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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