Alabama hopes to move on tonight by sending another Big 10 team home...

     The Crimson Tide takes on the 10th seeded Maryland Terps tonight.  For Alabama, a win puts the Tide into a position not enjoyed in decades. For Maryland, a loss is just another embarrassment for the overrated Big Ten. There are two Big 10 teams left in the tournament. After tonight there could be zero teams.  LSU takes on Michigan tonight, and talk on the street is the Bayou Bengals might win. Alabama is now a six-point favorite over Maryland. 

        This is the biggest game the Tide has played on a national level in recent memory. Nate Oats is in his second year and finds himself a 2-seed in the NCAA field. Being a two-seed doesn't guarantee victory. Ohio State and Iowa were 2-seeds, and look where they are today.  Only Alabama and Houston remain in the land of two seeds.  So what does Alabama need to do to beat Maryland? First, Alabama must make Maryland up its tempo. The Terps like it so.  They won by keeping the score low. Alabama wants 80 plus points. 

1. Run the floor.  Push the ball every time they have possession. Speed the game up. 

2. Cause 15+ turnovers. Keep Bama's to 10 or less

3.  Establish lane penetration and shoot lay-ups. This causes the defense to collapse from the perimeter.

4.  Take good outside shots. Don't create threes on your own. Make the extra pass to have better shots.

5.  Make 75% of the free throws. 

6.  Stick to the gameplan. Always stick to the gameplan

7.  Bruner, Gary, Reese, and Rojas need to control the glass. It is imperative to outboard the Terps.

8.  Hard in your face defense. Good switches where needed. Plug the gaps.

9 Get off to a better start than with Iona. 

10. Win the fifty-fifty balls. 

     Alabama needs to be smart. Don't look ahead.  Make this the most important game they have played this season.  Don't look at the results of other games. 

      If Bama scores 80 they win.  

       I'm picking Alabama by 10.