Alabama wins number 21 in Athens 89-79   

JQ had 18 and control of the offense 

     The Tide gave Georgia a stay of execution with a sub-par first half.  Alabama was down 36-30. The second half opened with Herb Jones settling the offense down. The Tide fought off a determined Georgia effort behind his leadership trying to pull off a late-season upset. In the end, the Tide made eight three-point shots and relied on balance scoring to preserve their projected two-see. Alabama had five players in double figures, led by Jahvon Quinerly's 18-points. The Tide caused  19 'Dawg turnovers. Bama had 21. The game's game's first ten minutes looked like it was played on a slip 'n slide. Neither team could hang on to the ball, but Georgia jumped to a 14 point lead. The Tide cut that to six by half-time and then opened up a double-digit lead they didn't relinquish. The Bulldogs cut that lead to 3 very late in the second half but Alabama stretched that lead to 10 for a  final score of 89-79. The Tide made their free throws and got some big boards to ice the win.

     Alabama finishes the season with an SEC record of 16-2 and 21-6 record overall. It appears the Tide will play Kentucky in their first game on Friday. Alabama will play the winner of the 8-9 seed winner. That is Mississippi State vs. Kentucky. The Wildcats will be a prohibitive favorite. The Tide could add three additional wins to their total by winning the SEC Tournament. That would push their record to 24-6, and it is possible that Alabama would finish with a one-seed. If Joe Lunardi is correct, the Tide is the top two-seed at this time. 

     I don't think Alabama is playing their best overall basketball right now.They are playing their best defense, however.It is easier to play defense game to game  than offense. I believe the Tide will find their shooting  touch again. They did in the second-half. Bama made eight triples in the runaway second-half that saw Alabama scored 59 points. The Tide needs to clean up their turnovers. 20 plus turnovers won't beat many quality teams.The Gonzaga's of the hoop world  will chew up a team that  makes that many careless mistakes.