ALABAMA WINS PUERTO RICO TOURNAMENT...

Great defense allows the Tide to Roll...

Tide celebrates after whipping Purdue

     No disrespect to the Alabama football team's great defense. By all accounts that defense is the best in the NCAA. Some Tide fans believe it is the best defense in Alabama history. Perhaps one day it will as good as Alabama's basketball team defense. Basketball championships, like football championships, start by winning on the defensive side of court. On Sunday night in San Juan Puerto Rico, the Crimson Tide used a relentless defense to hold the high scoring 'Boilermakers of Purdue to only  56  points in winning the Championship game 65-56. The Big Ten team got 12 of those points in the last three minutes when the issue had been decided.

     The Alabama defense has all the efficiency of a meat grinder on steroids. Consider that Purdue scored 91 and 85 points in their first two games. The 56 was 32 points under their average. We have speculated what might happen when Bama started to make three point baskets. In the second half we got a glimpse. It will only get better. The Tide is working hard to be a better offensive team. Tonight, they got better in the second half.


Mitchell is special...

Tony had an great tourney

     The SETI project whose goal is to find intelligent extraterrestrial life is a great side trip if you come to PR.  It might  be a lot easier if those learned scientists to pay 12  bucks and witness the sky high show of Tony Mitchell. Mitchell  ended last season on a roll. He is taking up where he left off. Releford had 20 to lead all scorers. He also had 5 assists. Green had 14 and so did Mitchell. Randolph had 12. A cold spell in the first half kept the Tide from running away against Boilermakers. 

THINGS WE LIKED...

• Hello Levi, welcome to the big time. Great game from a gifted athlete. 
• Nick Jacobs, had a great tournament and showed Grant he can trust him
• So did Carl Engstrom. He  didn't score much be he rebounded well. His picks are big
• Green got into the flow of the game after foul trouble and forcing the issue in game 2.
• Releford had a great week, his assists are starting to pick up, and that is VERY GOOD.
• Mitchell is quickly becoming a star. Insider or out # 5 is everywhere.
• Trevor Lacey started to show his real skills.
• Rodney Cooper is playing excellent defense and has hit a few threes. Getting better

     Bama is a top 15 right now. Come late winter it might be a national player. The defense is beyond good and offense is coming along fine. One thing people might want to remember is that the Tide expends a lot of energy on defense, and that hurts the offense. Bama shot 43% while limiting the red hot Big 10 team to 35%. Bama also cashed in on 14-18 free throws. Purdue out boarded the Tide 30-25. 17 turnovers is not going to make Grant very happy, Purdue had 13 to almost  even out some sloppy play.  Both teams played such hard defense it caused the offense of both teams to look pretty.  In the end, the Tide made three good runs during the game that Purdue couldn't match.

I'd give the Tide a solid A for the Caribbean.

Late update: Mitchell named SEC Player of the Week

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