Tough loss for the Tide in Baton Rouge... 

     Bama got a three-point lead in overtime but literally threw the game away with turnovers. Despite having 21 turnovers and cold shooting, the Tide almost won. A couple of made shots and fewer turnovers would have won the game. One thing Alabama fans got to see was effort and leadership. A lot of TiderInsider posters are going to roast Oats and the players. I will not do that. One thing is clear to this writer. Alabama players are under a lot of stress. Hopefully, the SEC Tournament will give the Tide a fresh start. 

     Here are a few observations. Sometimes a five-star player is not as good as advertised. I think Davison has a lot of upsides. It might take another season to get there. JD would help himself a lot by another season with Alabama. Whether he stays or goes is up to him and the Tide will be okay either way. I think the offense that Alabama runs is always going to lead to turnovers. It is the nature of the beast. As bad as the Tide played, they never quit. I salute them for that. 19-12 is not where we wanted to be, but it is probably where they were going to end up despite a few great wins. Perhaps the Crimson and White have a couple of more before the season is over. You never know with this team.

      The SEC has learned how to play defense against the wide-open offense that Coach Oats has brought. It probably needs some tweaking to regain an edge, but the talent level is what it is. I think we need to remember that the Tide has beaten a lot of great teams. The three big wins were against teams that had not played against Oats before. The inside game is almost non-existent. When the Tide gets some inside players, that will improve. Bediako will improve. Gurley might improve.  Kudos to Rojas for working hard in the off-season to recover from a second major knee injury. Some fans will criticize him, but I admire his work ethic. Last year Quinerly was a great player. In part, it was because he had great players as teammates. This year has been different and I believe part of that is because of reduced talent. I am not saying no talent, but perhaps at a different level. Do you want an example?  How good was Bama football after injuries to their best wide receivers? 

     Alabama looked tired in overtime. They got the lead, but it seemed they ran out of steam. Four Bama players logged in over 30 minutes. Some major credit to Alabama guards for shutting down Xavier Pinson. He had a good start and after that; the Tide shut him down. I saw more good than bad in today's game.  The short roster, the absence of Holt hurt the Tide

     The worst call of the season had to be watching James Rojas getting knocked down and being called for a block. One bad call rarely loses or wins a game. In this game it was a turning point. I have to say the SEC Tournament could be great. It could be redemption for a team that needs some good things to happen. 

      Let us do what we can to support Ukraine. Each of us can do so in their own way.