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