The Mitchell loss doesn't seem to hurt...
Bama freshmen have made their mark
If you told me to predict how the Crimson Tide would have done without Mitchell and Green it would not been 19-9. Since this is only my opinion, not being a reporter, I think the Tide would have been 21-7 had Green played and had a good attitude. Like most, it seemed to me that the Mississippi State game would be one of those home games you could lose. I never dreamed we have blown the Bulldogs out of the arena. It did seem to me this would be a game which determined whether we had a real chance to make it to NCAA Tournament. Mission accomplished in that regard. Now we play hard and hope to win three or four more games this season.
'Bama should have little problem with Auburn. Kenny Gabriel is still not at 100% and Frankie Sullivan isn't enough to beat you by himself. Could there be a better way to get win # 20 than over Auburn? I don't think so. Tony Barbee is a really good coach in a place where coaches go to die. I bet Cliff Ellis looks pretty darn good right now. Coaching at Auburn is a thankless task. It has never been that way at Alabama even though the Capstone is a football school. If you read a lot about the history of the SEC I'd rank Alabama as the second best program behind Kentucky. Other SEC programs have been to a final four but none have the overall and historic basketball record of the Tide. We really have a good basketball tradition. It is something we should be proud to know and share.
So where do we finish in the SEC. Two wins would put us at 10-6 in the Conference. we might have repeated 12-4 if the suspensions had not occurred. Here are a couple of questions for us to think about - What happens if we win two in a row and 1.) And then Florida beats Vandy on Tuesday night? 2.) What happens if South Carolina beats Mississippi State this weekend? I bet the Selection Committee will look at the Vandy - Florida game and it won't have any impact. Mississippi State be left out in the cold if a few upsets occur in the smaller conferences. I don't think I have ever seen a NCAA qualifier with the lack of fight that Mississippi State put up against Bama.
One thing you can say about Coach Grant is that his teams don't have a stop or an easy button. You might beat Grant but you'll earn it. I think that Coach Grant should get a lot of support for SEC Coach of the Year. It is hard to argue against John Calipari. Not only did he recruit great players he got them to improve. I see where Kidd-Gilchrist is returning. Is this beginning of some great young players wanting to stick around and try to win a couple of NCAA titles? It would help the SEC. It would help Alabama.
Right now I'm think that four more wins bumps us up to a six if anyone is really paying attention. I don't think we can beat Kentucky on a neutral site. I'm not sure the Heat could either. For the Tide it is too keep shooting well, and continue to play the best defense I've ever seen. I'd like to give some props to Levi Randolph. He played the best all around game of his season. If Cooper, Lacey, Jacobs, and Randolph have graduated as freshmen alreay this team has some good games ahead of it. We need to sign Pollard. It's a three horse race with State, Kentucky, and Bama all even at this point. Perhaps the Kentucky kid that is staying will help us. He is the best all-around forward I've seen in some time. I know this he better like to play defense, dive,drive,and think that every 50/50 ball is his to play for Alabama. That takes unique character to be a high school star and sign on for Coach Grant's program.
The Second Front Page...
If you are a true hoops purist you are very familiar with the WCC and its many reincarnations. It's a West Coast League and all their games are televised late in the Birmingham Television Market. So if you are like me and need to watch just one more game before calling it a night, the WCC is your dream come true. I watch so many WCC games that I've learned the league, the players, and what's going on at the Left Coast. This is a league that a lot of people are not familiar with, but they can play the game wth anyone. I guess Gonzaga is the bell cow of the league. There are many other fine teams there however. This looks like a three bid league to me. And should an upset occur the NCAA is going to have a tough time not asking four teams to dance.
The reason I'm writing about the league is that Joe Lunardi, the ESPN basketball guru has Alabama matched up with St. Mary's. Bama is the 10 seed and St. Mary's is the 7 seed. According to the ESPN brackets the winner of that little shootout will play Ohio State, the 2 seed in the MidWest bracket. I think both the Tide and Gaels are better than where he has them seeded but if it is true what a great game and great bracket. The Gaels have just won the WCC Championship, their first since the '89 season.
The Gaels have the # 1 seed in the WCC Tournament. Gonzaga is the # 2 seed. St. Mary's record going into their post season conference tournament is 25-5. St. Mary's won the title by beating San Francisco Dons. USF had this big kid named Bill Russell who was a two-time All-American a few decades ago. He turned out to be a pretty good pro with the Celtics. Besides Gonzago and St. Mary's you have to look at BYU, and Loyola-Marymount for at least three bids. I recall LMU breaking Bama hearts. Remember Hank Gaithers? The left handed free throw in his honor? That was a good team. St. Mary's is just as good when yo watch them on television. One other team, San Francisco, is also capable of winning the WCC Tournament if they get on a hot streak. Anyway you look at the league, there are four teams who could play in the SEC. Gonzaga and St. Mary's would push for an NCAA bid in the SEC.
I think that the game would be a pick 'em unless Alabama finishes even stronger than we hope. I guess what I'm trying to convey here is that should the Tide play St. Mary's it will not be a cake walk into the Ohio State game. By the way, we match up pretty good with Ohio State. The Buckeyes haven't seen a defensive team as good as Alabama. Wisconsin comes as close as any BigTen team.
By the way a Gael is someone of Irish-Gaelic heritage. Never count an Irishman out of anything in this Country. God loves the Irish. If we play St. Mary's lets hope this is one game that doesn't have an Irish ending as the saying goes.
Bama freshmen have made their mark
So where do we finish in the SEC. Two wins would put us at 10-6 in the Conference. we might have repeated 12-4 if the suspensions had not occurred. Here are a couple of questions for us to think about - What happens if we win two in a row and 1.) And then Florida beats Vandy on Tuesday night? 2.) What happens if South Carolina beats Mississippi State this weekend? I bet the Selection Committee will look at the Vandy - Florida game and it won't have any impact. Mississippi State be left out in the cold if a few upsets occur in the smaller conferences. I don't think I have ever seen a NCAA qualifier with the lack of fight that Mississippi State put up against Bama.
Right now I'm think that four more wins bumps us up to a six if anyone is really paying attention. I don't think we can beat Kentucky on a neutral site. I'm not sure the Heat could either. For the Tide it is too keep shooting well, and continue to play the best defense I've ever seen. I'd like to give some props to Levi Randolph. He played the best all around game of his season. If Cooper, Lacey, Jacobs, and Randolph have graduated as freshmen alreay this team has some good games ahead of it. We need to sign Pollard. It's a three horse race with State, Kentucky, and Bama all even at this point. Perhaps the Kentucky kid that is staying will help us. He is the best all-around forward I've seen in some time. I know this he better like to play defense, dive,drive,and think that every 50/50 ball is his to play for Alabama. That takes unique character to be a high school star and sign on for Coach Grant's program.
The Second Front Page...
The reason I'm writing about the league is that Joe Lunardi, the ESPN basketball guru has Alabama matched up with St. Mary's. Bama is the 10 seed and St. Mary's is the 7 seed. According to the ESPN brackets the winner of that little shootout will play Ohio State, the 2 seed in the MidWest bracket. I think both the Tide and Gaels are better than where he has them seeded but if it is true what a great game and great bracket. The Gaels have just won the WCC Championship, their first since the '89 season.
The Gaels have the # 1 seed in the WCC Tournament. Gonzaga is the # 2 seed. St. Mary's record going into their post season conference tournament is 25-5. St. Mary's won the title by beating San Francisco Dons. USF had this big kid named Bill Russell who was a two-time All-American a few decades ago. He turned out to be a pretty good pro with the Celtics. Besides Gonzago and St. Mary's you have to look at BYU, and Loyola-Marymount for at least three bids. I recall LMU breaking Bama hearts. Remember Hank Gaithers? The left handed free throw in his honor? That was a good team. St. Mary's is just as good when yo watch them on television. One other team, San Francisco, is also capable of winning the WCC Tournament if they get on a hot streak. Anyway you look at the league, there are four teams who could play in the SEC. Gonzaga and St. Mary's would push for an NCAA bid in the SEC.
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| Dellavedova is a good point guard |
By the way a Gael is someone of Irish-Gaelic heritage. Never count an Irishman out of anything in this Country. God loves the Irish. If we play St. Mary's lets hope this is one game that doesn't have an Irish ending as the saying goes.
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