Tide Roller Coaster ride begins at 11 this morning  

      LSU is a talented basketball team and should beat Alabama. Oats addressed the media and once again lamented the lack of leadership. He carved out exceptions for James Rojas and Jaden Shackleford. There is no coaching for leadership. I commend Rojas and Shackleford for giving their best shot. Oats also gave a negative report on Jahvon Quinerly and his lack of leadership. Oats said that he was "Better Today", whatever that means. That statement surprised me. Presumably, a public reprimand was a way to get his attention. 

      I thought the Tide would win 20 games in the regular season. I never dreamed fans would get a ticket for a roller coaster ride or a side-show, as well.  Oats over-scheduled this season, but the Tide won three big games. Right now, Baylor and Gonzaga are currently number one seeds in Bracketology. Houston is a great team as well. Alabama lost to Georgia. For the casual fan, the Dawgs have one SEC win this season. That's akin to losing to Vanderbilt in football. 

     Today, the Tide can nail down a decent NCAAT seed, and the fifth seed in the SECT. Alabama beat LSU earlier this season without Xavier Pinson and Darius Days (who was injured in the opening minutes of the first game). Both are back to full health today. Vegas has the Tigers as a 4.5 favorite today, and that seems low. But with Bama, who knows? If Alabama can shoot well and keep turnovers somewhere short of the stratosphere, they can win. 

       The Tide will have trouble with Pinson. They will have trouble with Days, but Tari Eason could kill the Tide inside. He is one of the most underrated players in the SEC. Eason popped Alabama for 26 points and 10 rebounds in the first game. He might now score that much today because Days and Pinson are playing, but Wade will make sure he tests the Tides inside game. Bama will need some solid defense from Bediako today. 

       Lost in the media shuffle is the inconsistency of the Tigers. LSU started with a 15-1 record but has been only 5-9 since then. This could be a very sloppy game. If LSU gets some home cooking, it will hurt the Tide. I think the Tide can win today, but LSU needs a win for seeding and they are at home. I hope Oats have them ready.