Tide hosts Arkansas today at 2:30

        Alabama is 5-0 in the SEC right now. Tide fans would love to see 6-0 in the league. The last time 'Bama beat Arkansas was in 2014. Alabama won that game 83-58. Trevor Releford poured in 24 points. Levi Randolph backed him up with 11. Alabama had a 12 point lead at the half and withstood a couple Razorback comebacks to notch the win. It was a big upset. 

        How long has it been since 'Bama beat the Razorbacks? Florida won the SEC that season with a perfect 18-0 record. The 7-11 SEC record for Alabama was not dead-last in the conference, but it was close. Alabama finished 15-16 in Anthony Grant's 5th season.  

    Alabama currently has an NCAA Net score of 23, which is a drop from 22 despite beating Kentucky. Arkansas checks in at #30. Vegas wise guys have Bama a five-point favorite at this time. 

     Alabama will have to rely on Alex Reese and Keon Ambrose-Hylton in the post, and perhaps Juan Gary as well. I've learned that Ambrose-Hylton has been getting some additional time in practice this week. The point is another question as well. If Jahvon Quinerly returns that will solve a lot of the problem. In the last game, Jaden Shackleford stepped in and did a great job. We even saw John Petty at the point. Quinerly may not be able to get a lot of minutes due to his illness. 

     I think that Bama will be able to run their five-out offense regardless of the problems with injuries. If the Tide can shoot the ball as well as they did in Kentucky Bama can win. This is going to a tough game for the Tide. Let's hope 3,000 Tide fans can give Bama a home-court advantage. 

         I like  Bama by five. The line has dropped to 3 1/2 this morning. 

Look for Jones and Quinerly to return against Arkansas...

     Hey, we all know Herb Jones. He's a warrior. Jones is the heart and soul of the Crimson Tide Basketball team. "We dodged a bullet" is how Coach Nat Oats addressed the media regarding Jone's dislocated finger. Oats went on to say that Jahvon Quinerly has practiced some and could be available for Saturday's game with Arkansas. 

OATS SAYS HERB WAS LUCKY...

     Oats continued to say that Herb's finger was very swollen, but the injury was not as bad as originally thought.  Both will likely play. Let's keep in mind that Alabama whipped the Kentucky Wildcats without Jones for the last 30 minutes and Jahvon at home. The Tide beat Kentucky on their home floor by 20, and it could have been worse. 

   

 Last season, Jones played with a cast on his broken left wrist. Herb pulled down 17 rebounds against LSU and shot his free throws right-handed. I talked with an orthopedic physician, and he said the swelling takes around 7 to 10 days to return to normal, but given the correct safeguards, a person could play. Depending on the exact injury, a splint could be used, or taping the adjacent finger with the injured finger is possible. Jones will play. This would be a boost for Alabama's undefeated SEC season.

JAHVON QUINERLY WILL GET SOME MINUTES

     Alabama hasn't released the exact cause of Jahvon Quinerly's absence.  At first, speculation was that contract tracing benched the point guard. I'm sure at some point we'll learn what the problem was. He has now missed three games, each of which the Tide won. With Herb's injury, Alabam will need as many minutes as possible from the former Parade High School All-American.

ARKANSAS ALSO HAS SOME PROBLEMS

     It's not just the Tide that is hurting right now. The Hogs have lost three of their last four games. Three injuries to Razorback players have contributed to their slump. Indiana grad transfer Justin Smith, 6-7 forward, had ankle surgery and is out for a minimum of three weeks. He weighs in at 230. He was averaging 11.6 ppg and 7 boards per game. 

      Freshman point-guard KK Robinson is out for the season. He's the backup for the point. 

     Arkansas rebounded to losses to Missouri and Tennessee with a 99-69 win over Georgia. Moses Moody and Devonte Davis combined for 45 points in that win. Arkansas is now 10-3 for the season and is 2-3 in the SEC.  Bama is a five-point favorite.  

UPDATE: Quinerly will play according to two sources.  Limited minutes expected.

 'Bama destroys Kentucky 85-65

     If this had been a prize fight, John Calipari would have thrown in the towel in the second half. The Crimson Tide didn't just whip the Wildcats. They embarrassed them on their own home floor.  Rupp had never seen a beatdown like Alabama put on Kentucky since Calipari. The Wildcats have a lot of talent, but Alabama, despite two injuries to starters*played great defense and great shooting to take home their fifth consecutive SEC win. We should be impressed. The rest of the SEC will be. 

        Alabama's five-out offense confused a young Kentucky squad. Alabama shot a blistering 46.8% from behind the arc. In NBA terms, a lot of those shots were from Downtown Freddie Brown territory. Those high arcing John Petty shots were stunning, and Kentucky had no answer. Petty finished with 24 points. Petty's defense set the town for shutting down the Wildcats in the first half,  and Alabama defenders picked it up in the second half. In the last 30 minutes of the game, the only way Kentucky could score was by offensive rebounds and free throws. The Wildcats always get the benefit of the officiating in Rupp.  Kentucky made 19-24 free throws. Bama made 9-13. Draw your own conclusion.

    Herb Jones and Jordan Bruner were injured. It appeared that Herbert dislocated a finger on his shooting hand. I suspect that Jordan has severely injured an ACL. Either injury will hurt the Tide in the future. My take is that Herb will be back "soon".  Bruner's injury is more problematic. Alabama's big man situation was obvious before his injury. Alex Reese played with an intensity not shown before. He played angrily. If Reese can pick up the slack,  Alabama might be okay in the middle. Juan Gary will help, and I wonder if Ambrose-Hilton might get more some increased minutes. Rojas is always working inside. He also drained a three-pointer.

    Quinerly might be back this weekend. I am not sure what the time frame is with the contact tracing. For today, the Tide finds itself atop the SEC and is the only undefeated team standing. Progress is being made.  The future looks bright. 

*No news at the time of this article regarding injures of Bruner and Herbert

 Alabama plays hard and beats the Tigers...

     You have to learn to win close games in basketball. There are so many moving parts that anything unexpected will cause you to lose.  Nat Oats praised his team for "learning to win close games."  Everyone knew that Alabama would have to play a great game to remain undefeated in the SEC. I thought Alabama should win the game. Then, the NCAA gave Auburn a gift, and Pearl loved the drama of springing the Shariff Cooper surprise of Alabama. 

       Cooper is easily Auburn's best player. Alabama had no film to prepare for his entrance into NCAA basketball. Shariff scored 26 points, but he made some crucial turnovers when Alabama pumped up the defense volume. He also shot an airball when he could have taken it to the hoop for a layup. That killed the Tigers. Auburn's Shariff surprise appearance was acute but not fatal. Alabama sucked it up and went through some lead changes and ties, but when it mattered most the Alabama had the composure to make big plays. You have to hand it to Herb Jones, Jordan Bruner, and John Petty.  They never faltered. Alabama won the rivalry game because of senior leadership.  Bruner, Petty, and Jones all contributed to the outcome.

      Nat Oats had the Tide ready to play. It seems to me that he has settled on an eight-man rotation, and while more than that number might play, those players will get the prime time minutes. Keep in mind that Alabama won this game with Quinerly on the bench (well, not actually on the bench) and unavailable. It isn't likely the former Parade All-American will play against Kentucky. 

      Once again, the inside game proved difficult for Bama. This isn't going to change. A team with good shot blockers will hurt the Tide. The Tide essentially broke even on the boards and got some extra shots with hard-fought offensive rebounds. Rebounding is a group effort for Alabama. 

      Alabama made 75% of their free-throws, although, once again, they missed some key ones in the last two minutes. Welcome to Primo world. The other five-star freshman on the floor led Bama scores with 22, but it was nailing four triples in the opening minutes, which set the game's tempo. Bama rallied back after losing leads. They never quit. There wasn't a hint of "oh, no."

    Alabama takes on Kentucky tonight in Rupp Arena. Tip-off is 8PM. Kentucky is a slight favorite to win. KenPom believes Kentucky has a 53% chance of winning. 

 Tide faces Aubie on the Plains...

     Alabama travels to Auburn tonight to settle in for an 11AM game on Saturday with the Tigers. ESPN2 will televise the game. The Tigers are 0-3 in the SEC. The Tide is 3-0 in the league, and with most rivalry games, you can see some strange things happen. Alabama is a five-point favorite right now. The Tide is 8-3, and Auburn is 6-5. Alabama seems to have found their game, and the Tigers are struggling to find a line-up. The Crimson Tide has excellent senior leadership, and for the first time in recent years, the Tigers have none so far.

    Auburn may have zero wins in the SEC so far, but that doesn't mean they lack talent. Bruce Pearl is an excellent coach and recruiter. Right now, the Tigers are down to one point guard. The starting point guard, Justin Powell, status is still unclear as of today. He suffered a head injury before the Ole Miss game. He didn't play against the Rebels, and the burden fell on Allen Flannigan to play the point.

     After talking with two people who know Powell, I expect him back in the lineup on Saturday, but that hasn't been announced. We'll see. When you look at the Tigers' stats, it is difficult to understand why they are losing. The Tigers lead the SEC in three-point shooting, they are 3rd in assists and have out bordered most opponents. Powell is a good player. He is both a dribble-drive paint player and can shoot from the outside. He's been a pleasant surprise for Pearl, who lost Shariff Cooper in the AU recruiting scandal. For the record, Cooper has been allowed to practice but has not been cleared to play. Stay tuned in that mini-drama.

    Before his injury, Powell was the Tigers' second-leading scorer and rebounder. He also leads his team with 6.1 assists per game. That is no small feat for a player who wasn't expected to be the point guard. The lanky 6-6 Kentuckian needs to return for the Tigers to beat Alabama. Two guard Allen Flannigan leads the Auburn scorers at 13.5 ppg. Auburn has shown the ability to spread the scoring around. They have four starters in double figures.

     Expect the Tigers to shoot 20 three-point shots in this game. Auburn leads the SEC in attempted threes. Alabama fans know the joys and tribulations of shooting the three-ball. The Tigers have made only 62% of their free throws. Jahvon Quinerly is out on Covid protocol (assumed). If they fall, the Tigers can beat Alabama. 

     Bottom Line:  I think the Tide should win, but the Tigers can win. It's that kind of rivalry. Alabama should win. The homecourt atmosphere will be negated due to Covid. Alabama has decided on their rotation, and Alabama is playing hardhat defense. Auburn has enough highly-rated talent to win, but I like the Tide by 7.

 Tide faces Aubie on the Plains...

     Alabama travels to Auburn tonight to settle in for an 11AM game on Saturday with the Tigers. ESPN2 will televise the game. The Tigers are 0-3 in the SEC. The Tide is 3-0 in the league, and with most rivalry games, you can see some strange things happen. Alabama is a five-point favorite right now. The Tide is 8-3, and Auburn is 6-5. Alabama seems to have found their game, and the Tigers are struggling to find a line-up. The Crimson Tide has excellent senior leadership, and for the first time in recent years, the Tigers have none so far.

    Auburn may have zero wins in the SEC so far, but that doesn't mean they lack talent. Bruce Pearl is an excellent coach and recruiter. Right now, the Tigers are down to one point guard. The starting point guard, Justin Powell, status is still unclear as of today. He suffered a head injury before the Ole Miss game. He didn't play against the Rebels, and the burden fell on Allen Flannigan to play the point.

     After talking with two people who know Powell, I expect him back in the lineup on Saturday, but that hasn't been announced. We'll see. When you look at the Tigers' stats, it is difficult to understand why they are losing. The Tigers lead the SEC in three-point shooting, they are 3rd in assists and have out bordered most opponents. Powell is a good player. He is both a dribble-drive paint player and can shoot from the outside. He's been a pleasant surprise for Pearl, who lost Shariff Cooper in the AU recruiting scandal. For the record, Cooper has been allowed to practice but has not been cleared to play. Stay tuned in that mini-drama.

    Before his injury, Powell was the Tigers' second-leading scorer and rebounder. He also leads his team with 6.1 assists per game. That is no small feat for a player who wasn't expected to be the point guard. The lanky 6-6 Kentuckian needs to return for the Tigers to beat Alabama. Two guard Allen Flannigan leads the Auburn scorers at 13.5 ppg. Auburn has shown the ability to spread the scoring around. They have four starters in double figures.

     Expect the Tigers to shoot 25 three-point shots per game. Auburn leads the SEC in attempted threes. Alabama fans know the joys and tribulations of shooting the three-ball. The Tigers have made only 62% of their free throws. Jahvon Quinerly is out on Covid protocol (assumed). If they fall, the Tigers can beat Alabama. 

     Bottom Line:  I think the Tide should win, but the Tigers can win. It's that kind of rivalry. Alabama has a great opportunity to win. The homecourt atmosphere will be negated due to Covid. Alabama has decided on their rotation, and Alabama is playing hardhat defense. Auburn has enough highly-rated talent to win, but I like the Tide by 7.

 ALABAMA SLICED AND DICED THE GATORS...

     On Tuesday night, the Crimson Tide knocked off the Florida Gators by a lot, not a little. The final score was 86-71. Alabama dominated the game in every category. Around the ten minute mark of half two, the Tide knew they could do with the Gators what they wished.

    Alabama used the dribble drive to perfection. No Florida player could stop the Tide penetration. Herb Jones, gifted but not nifty, took it to the hoop like shooting uncontested lay-ups. Alabama made it look simple. With Florida defenders stuck on the arc, Bama used their quickness in the lane. When the Gators collapsed, Jones and company hit the threes. Keon Ellis nailed three from behind the line. Ellis also led the Tide with three rebounds. He and Herb Jones led the Crimson in scoring with 16 each, although three additional Tide players were in double digits. Balanced scoring kept the Gators on their heels all night. Bruner had seven boards and four assists. 

    Alabama now leads the SEC with a 3-0 record. Joe Lunardi has Bama as one of the last four in the NCAA bracket. KenPom has ranked Alabama as 23rd in the nation, ironically, one spot behind 22nd ranked Florida. Go figure that one. In the NCAA net rankings, the Tide moved from 33rd to 27th. 

    It was the second "upset" win for Nat Oat's team. Last weekend the Tide spanked 7th ranked Tennessee on the road. Quinerly, who had 24 in that game, was unavailable for the Florida game. It is believed he will not play this weekend against Auburn. While his medical problem has not been listed, it has all the indications of a Covid contact tracing status. Auburn took one on the chin last night when they lost 72-61 to Ole Miss in Oxford. Auburn was without their starting point guard, Justin Powell.

    The Tide will play Auburn on the road with an 11:00 Am tip-off. (as scheduled now) The Tigers are now 6-4 for the year. Alabama has seemingly hit their stride. I like the Tide to beat Aubie in Auburn. Roll  Tide.