Bama beats the Barn in Big Road Win...

Coach Oats sees Bama at # 1

    Alabama lets Aubie get ahead, but they never allow them to get away.

     Alabama was sticking to their game plan, and the hard-hat defense kept Auburn from a huge run in either half. As a result, the Crimson Tide put SEC win # 12 in the books. The Oats coach of the soaring program now stands 22-3. The Tigers drop to 17-8 overall and 7-5 in the league. Auburn played a good game. Alabama played a better game. In the contest's last six minutes, the Crimson Tide made the shots in a 16-7 run to put the Tigers away. Alabama kept its composure in a very hostile environment. 

Adrenalin has a short shelf-life...

     Auburn roared out of the gate. They were feeding off the standing-room-only roars. Adrenalin does indeed have a short shelf-life. Alabama and Auburn went into the half with a 37-37 tie. Half number one was an old-fashioned street fight. Auburn fans may not have understood that Alabama had survived the Tiger's best shot to beat the Tide. Alabama was not going away. That first-half tenacity followed Alabama into the second half. The Tigers played hard. Auburn kept small leads in the second half. Alabama kept two rotations on the floor, and Bruce Pearl's team was worn out in the last six minutes. Pearl is a great coach. Oats is a great coach with better players on the floor. 

      The final analysis would be that Alabama's depth and talent level were too much for Pearl to find an answer to. 

Mark Sears and Rylan Griffen sealed the deal...

    Bama's bench is deep and talented. Nat Oats and the staff kept Bama's momentum going with his rotation. Clowney and Bediako helped control the paint. Jaden Bradley returned to the floor, looking like a confident young man. Namari Burnette won the hard-hat award with his defense and doing the small things which helped Bama win. 

But...

     Bama missed too many free throws and was surprisingly cool from the outside. Give AU some credit for running the Tide off the three-point line. Miller has seen the same defense for several games in succession. Let's hope the coaches devise something to help the freshman get easier shots. Alabama needs solid 20-plus games in the future. Alabama had too many turnovers. The team also caused some turnovers with their hard-nosed defense. 

Tennessee will be ready...

     Tennessee has lost two consecutive games of final shots. The Commodores drained one from the corner. The Missouri Tigers nailed on from just short of the midcourt line. Rick Barnes is one heck of a coach. Alabama needs to buckle up because Tennessee has its back to the wall. If you thought the AU game would be tough, then get ready for another game the Tide might lose. 

Alabama is number one in the AP Poll...

     Being Number One in the polls is an accomplishment. Is it a glimpse of the end results? I don't know. But it is a pat on the back to the players who entered the season as the number-five pick in the SEC. The Tide moved up two spots from third to the top spot. Tennessee dropped four spots to number ten. Road games are a heavy load. Barnes is telling his players the Alabama game is a chance for redemption. Tennessee leads the nation in defense. Alabama has the offense to win the game if the shots fall.  

Brandon Miller is SEC-Freshman of the Week...

    For the 6th time this year, Brandon Miller won the SEC Freshman of the Week. He'll win it a couple more times before the season ends.

AP POLL 

1. Alabama      38  SEC

2  Houston       22 (I guess some have idea Bama beat Houston) AAC

3. Purdue           2  Big 10

4. UCLA                 PAC 12

5. Kansas               Big 12

6. Texas                 Big12 (soon to be SEC)

7. Virginia               ACC

8. Arizona               PAC 12

10. Tennessee         SEC

Only 3 other SEC teams got votes: Missouri would be 26th, Texas A&M would be 31st, and Arkansas checks in at 33.

Other notes about the Brackets:  Kentucky, Texas A&M, Auburn, Arkansas, Missouri, and A&M are likely NCAA Tournament picks. Alabama is currently a 1 seed. Tennessee is a 2 seed.