TIDE FAVORED BY 10.5 OVER THE IMPROVED GAMECOCKS...

      Alabama should beat South Carolina today. Carolina is not a bad basketball team and is 17-10 overall and 8-7 in the SEC.  That ties them for 5th in the conference with the Crimson Tide. Both teams are three full games behind 4th place Tennessee and Arkansas. Barring a total collapse, it appears the Tide will finish no better than 5th in the regular SEC season. Those two losses to Georgia and Missouri come back to haunt the Tide's hope for a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. Alabama is 18-20 and is fighting for a twenty-win season before the postseason. 

       Frank Martin, the headman of the Gamecocks, is a good coach. His 26-11 team in '17 made it to the Final Four. That's something that no Alabama coach has ever done. Carolina has won four consecutive league games including a stunner over LSU. Don't think that can't happen today if the Tide doesn't bring their best game today. For some comparison, the Gamecocks' last game was a 14 point win over Mississippi State. Carolina can get itself back in the NCAAT conversation with a strong finish. The Tide is probably a lock, but a solid finish might see the Tide awarded with a three or four seed.

    Better shooting in the last four games has helped the Gamecocks win for straight. Martin's teams play a hard physical brand of basketball, which should send Bama to the free-throw line more often. Carolina is going to fight on the boards. Heck, the Gamecocks are going to fight everywhere. These are not the same 'Cocks from earlier this season. Alabama played a good second half against Vandy and welcomed a solid second half from Jahvon Quinerly. If Bama can get that type of play from the point and speed up the game, they should win. One additional thing favoring the Tide is the poor free-throw shooting of Carolina. They are last in the SEC in percentage made. 

     Alabama's Juwan Gary continues to struggle with a fractured sinus bone. The mask helps him get on the floor, but you have to wonder how it affects his overall play. The kid's a warrior. We have to give him that. Noah Gurley has stepped up his game and is becoming the player the Tide hoped he might be. The great news is that he's coming back to play next season in T-Town. I've been told by two reliable Alabama sources that Jahvon Quinerely might return next season. Given the status of his plan this year, it seems one more season can only help his draft status. His slump has put him in projected NBA drafts as a late-second-round pick. He's better than that. JD Davison is now listed as an early second-round pick in projected drafts. He has improved, but is he NBA-ready? We'll see. 

     Charles Bediako needs to keep Carolina off the boards today. The Gamecocks aren't timid in the paint. James Rojas is likely to get some big minutes today. Rojas isn't afraid to bang heads with anyone on the floor.  Bama will be favored against Texas AM next week. That sets up a final-season road game with LSU. The Tigers will be tough at home and favored to win. I gotta' feeling that might not happen. Is Bama peaking at the right time? They just might be. Nate Oats has seen his Tide have difficulties this season. The Tide has also had some splendid nights. None of those matters now. It's almost tournament time.