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 Alabama destroys LSU 105-75... 

Update: Tide # 10 in CBS Poll

   

Oats had them ready

     Alabama and LSU went into last night's game to find out who was the SEC's best team. The Tide was a shaky one-point favorite. That's Vegas's way of saying they have no idea who should win, but Alabama knew.  This was a astonishing  victory for Alabama. How bad was it for LSU?  They were down 60-32 at the half. The margin grew to forty in the second half. With 7:15 left in the game, Nat Oats cleared the bench,  but when Darius Miles dropped his second three-pointer, the Crimson Tide set a school and SEC record for threes. And seriously, it could have been worse. The top eight Tide players sat out the last seven minutes in the game. 

         John Petty opened up the game with five consecutive three-pointers. It was a blow to the mind of LSU players,, which they never recovered. It was an extraordinary display of a shooters touch. Those shots didn't rattle around. They were, as the late Joe Dean loved saying, "string music".  It wasn't just Petty, however. Freshman Joshua Primo made 6-8 three-point shots. Not to be outdone,  Jahvon Quinerly nailed 6-7 from behind the line. The guards made 20-25 three-points attempts.      

Petty's shooting stunned LSU

      LSU was stunned by this shooting. At the ten minute it was becoming clear that the Tigers were going to lose. I'm not any of us could understand how one-sided this win would become. The Tide made an mind-boggling 14-19 threes in the first half. For the  game, the Tide would shoot 56% from the floor.  When you include that Alabama shot 43 three balls overall, it is almost unbelievable. LSU simply did not have enough firepower to make a meaningful run at Alabama once they fell behind. 

      Alabama  also out boarded the Tigers 43-40.  Jaden Shackleford led Alabama with 8 assists out of a total of 20.  LSU managed only 10. Both teams had four blocks each.  The Tigers had only 12 turnovers and Bama 16. In all fairness, 7 of those turnovers came with substitutes on the floor in last seven minutes. Tip of the hat to Nate Oats for pulling the starters.  I think the Tide would have scored 120 points otherwise. The Tide made its point.  They destroyed LSU on their home floor. 

      In the post game interview, Nat Oats praised the senior leadership, acknowledged that Petty is  the best shooter in the NCAA, and his  pride in Alabama's defense. Petty said it was "just another day in the gym."

IMO:

1. Herb Jones did yeoman's work on Watford. 

2. Petty kept Thomas from scoring often when it mattered most.

3. Shackleford killed the Tigers with his penetration and dishing out for threes

4. Rojas, a bull in the China Shop, led Bama rebounding with limited time on the floor.

5. Alex Reese was elbowed in the throat three times with no calls. Reese is playing his best ball.  His shooting will come around.

6. Quinerly is a magician with the ball. His drive and out passing is outstanding. 

7. Bama is clearly the best team in the SEC right now. I think Missouri second. Tennessee has some problems. LSU better man up or they are done.

 THE NEW NUMBERS: It was an outstanding night for Alabama fans. I expect Bama to be a projected #2 seed in Lunadari's next bracketology. I predict that will replace Tennessee as a #2 seed.

1. The latest KenPom # is 10. 

2. The Tide's SOS is now #14. 

3. Bama's ELO is now #6.  

4. The RPI is #9. 

5. The NET score is up 7 places to #11

Take a look: The Alabama shooting chart from last night shows the Oats philosophy on where to shoot from.

We didn't shoot many twos. Just a few lay ups and offensive rebounds. Two nice offensive tip ins. 

   

    All and all a night to remember and certainly one we should never forget. Roll Tide Roll