season he deserves strong support for our Mr. Basketball. Lacey like will win the award, but Cooper is a dark horse. Nick Jacobs from Georgia is having a super senior season.  This may be you next great inside player who could start next season. If Gueye is physically able to play he will be tough to keep out of the starting line up.  Think about having a post player the size and mobility of Gueye. That would allow Green to play one full season at power forward and convince the NBA he is player.  If Bama got Lacey you'd have to pick them as a top 7 recruiting class. But Randolph or Cooper will fill the shooting void bama carries around like an albatross.

    The future is shining bright for Bama.  This season as been pleasant surprise in a lot of ways. Part of the success has been the weakness of the SEC West. Even though the casual fan is all ga-ga over Grant this season, the job he did last season was truly amazing. In fact, I thought it was one of the best coaching jobs I've ever seen.

Tomorrow we'll break down the Florida team ...

Back to youir buddies at TiderInsider

Tide struggles to find an offense...

Bama must  a way score more points...

Bama gets hosed by refs on the road

Don't get me wrong. I think Charles Hankerson is going to be a good one. This season his presence in the Bama lineup means we just can't score. The freshman is an admission to our offensive woes.  In Oxford, Mississippi the Crimson Tide allowed just 68 points to Ole Miss. This was despite the fact that the Rebels shot 34 free throws. Just for the record we shot 16, and without going into my entire rant about the lack of honest officiating in the SEC I'll just renew my objection for the record.

The Tide's chances at an NCAA bid are not dead...
      The loss to Ole Miss hurt the Crimson's hunt for an undisputed SEC Crown. It becomes more likely that the Tide and Rebels will share that honor unless Bama goes to Florida and finds a way to score more points. I've always been of the opinion that a good offensive player will beat a good defensive player in the end.  Even a good offensive player will score against a great defensive player. The 'I know where I'm going and you don't' is too much for any defensive player.  Next week the Tide will play Florida in what undoubtably be touted by television as the Battle for the SEC Championship.
     That might be factually correct. Whether that is actually correct is whether Alabama can find a way to score more points. That isn't likely. It isn't likely that Alabama can play enough defense against a very good Florida team to beat them on the road. The Tide has almost won every game on the road.  In two of those three losses the Tide scored enough points to win.  Now the Tide will face its ultimate challange. They know thew must play their best defense of the season and its best offense. I'm not hopeful.
     That doesn't mean I am without hope however. This edition of the Crimson Tide has done some remarkable things. Does the Tide have one more remarkable up its sleeve? They might if they can score.  Unless the Tide gets some honest officiating they won't win.  Not a complaint. Just a fact.



Bama to Tiderinsider

Hoping that the Trip home from Oxford is fast and happy

     Have you ever noticed how quicker a trip home is when your team wins.  One season we fly back from Arizona and I thought the trip would never end. Ever mile was remembering what happened the day before.

     Now here we are getting ready to go to Oxford, Ms. I've made this drive where year for a long time. I have many memories of Oxford. Very few are favorable. We are actually debating whether to go or just watch the game on televsion. I'm not sure yet. I have lots of reasons not to go. All of them are valid. Deep inside is that nagging feeling that the drive back will seem an eternity.

     On paper it seems to me the Tide should win this game. Odd thing saying an Alabama golf team should win a road game. For the past several years road trips was like having a blind date with a fat and ugly girl. Your best friend set up such a date because his own wife has this cousin that couldn't make it through a TSA inspection for lots of reason.  You know you have to go out with her, endure it, smile,  and say goodnight. You then run to your car as fast as you can with some kind of belief that your mind can erase them memory of the night out of self defense. That's what it has been like on the vast majority of trips to play Ole Miss.
     At least they don't waive those rebel battle flag and play Dixie every two minutes. I have to say I'll miss Colonel Sanders brother, and I can' imagine what the Black Bear will look like. Only in a state filled with such a racist past could people select a new mascot with the name black in title. I'm just sayin...
     So today around 3 at CST time the Tide will tip off against the disappointing Ole Miss Rebels. Basketball has always been a fairly popular sport at Ole Miss. The Rebels have had a couple of pretty good players on their rosters including Johnny the Gunn Neumann was a great player. They also had a friend of mine, Sean Tuohy. Sean as the Ole Miss player who sat on the rim after Ole Miss won an improbable SEC Tournament. He's better know today for being married to Sandra Bullock and was in the Blind Side. Not really, but you know what I mean.
     No doubt Ole Miss basketball has come a long way. At one time the were just a pit stop in the SEC. It was a place where your team could study history up close and personal because Oxford was like going back fifty years.  I am an Ole Miss fan. My family grew up in Mississippi and you have to choose over there like here about which school you follow. There is the Southern Mississipi option but the Rebels and Bulldogs pretend that Hattisburg is in Alabama or something.
    Today, Alabama can take one giant leap toward winning the SEC Crown outright, and making the NCAA field.  Most of us are wondering exactly what the team's mental attitude will be after the Auburn game? Ole Miss has lost two straight SEC games, but have been a very good team in the Tad Pad. What is it with these Mississippi schools and their basketball arenas? The hump? The Tad Pad? Although I remember there was a short lived efffort to refere to Coleman as the Plaid Palaces. Derisively, a lot of fans called Auburns facitlity as "the curtain."
     It is with historical background that Alabama travels westward to play the University of Ole Miss. Times have changed. Bama has a new head coach. He stern disciplinian and great chalk board coach who teaches that defense is the road less traveled to victory. He happens to be black, but that is of no real importance. Grant might know about the racial history of Mississippi but he learned in books.

    The only thing that is black on Grants mind is how black a day the team will endure if the Tide losess. With Florida coming up next week and a possible loss to the other best team in the SEC all the bubble talk with resume. The bubbled busted cospiracies will abound. Grant is going to place an inordinate amount of time and focus on today's game. Another road will will soidify the Tide's NCAA hopes, but more than that a win will likely assure an SEC championship whether or not Alabama beats Florida next week or not.

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FIND A WAY...



Keep it up and we find a way...

      Anthony Grant said it best, "we found a way".  In a game that gave new definition to ugly there were some good things to talk about. What about the comeback? Bama was dead in the water but found a way.  They couldn't make a basket. The home team scored 11 baskets. Two were 3 pointers and the other 9 were 2 pointers. 
     I couldn't help but remember what C.M. Newton told me one time. Sometimes it isn't the percentage of the free throws that count. It is the number  you make. Alabama shot only 67% but made 27 of their 40 attempts. The percentage isn't surprising when you consider how much physical effort Alabama expended on playing defense.  The same could be said for the Tigers.  Arch Rival or not, you have to recognize that the Tigers played hard and fast. They made a lot of mistakes. They were full speed mistakes. Barbee said his team didn't understand the difference between playing hard and fouling a lot. That is just a coach talk for go out there and if it is wearing white and crimson foul them. It came with a whisker of working.
     All things considered you have to be really proud of how Alabama refused to quit.  When they were down by 12 I told someone, "now we will really find out about this team".  We did. There is no quit in them. They may have shot well and for that matter even dribbled well, but those guys just got wild on defense. Hide the women and children. Alabama is gonna play some hard defense without fouling out. How many times have you seen 10 standing ovations for a defensive stand not involving football.  The game wasn't for the national championship but it was every bit as impressive as Bama's goal line stand against Penn State years ago.
    There is no way to explain how much energy it takes to play defense like Alabama and Auburn played last night. Basketball is a contact sport, not unlike football, bodies are colliding on a non-stop basis. Think of football without a huddle. Think football without pads and helmets. Think full speed 10 feet off the ground. Move as hard and fast as you can without stopping. Your arms weigh a ton and the legs made of jellly. Instead of crying out when you crap up you think, hey I'm getting a blow...

     I am old enough to remember John Wooden's diamond and one full court press. Not many teams pressed in Wooden's early days at UCLA. The effects of the press carried the Bruins to National Championship number one for Wooden. Flash forward to Arkansas and Nolan Richardson. His most memorable lines were, "fatigue makes cowards of us all, "and the refs won't call fouls everytime we fouled someone." The Arkansas press was remarkable. Alabama's full court defense takes all that to a new level of harrassment. If you are Auburn you are thinking, can I even get the ball in play?  If you do get the ball inbounds will I get trapped and have no passing lane. If you are lucky enough not to get trapped your minds keeps thinking where are they? And it never quits. It is just as aggresive at the end as it was at the beginning. Robert Redford said it best, "who are these guys". 

     By the end of the game you are relieved it is over. If you are an opponent and you win you are glad it is over. If you lose you are relieved it is over regardless of what you coach is yelling about. You are probably wondering who are those guys?

     So for the Tide Wednesday night was about perserverance. On that statistic they were perfect. It's about finding a way to win.

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Tide wins in gutty second half performance...

Green's tip at buzzer wins for Bama

Green's only field goal in 2nd half
was a winner...

JaMichael Green made exactly one field goal in the second half.  It came with 3/10 of a second left on the clock.  Tony Barbee is going to look at the video of the last few seconds of the game and remind his players that there are no moral victories, and it's always the little things that cause you to win or lose.  Tony Mitchell hurled himself down the lane hoping to make a basket or go to the line. Neither happened. Instead, Auburn failed to block out Green and the Bama big man took advantage of the mistake. The result?  Bama wins in a thriller 51-49.  It was thrilling but it was a horrible game.

It is really hard to say exactly what kind of basketball game we witnessed. If the sport had been golf the pairing would have agreed to tear up the score card.  What happens in Tuscaloosa stays in Tuscaloosa so to speak.  Win 19 came on guts and not glory. I quit counting turnovers at 40. The Tide was dead in the water with 9 minutes to go. Down by 12 when you've only scored 6 points in the second half is a lot to make up.

Auburn's gritty little team played Kamikazee to the Tide Fleet.  It almost worked.  But like Japan in WWII the Tigers ran out of people. I'm sure AU is going to say the officiating was one sided. It was in the sense is was because Bama lived off free throws the entire game.  It wasn't  in the sense that Auburn made a calculated decision to foul on every possession down low to shut down Green and Mitchell.

Is this man cool or what? Grant just kept
coaching and in the end it was enough.

Bama survives despite a horrible game...
You won't see it often, but Grant was handed his head on a platter by Barbee. At least on the offensive end. Bama looked stunned. They had very little movement and when they did reverse the ball on offense to get the ball down low it didn't work. This was one game where the inability to make three point baskets hurt. You probably just saw the game plan everyone will use against the Tide for the remainder of the season. And yet...

Bama's defense never quit and kept turning up the volume

If Bama played court jester on the offensive end they were a black hole on the defensive end. Auburn had one field goal in the last 11 minutes of the game. Just to put things into perspective Auburn had 18 field goals. 17 of those came in the first 30 minutes. Then they scored only 1 more. If I told you that the Tigers shot 50% from the field you probably wouldn't believe me. Well, the Tigers did.  I wonder what they shot the last 9:oo minutes?
Bama made 11 field goals. That's a football number. That is totally unacceptable to Coach Grant. You may never see a team make just 11 field goals and win the game in the rest of your life.

If you ever wonder if defense is what wins basketball games just catch the replay this weekend. It may have been the worst game played since Dr. Naismith put up the peach baskets but on occasion you have to win games like that. 19-8 sounds a lot better than 18-9 for some reason. Bama goes to Oxford to play the Ole Miss Rebels. Perhaps the Tide got a wake up call.  I hope the team enjoys the win tonight because tommorrow they are going to be as tired as you can be and not be my age.

In or out of the NCAA?
I think the Tide is going to make it. They are 11-2 in the SEC.  It appears that 12-4 might be the worst they will do. Road games to Oxford and Gainesville are looming. Georgia will need a win the worst way in Tuscaloosa.  How many people thought that the Tide would be a gaudy 11-2 at this point in the season? Raise you hands. Hey, you over in the corner with his hand raised I think your lying. 

I'd like at least three more wins this season to make me feel better. Bama played poorly on Wednesday night but they can pound their chests for winning. You don't get style points this season if you believe what the NCAA says.

Back to all the relieved faces over at TiderInsider

High Flying Tide hosts Auburn

Tide set on winning SEC West outright

Bama's Top Gun...

Chubb is a load...

     For Bama hoops fans Wednesday night is a very important game. First, beat Auburn in any sport is fun. Second, it is very important to dominate your In State Rival. Anthony Grant understands that. He understand that 365 days a year, and like another coach in Tuscaloosa he approaches his season with the same goal in mind.  When Alabama was thinking about hiring Grant I sent Mal Moore an email. In sum, it said if you hire Grant he will beat Auburn 4 out of 5 games and never loose at home.  It may take a couple of seasons to do so, but he will do so. I also suggested that he get ready to sign a long term contract with a HUGE buyout clause. That's how sure of success Anthony Grant would be in my eyes.

This is Mitchell
to ground control

On Wednesday night before a regional audience on the SEC Sports Network Coach Grant prepares his team to beat the Tigers for the second time this season. Do that every season and Grant will live long and prosper as Mr. Spock once said.

BAMA ON A ROLL...     
     Alabama has won 13 out of their last 15 games.  Excellent... but more important they have won 10 of their last 12 SEC games.  Alabama now stands at 18-8 and with a couple of more wins will get an NCAA invitation for what Ben Cook said had to be the worst name for any sports championship - the Big Dance. He always said it sounds like something you won at a dance marathon.

Gabriel can score

"and then throw it to Green
again, Got it?"

     When you look at Alabama's remaining schedule you have to think that Bama will do no worse than a tie for first in the SEC.  Florida on the road will be tough, but not impossible. The Gators will come in at about a five point favorite in a game on which no one will place a bet except the truly gambling impaired. Bama should take care of Georgia at home. That leaves Ole Miss on the road. That will be a toughie. A lot of teams don't play well in the Tad Pad, and Alabama has no exemption on that list. However... What if Bama wins the SEC outright, and knocks off a couple of teams in the SEC Tournament?  I know you are thinking what if the cow jumped over the moon? Check the pasture and start seeing a lot of bovines (no knock to AU) looking into the night time sky. 14-4 is going to win the SEC. 13-3 will win the SEC outright. If Bama wins the SEC outright and then wins a couple of games in the SEC Tourney they will be a five seed. They might be a four. Okay, you say what is this old man smoking? Perhaps the Crimson Tide won't be a five. Maybe they'll be a higher seed who makes an opposing coach gasp when he sees the pairings.

ALABAMA SHOULD BEAT AUBURN ON WEDNESDAY...

Can Davis go downtown?

because they are a better team. Auburn is not as bad as their record. Early this season I told a buddy of mine that Auburn might be the worst team in SEC history. I went back and found out a few past Bama teams might win that one.  One paper the match ups are pretty close. But  here is why Bama should win:

Green vs. Chubb: Advantage to Green but Chubb is a lot better than you think. The worst thing that Chubb could do is get Green in foul trouble.

SEC Coach of the Year?

Gabriel vs. Mitchell:  I think that Kenny Gabriel is underrated. The 6-8 forward has quietly had a banner year for the Tigers. Likewise, Mitchell is underrated in the eyes of national media. He scores very high among super heroes, however.
Releford vs. Eric Ross:  Trevor Releford has astounded the SEC basketball world. More than anything Releford's steady play has made the Tide a good team. His play has allowed Green and Mitchell to elevate their games to a higher level. But don't sell Ross short. The 6-4 guard, a walk-on, has done well for the Tigers. You have to like his hard play.

Chris Hines vs. Allen Payne: Auburn plays four guards. So this match up is a big plus for Bama if Hines can post up however matches up with him.

Can Barbee pull top
kids to AU?

Charvez Davis, Andrew Steele, and Antonio Hillman vs. Josh Langford: 

I put all three of these guys together because they have been splitting minutes. I wonder if Grant might start Davis and Hillman in their last game against Aubie. It would be nice but not necessary. All three bring strenghts. Davis is a underrated defender. Davis is dynamite when he is on from the outside. Steele is just old school solide. He can score from an outside and slash inside. He seems to have a calming effect on the team when they need it most.  Hillman is a thief in the night. He'll have your pants before you know it, and he seems to have a way of making big baskets.
COACHES:  Grant vs. Barbee - You can't win picking the "best" coach. I think Barbee has a good upside. I'm just not sure how up you can go at AU. Grant is a proven winner at VCU and he has Bama on the upswing. Bama is a historically signficant basketball school regardless of being a football school. Bama is second only to Kentucky in the SEC in school wins. Almost any school in the nation would be second if they were in the SEC. What Bama lacks is a trip to the Final Four.

Can Grant get the Tide to the Final Four?

Hines had key steal in comeback
over Arkansas.

Scenario needs to play
tough D and score some
outside.

 Can Grant eventually get Bama there? I'm betting he can. I'll go out on a limb and say I think Bama gets there before Kentucky. Laugh if you want, but you will not win a national championship starting primarily freshmen, and if all you do is recruit one and done it's tough. How often do you look over your shoulder a recruiting and say "Am I done?"  Bama can find great players and promise them playing time in a big time arena, the best athletic facilities in the country, and a bright and promising future.

Final Score Prediction:  Bama 71 Auburn 59

NEXT WEEK ON BAMABASKETBALL.NET

Can Anthony Grant get Lacey to come to Bama?
I'm betting he will...

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Mitchell sparks Tide win over the Razorbacks

High flying Tony Mitchell killed
the Hogs in the last 8 minutes

Excuse me just a moment while I savor in the warm and fuzzy feeling of our team winning the SEC Western Division Crown…………….. Okay, thanks for that. I believe that on February 19, 2011 we will remember as the date that Alabama basketball and Anthony Grant came of age. Winning the SEC West is not winning the NCAA. It sure beats not winning the crown though. I’ll enjoy watching that banner unfurl from the lofty rafters of Coleman next season.

So how did the Tide beat Arkansas on a night when the word trap was on the minds of most Bama fans? Bama had a nail biter until Tony Mitchell showed why he should be considered as one of the top players in the SEC. I don’t know whether he will win but who else is better? He is the charter member of Phi Slammer Jammer and in the last 8:00 minutes of Saturday night’s game he owned the Coliseum. On the floor he was a god among mortals. I never believed in Superman even as a kid. I might have to rethink that position.

Releford is like no freshman I've seen before...

Arkansas was determined to shut down JayMichael Green. If Bama was to win it wouldn’t behind a career night from the bell cow of the Tide lineup. Make no mistake, Green played on heck of a game. Down the final stretch it was Green who owned the boards. It was Green who owned the defensive end. It was that lanky and skinny kid from a little Single A high school who was the big dog inside. Between Mitchell and Green the Tide owned the rarified air above the rim, and if had paint on the surface Green was king.

I’m not saying that Alabama is the best team in the nation. I am saying that the best team in the country doesn’t want to see the name of Alabama in their bracket. game tonight. Just when it seemed that an upset might happen the Tide upped the defensive intensity to Defcon 5.

Arkansas deserves a lot of credit. They built a 5 point lead in the second half. Just how tired was the Tide? It was on the mind of every person watching the game. They were tired, and despite the short turnaround game, the Tide went on an 18-5 run that started with 8:16 run to finish off the ‘Razorbacks. Not bad for a team that has had trouble sealing the deal. For Arkansas playing as stellar 32 minutes of basketball was not enough.

Hines helped dominate the paint 

     John Pelphry, said, “"We knew we'd have to play 40 minutes of basketball. We competed for a long time. Alabama deserves credit, and was just better than us down the stretch. Basketball is a game of runs. We were up five, and they closed it back down, and were able to get the lead."
Coach Grant took simpler look. “Our guys were just not going to be denied.” They were’t. They rolled up their defensive sleeves and Tony Mitchell dropped down from Jupiter for the last ten minutes. It was obvious who Trevor Releford was looking for during that span. Time and time again he found Mitchell. Lots of Credit to Green for getting traffic rebounds when the game was on the line.
Credit the Tide fan base for the sellout. Credit the moms and dads for the great set of lungs on each of those fans. The crowd saw a good one.

Bama's main man

Bama shot 48% for the game while holding Arkansas to 39%. Each team got 32 boards, and 6 blocked shots. The Tide had only 9 turnovers and  an astonishing 18 steals. Bama also led in assists 13-8. Bama moves to 18-8  and 10-2 in the SEC.  Mitchell has a season high 27. Releford, who played a great floor game, scored 17. The heavily shadowed JayMichael Green had 16. He also pulled down 9 boards and blocked 2 shots. Between Mitchell, Green, and Hines the paint hasn’t been a pleasant trip for most teams. Mitchell pulled down 9 rebounds and blocked 2 shots. Hines had only 6 points but blocked 2 shots. Hillman and Steele played well of the bench. Eblen gave Releford some rest and was solid when he was at the point.

     Wednesday night the Auburn Tigers come calling to Coleman. The Tigers are coming off a 77-61 loss to Vandy.  The Tide started the SEC season with a shaky 8-6 season. Times have changed. The Tide also nailed down the # 1 seed from the West in the upcoming SEC Tournament. 


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Roll Tide Roll - Bama by Five




 

Some old school rock n' roll
check out those shorts
Cleveland High School 1965

 

Hello basketball fans,

I’ll  have a longer article after the game and on Sunday.  A few brief thoughts.

     1.  I hope we have more energy than Ole Miss

     2.  This game is as big for Arkansas as it is us

     3. The sell out will help a great deal

     4.   I have not be able to get anyone in Tuscaloosa connected with the program to give me any info on the injuries to Mitchell and Scenario.

      Releford is the SEC Freshman of the year in my opinion.  I knew he would be good, but his play has allowed us to become a very good team.

My Pick?    Bama by Five       68-63

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Bama's patience pays off in big road win...

HInes hits big basket late 

How quickly we all seem to forget.  There are so many posts about Alabama’s lackluster performance against LSU it baffles me.  Hey guys, we won.  For all the football fans that are just getting on board with basketball last night was the equivalent of blocking to field goals against Tennessee.

Alabama could have gotten beaten last night but they didn’t. They could have folded after a game start that was like a sprinter hitting a hurdle and falling. They didn’t. They could have done a million things wrong to lose the game. They didn’t. Granted (sorry coach) they only did a half million things wrong and still won. They couldn’t score. They didn’t defend. They looked like a team that was under too much pressure to handle. Yet, despite all those things they won the game.

They won the game because of persistence. Get the ball inside. Get the ball inside, and get the ball inside every time you have the ball. The world knows what’s coming but Bama continues to pound the rock down the paint and score. LSU knew the game plan and couldn’t stop the Tide even when playing at Maravich.

So what does that mean?  It means that Alabama is a highly motivated, keenly disciplined team and understands that execution will kick your butt every game. The team understands that the defense can help win home or away. Just have the patience and discipline to pound the rock.

Boy did they ever. I bet 90% of our shots came from within handshaking distance.  For good measure the Tide did attempt to shoot a few threes and came up short. Davis continues to be 0 for the road from the outside. Steele made one. Mitchell made one. The Mitchell three must have seemed like a dagger stab to the Tigers who were mounting a comeback. The Tigers made three second half runs to whip the Tide. All three came up short. It was Mitchell, Green, or Releford who made key baskets.

In a game where scoring was hard to come by a five point lead seemed almost insurmountable. Alabama fell quickly behind in the first half. It was as much as eight. It could have twelve or fourteen. By halftime the good guys had the lead.  And even if the team stunk like a dead possum on the side of the road they were our dead possum. We have learned to appreciate winning ugly. Make no mistake we won ugly in a lot of respects. But if you are what they call a basketball purist the team did a lot of things that made you smile. None made me smile more than the final score.  Our number was more than their number.

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What happens in LSU is big time big for Bama...

Grant has turned Hillman
into a defensive nightmare for SEC teams

Bama has road games left with LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida. It is a conclusive fact that one of those road games must be won. LSU seems the most likely candidate. Likely isn’t the same thing as certainty. The Tide then has home games with Arkansas, Auburn, and Georgia. Bama cannot lose any of those games and hope to win the SEC outright. Should Bama win the remainder of their home games and win one on the road I predict no worse than a tie for the Championship. Win three at home and two on the road and we win the whole shooting match.

Florida and Alabama are dead even in the loss column with two games. Florida has road games left at LSU, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. They have the Tide at home along with Georgia.  The short turnaround hits the Gators who have to place in Lexington after a Thursday night game with Georgia. All things considered I think the home game and then the short turnaround travel game to Lexington will be too much for the Gators. Florida will be playing for the SEC Championship and Kentucky players will try to avoid being the most unpopular team in years in the border state.

I think it is amazing that we are even talking about Alabama winning the SEC.  Anthony Grant allowed this team to grow and mature into an intense bunch of winners.  Through hard work, some player discipline, and great defense his team has become a contender. It didn’t hurt that Trevor Releford has been playing All-SEC type ball either. Ennis Whately, Terry Conner, Anthony Murry, Robert Scott, Mo Williams, and Gary Waites have graced what has traditionally been a cornerstone of Alabama basketball. I’d throw the power forward position in there as well. Has anyone of the above great players been better than Releford?  I don’t think so.  I can imagine SEC coaches watching the Tide against Ole Miss and seeing Trevor slide to the two and bury a three. Bet none of the coaches was smiling. Perhaps one smiled a little.  

 So mission impossible has become mission possible for this team. A win in Baton Rouge might change that to mission probable.  And yes, if we win the regular SEC Crown we will go to the NCAA Tournament. If Cam Newton was allowed to play in the National Championship game I feel pretty good about the NCAA picking us to dance. Bama wins the regular season and picks up a couple of wins in the SEC Tournament I’d say we are a four or five seed in the Midwest.

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Newton affair shows desperation and pressure

Who owns the past? In this state it is Alabama. Unfortunately, Auburn is located in Alabama. At least that is unfortunate for Auburn. Alabama has won 13 national championships. Auburn has won two, sort of. The jury is still out on whether 2010 will count or not. The one the Tigers snared in 1957 was not without controversy. If I remember correctly Auburn was on probation shortly thereafter casting doubt on the validity of that championship. Auburn won the AP crown but of course, were not allowed to play in a post season event. I see trend developing here.

Two brothers were paid $ 500.00by an Auburn coach to sign with the Tigers. For a fledgling NCAA whose infractions committee was only four years old putting a team on probation wasn’t an easy thing to do. To deny a team the right to play in the post season game was highly controversial. It was a decision that was as popular as outlawing State’s rights at that time.

The truth is that almost no one outside of Auburn really cared because the national crown was not a huge deal. In fact, the Auburn SID, worked hard for his school to win the crown. In those days it meant that an SID would pick up the phone and remind the voters that they should vote. So that is exactly what happened. The plucky SID thought this national championship thing might mean something one day and he called every writer he knew and asked them to vote for the Tigers. No doubt that was an early example of lobbying. I have doubts a couple of bottles of bourbon changed hands as well.

Now flash forward to 2010. Auburn was playing fast and free with NCAA rules. They had recruited a player who asked for 180,000 thousand dollars to play for Mississippi State. Fans across the nation wondered how much did Auburn pay. Well, in fairness to Auburn it isn’t clear that they did. The only thing that was clear was that Auburn was ready, willing, and able to put themselves in the middle of a maelstrom in order to allow Cam Newton to play at Auburn. No one doubted that Newton’s father, a minister by trade and apparantly a crook by intent, tried to sell his son. The question is whether it was to the highest bidder. A subpart to this question is whether the player would be declared ineligible if the player had no knowledge of his father's auction.

The SEC Commissionar’s office worked hard with the NCAA eligibility committee and said “the kid didn’t know what the Reverend did”. So the leadership of college football tried to sell the idea of a loophole.
Newton did not expose a loophole. This knowledge issue had been decided in many forms in prior cases. The NCAA just said they had found one. Mike Slive became an apostle for lies the NCAA needed the media to buy.  Ask Southern California if not knowing meant anything to them about Reggie Bush. No, they just the eligibility committee said that "knowledge thing" sounded pretty reasonable, and if we find him eligible all those suits from CBS Televsion will go away. But the money would stay.

Mike Slive, the SEC Commissioner, who claimed to be the new sheriff in town, and had vowed to clean up the SEC,  was instrumental in the NCAA decision. Just as a side note - Slive had dismantled the SEC investigation and enforcement committees. If no one could enforce infractions or even investigate potential infractions it would make it seem to the world that things were looking up on the cheating scale around the SEC. A lot has been written about Mississippi State’s failure to notify the SEC of Newton’s offer. I’m not sure who they could have even reported such an event. How far do you think a call from Mississippi State’s eligibility committee would have gone when made to Slive? All he could do was call the NCAA.

So here we are in the nation’s greatest football conference. Or better said, here we are in the nation’s most corrupt football conference. I understand the Auburn fans and why they don’t want to address that question. You can’t blame the fans who love their Tigers for trying to justify their title. (i.e. we won it on the field an they can't THAT away from us) - Perhaps one day they will be justified, but that justification is based on a technicality and as a lawyer I know that crooks who walk on technicalities are not popular. Why? Because they might have been legally correct but they still had a heart of darkness. Same thing with Auburn. What is unfair to Auburn is that a rational and reasonable investigation could have convinced the rest of the football world that Cam and Auburn really and truly was innocent. But Auburn wasn’t ready to let that happen, and the behind the closed door meetings that made Newton eligible only served to make Auburn, the SEC Commissioner, and the NCAA look like an unholy trinity. So Auburn declared Newton ineligible because they had already cut a deal with the powers to be. If it sounds sleazy it was because it was sleazy.

And why did all this happen? It is because Alabama owns the past in football history in the Deep South and the State of Alabama. Auburn can’t handle this and will do whatever is necessary for change.  How can you change the past? You can’t. What is sad for all those average Auburn fans, like all of us average Alabama fans, is that deep in our hearts we know that events that occurred in the fall of 2010 won’t change the future either. It only makes Auburn seems even more desperate. At least that’s how it seems tome.

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde beat the Rebels 74-64

Anthony Grant wanted to make a point. He wanted his team to come out of gate roaring. They did. “I wan’t our team to play aggressive, tonight.” Good move. Get the Vandy travesty out of the way, and get refocused. For the first twenty minutes the Crimson Tide went over, around, and through the Ole Miss defense on the way to scoring 47 points. In case you haven’t been watching this year, 47 is almost a game’s worth.

As good as the offense played, the defense in half one was even better. Chris Warren, top runner for SEC Player of the Year didn’t score. Charvez Davis shut him down better than a restraining order. Tony Mitchell didn’t start. He had15 by half time. Trevor Releford, who has to be related to Harry Houdini, had six assists in the first half. Green scored the first six points for Alabama and officially settled the question of who was going to be the big dog on Saturday. Woof, woof.

The Tide looked more like the track team running up and down the floor. Here was the Tide game plan. Make Ole Miss look like a elementary school when they had the ball. Steal so many passes the law needed to called. Get almost every rebound, and then throw the ball down the floor to a streaking Releford who then gave it to Mitchell or Green or Steele or whoever happened to be wide open down the floor. If that didn’t work then let Mitchell, Releford, or Davis play downtown Freddie Brown.

Alabama couldn’t miss, and Ole Miss was so rattled by the Tide defense it looked like the Tide was playing with a junior high team. Make that a girls junior high team. But, all good things come to an end. It was Dr. Jekyll who played half one for Bama. The fatigue was obvious for a team that returned from Nashville morning at 2:00 and then had to play the next day.

In half two, Mr. Hyde decided to make another appearance. It is becoming a trend for this team to get huge first half leads and then hang on. Saturday it happened again. An 18 point lead became a 6 point lead with the Rebels holding the ball. In the blink of an eye the Tide swiped a pass and Scenario Hillman scored an old fashioned three point play. The clock was still running but time had run out on Johnny Reb. 74-64.

Another SEC team lost in the sixties again.
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Tide hosts Ole Miss in Western Division showdown

Have to hand it to the Alabama players and Anthony Grant – they took the Vandy crime in stride and said all the right things. “Let’s get ready for Ole Miss” was the theme.

Ole Miss is a very good team and the good guys are short on preparation and rest. We will find out just how much Grant’s off season stamina program helps out. I know that the headman would like to play Releford less to save his legs. Even the energizer bunny slows down some. So what do you think?



Grant showed rare emotion in
the Vanderbilt Game...



Can Davis recapture the magic



Bama is a -6.5 point favorite. The Tide fell to 7-2 in the SEC which still leads the SEC West. Florida is 8-2 having played on additional game.  Ole Miss is a surprising and frankly disappointing 16-8.  Many basketball sports writers and experts had picked the to win the West.  Johnny Reb is an unexpected 4-5 in the Conference but comes into Coleman with a solid three game win streak.

A lot of Ole Miss fans think the Tide is ebbing and Ole Miss is rising again. Hey, we got robbed at Vandy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. However, I noticed they gave us a loss in the newspaper so my household will have to deal with it. Such is the life of a die hard SEC basketball fan. I wish I knew what Kentucky or Vandy felt like before a game knowing you were going to shoot more free throws than are humanly possible.

All things considered the Tide had better be ready on Saturday afternoon at 3. Ole Miss has two days of extra preparation and Andy Kennedy knows what to do with spare time on and off the court. He’ll have the Rebels ready.  At 6:30 a mere 500 hundred tickets were left for the game. That’s good news. The Tide will need the adrenalin a loud crowd brings.

For Alabama the defense will be the launching point for a Tide win. I expect Scenario Hillman to uttimately draw the bead on Ole Miss super guard Chris Warren is averaging almost 23 points a game during the win streak. To set the record straight on that three game streak the Rebels beat Kentucky, Arkansas, and LSU. Warren hit for 26 which is a season high for the Dr. Phillips graduate. That school turns out some pretty good players don’t they.

If you have seen the Rebels this season they are like an expensive European sports car that needs a tuneup. You know the horsepower is under the hood but they just aren’t hitting on all cylinders. Let’s hope that the “Defense of Doom” that Bama employs keeps that going.

Hillma will draw Warren
in key match up...

The BAD:  Alabama gave up 81 to Vandy which is almost 20 more than

Normal.

The GOOD: Despite not having a good defensive night the Tide scored 77 and could have won. (Vandy shot 50% from the arc. Many of those shots were not highly contested).

Releford needs to bring his
A game on Saturday

The UNEXPECTED:  Anthony Grant’s little dance down the baseline when Green was clearly fouled and no call was forthcoming. I’m no lip reader but I don’t think he complimented Higgins when the two met late in the game.

The TOMORROW:  I look for Bama to come out focused and ready. Same for Ole Miss. If the Tide can shake the fatigue to two big games in three days they should win.  I like Bama 68-65.


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SEC officating needs some repair and Tim Higgins is a good place to start...

Tim Higgins needs to retire

There is an unspoken rule among Sports writers – never criticize an official. Now that I am no longer a sports writer but a blogger that rule doesn’t apply to me.  It is a silly rule anyway. To maintain that sports officials are above criticism and don’t really affect the outcome of games is crazy. In fact, and I want to make this perfectly clear – writers, bloggers, authors, TV Commentators, and my mother ought to tell it like it is when a referee makes bad calls.

My buddy, the esteemed Robert J.Bob Bentley, says things always even out. I respect Bob’s basketball opinions greatly. He is usually spot on about almost every prediction or observation he makes.  He is of the “don’t knock the ref” school.  J.Bob you have chosen the wrong school to attend.  Higgins made three critical and incorrect calls in the last thirty seconds of the Vandy game that probably cost Alabama a huge road win.

1.        Calling a foul on Trevor Releford who was pulling his hand away from the Vandy shooter, and with at least three feet of separation between he and Tinsley was laughable.  It was one of those “let’s give the home team a gift” calls.  It changed the strategy of how Bama approached a possible final possession

2.        Green steps out of bounds on the ensuing possession.  Not counting the fact that Green was fouled so hard that a grand jury could be convened, he simply did not step out of bounds. Replays clearly showed he was a full six inches inside the Court. Nor did the ball hit the baseline.  Higgins had a horrible angle. Rather than being directly on the baseline he chose to move to a point where it might appear that Green stepped out.  Green would have shot two free throws and Vandy would have to fight for a winning shot.  They might have gotten it. With that horrendous oversight five young kids were denied a chance to win. How bad a call was it? So bad that Anthony Grant went old school ballistic and he had every right to do so.

3.       Denying Grant a time out before the Vandy free throw shooter was handed the ball. Yep, that’s what happened, and Higgins looked up the Court when Grant asked for the time out, and said “no”. The rule book says the time out is discretional. I have never seen one not given, have you? How bad was the failure to give a timeout? Grant went so ballistic he ran up and down the baseline and had a few choice words for Higgins when the two met.  Forget that horse manure about Higgins showing restraint for not calling a technical on Coach. That’s like telling a jury that the thief could have stolen the TV but chose not to.

Here’s my take.  In key situations replay could be used to make correct calls. I’m not saying that everything could be reviewed. But in the last two minutes of a game they could.  J.Bob would tell me that the home team deserves those calls. I think he really means they expect those calls.  Sorry, they don’t deserve them, and shouldn’t expect them either.

Higgins has been a open sore on the SEC’s butt for years. He needs to move on to retirement and let a younger better man have the whistle.  His bad calls were not the classic charge or block situation. Each was a poorly judged call or poor judgment was used in a discretionary spot.  Mr. Higgins you are not the center of the earth regardless of what you believe. You are a flat earther.  It is appalling that you could miss or make such calls. Even worse it is ghastly that the SEC can’t find someone to run the officials behavior and eliminate such horseshit.  I’m sure that the officials made some bad calls that had an effect of Vandy.  No one can be perfect. But this showboating of officials with demonstrative movements only draw attention to themselves and hurts their ability to focus on making the call. On the end line call Higgins was getting ready to make the call as soon as Green went to the baseline. Was Higgins thinking about a call or was he thinking about some grandiose movement?  Are we going to have referees that are non-biased on the road or do we need to start having a panel of judges scoring the choreographed calls of a wheel head?

Hey , don’t get me started about the mugging that Tony Mitchell endured around the one minute mark. No call on a clear foul that was so hard the versatile Mitchell was knocked to the floor?  The official who let it go?  Gee that be Higgins now wouldn’t it?  The SEC should step in and take affirmative action to correct an unbearable problem.  They moved quickly to make Cam Newton eligible. Surely every SEC game is as important as one player. So let me be crystal clear about what I am saying about Tim Higgins. You cheated and helped Vanderbilt win.  I think you did it on purpose. I also think you are not alone in the morass known as SEC basketball officiating. It is a systemic problem.