FINAL LOOK BACK AT THE AUBURN GAME...

     Looking back at the AU game one more time made me appreciate how well we played. I was also impressed with the skill of Auburn. The Tigers are a good team,  but Alabama is close. The primary difference between the two teams is their depth and the Tiger has better inside players. One thing that should be appreciated in the Oats system was how the Tide speed and pace negated the Tiger size. 

         Alabama broke even with the taller Tigers on the glass. One reason was the number of three-point shots taken by each team. Missed threes always give smaller players a chance rebound. For example,  John Petty the leading board man for 'Bama. Kira Lewis gets a lot of rebounds for a point guard. My thought was the longer three-point line would hurt outside shooting. It doesn't seem to have much effect. 

         You have to recognize that a fast pace wears out bigger players. Take Wiley for example. He just couldn't keep up with the back and forth of the Oats system. Saturday the Tide plays Missouri. The Mo Tigers are not big. I'll be interested if they keep up with the Tides speed and quick shooting. One thing that really caught my attention was that Alabama whipped AU and didn't have a hot night from the outside. I thought the reason that Kentucky beat us was not just poor shooting, but the Tide wasn't playing defense like they played against AU

Bama is 46 in the NET ranking which will sit well with the selection committee. The highlight of the game was Kira Lewis putting one AU defender on his rear end with a fake. 

TIDE DEFENSE SET THE TONE...


        When I opened my morning email, four Alabama fans wondered if Alabama would make the NCAA.  I told each that I'd email Bruce Pearl and get his opinion. Top five teams get beaten, but few get whipped by 19. So how did Alabama beat the Tigers like a drum? The Tide played defense. With its new fashion offense, the Crimson Tide turned to the old school on the defensive end of the floor. The Tigers got their respective egos flattened. Going into the game the Tigers were averaging 83 pts. per game. They scored only 64, and very few of those came easy. The Cliff Notes version of last night was Alabama embarrassed the Auburn Tigers. Pearl handled the postgame press conference with a lot of class despite the stunned look on his face. I don't think Pearl was surprised that his Tigers were beaten. But, I'd bet he was shocked that Alabama ran roughshod over his team.  I think AU has a very good basketball team. I think Alabama is on the cusp of being a very good team. 

    Will Alabama make the NCAA field of 64? If they play defense like they did last night, try to at least break even on the glass, make their free throws, and keep learning the offense they just might do so. Let me ask this. Does anyone see a team in the SEC Alabama cannot beat let us know? I'm not saying that no one will beat the Tide. Someone will, but merely suggest that Alabama can beat anyone on their schedule. Nat Oats has brought back an echo of the past that has been sorely missed in Tuscaloosa for two many seasons. 

Bama has a NET score 46 

Cold shooting kills the Tide...

       Alabama was 4 for 21 from downtown and that gave Kentucky the edge. I'm not sure that Kentucky is Final Four material but they are very good. And despite Alabama's overall record, I think this Tide team is going to be very good as well. Kentucky was lucky to have beaten Alabama and John Calipari knew it. The Tide lost 76-67 for three reasons. First, Alabama's poor shooting, poor shot collection, and lackluster defense in the first half.

        Kentucky won by understanding how we play defense and made a calculated guess that the Tide couldn't beat the Tide when Alabama tried to attack the Cats inside. The Cats had its best shooting night of the year. Despite all those factors, the Tide was down on by 3 with two minutes left. I think Nat Oats got a lesson in SEC politics as well. The SEC protects Kentucky at home. They only way you are going to beat Kentucky on their home court is to make a ton of three-pointers. The Tide couldn't do that on Saturday.

        Alabama's Herb Jones took a  ton of questionable shots. That hurt. Jones is a marvelous defender, but his offense is always questionable. It might help Alabama if Oats reigned in Jones shot selection. Jones's poor shooting night didn't kill the Tide but it sure made things tough. One thing not questionable about Herb is his effort and leadership. He may be trying to do so too much. Thnk about this - had Bama made their normal amount of three-pointers the Tide would have embarrassed Kentucky on their home floor. I'm disappointed the Tide lost, but I saw a lot of good from Alabama. Look for Bama to shoot better against Auburn at home. Can 'Bama beat AU. They sure can.

BAMA RIPS STATE 90-69...
    Alabama isn't going to win the SEC basketball championship this year. What the Tide will do is keep a couple of teams from winning the hardware, however. There isn't a single team that Alabama can't beat in either the East or West Divisions. That includes Auburn and Kentucky. Alabama showed what a Nat Oats team might do on any given night. The Tide cut the turnovers down to 10 and outrebounded MSU by 4. Last week when the Tide lost a big lead they gave one away. Last night when the Bulldogs cut a huge Tide lead to 6 Alabama settled down and won by 21. Keep in mind that Alabama is playing without a JUCO ALL-AMERICAN, their highest-rated recruit, and endured a hose job from the NCAA regarding a third player. Despite the loss of those players and a  rash of early-season injuries, the Tide has continued to improve. Give Oats a couple of great recruiting seasons the sky will be the limit for the program. No disrespect for the last couple of Crimson coaches but something is different under Coach Oats. Something is clearly different. 

     Nat Oats acts like a kid with a $100.00 bill in a candy shop.  And so does his players. The guys are having fun and running wild. They take shots that conventional wisdom says you should never take that shot. And when those shots find the bottom of the net jubilation explodes on the faces of every player. Hey, this is how we all used to play in neighborhood games. My friend Wimp  Sanderson was widely known for his scowl. Nat Oats is gaining fame for his wow. The Tide seems to always make that extra pass. They are mighty midgets who win the glass. The fast pace of Alabama caused State some real problems with their two inside bigs. 

       This team has brought back basketball to the Coliseum. Will Bama fun off ten straight wins? Probably not, but I will guarantee you that every coach in the SEC is thinking that Alabama isn't a pit stop any longer. To beat Alabama you have to endure the fast-paced Tide and that isn't easy. To quote Nolan Richardson, "fatigue makes cowards of us all." You can dish out pain running an offense as well as playing in your face defense. Alabama's pace wears down opposing players.

    Alabama runs like rabbits on offense and then beats you down the floor on defense. Remember buckle-up? This team doesn't have a buckle. This team is pedal to the metal, rock 'n roll, and turbo assisted speed. The team takes and makes shots that cannot be described on the radio.  They can hardly be believed seeing them in person. The Tide might lose a game we think they should win, but they'll win a few they shouldn't win. And we all get to watch them get even better. I know a lot of teams aren't going to like playing the Tide later in the season. Oh yeah, we get to smile a lot as well.

    Oats got his first SEC win against Mississippi State. Kentucky and Auburn are on deck. We'll learn a lot from those two games. Kentucky is the leagues' true blue blood, and Auburn is undefeated. Alabama will be the underdog in both games. 

tide seeks win number seven

RICHMOND IS VERY GOOD...

     The Spiders are always competitive and they have been for a long time. I think Alabama should beat Richmond, but it probably will not be easy. Richmond is an excellent basketball program, but Alabama is getting better.  How good the Tide becomes remains to be seen, but the Nat Oats brand of basketball is pretty impressive. Add Q, Rojas, and Gary to this team and the Tide would be a top-four SEC team in my opinion. The Oats five-out offense is innovated and a lot of fun to watch. If the Tide can cut down on the turnovers and rebound better the wins will add up. 

         Bama is coming off an impressive win over Belmont. Don't confuse Belmont with Kentucky though. In March, Belmont will probably be invited to the Big Dance. Richmond might make it as well. AOL.COM recently suggested that the win over Belmont was a signature win. That was pretty funny in my opinion. Nat Oats knows that a signature win will be over a highly ranked team. Such win will announce a step up for the Tide. John Wooden once said that a team reaches the top in different steps. First, you win your home games, and perhaps whip a bid dog in the process. Next, you win some road games. Next, you win all your home games and most of your road games. Then you win championships. I think he was correct. This was before the NCAA allowed a one-year professional amateur (so to speak).

        Bama is still in step-one but a win over Richmond would be Wimp-like sweet. I think the Tide will be 4 point favorite. It could be as much as six. I like Tide by 8.

tide must do all the little things...

 

  Beating the team that beat Duke would be a pretty good win for the Tide. I'm surprised that Alabama is a 12 point favorite. At this point I'm surprised that Alabama would be a 12 point favorite over anyone. That's no insult to Coach Oats or his players. The Crimson Tide has had more bad luck than any team might overcome. Pat on the back for the effort that Alabama has shown so far. Alabama just doesn't have enough bodies to sustain a fast paced offense for a long season. I don't blame Oats for using his system. He's attempting to change the culture of Alabama basketball. He's trying to install his system. This wide open run and gun offense should attract some big time recruits in the the future. Oats has already convinced one big time player to come to Tuscaloosa.

    Tonight, two high powered offensive teams will hit the floor. It should be a fun game to watch. I've driven from Tuscaloosa to watch it. That's a long drive to see a team with a losing record. Why? I think the future of Alabama basketball is going to get better. It will be better than Avery Johnson and Anthony Grant's tenures? Will Oats be better than C.M. Newton and Wimp Sanderson ? We'll know in a couple of more seasons. One thing I believe. The league is better overall than when either Wimp  or C.M. was the Tide head coach We won't know this year but this team will make some progress if they can do a couple of things. 

1. Turnovers are killers. Kira Lewis, Jr. is a turnover machine because it seems he feels he has to carry the team. He doesn't. He only has to distribute the ball with some common sense, understand he can't always take the ball to the hoop,  and just take a few mid-range jump-shots.

2. Rebounding is always important. The problem is that Bama just doesn't have any animals inside. That is not going to change this season. John Petty is our best rebounder, and that should tell us all something.

3.  Beetle Bailey needs more big time games. In the last game Bailey showed us some shooting skills, and I thought settled the team down some. Is it possibl that Bailey plays the point and Lewis plays the two more now? That's an idea.  

4. Bama has done a better job from the line. Free throws are important. 

    The little things always win or lose basketball games. Cut down on the turnovers, take better shots, play tougher defense, and hit the glass the best you can. If Bama can settle down and do those things they will win some games. Right now, they seem hell bent on running full speed per the coaches instrutions. That's okay. But some the players need to remember to think as well as run. Roll Tide.

   

ONCE AGAIN THE NCAA MISSES THE MARK...

    I don't have much respect for the NCAA. They are arbitrary, capricious, and basically a waste of time.  LSU head coach admits to offering a bribe to a high school player and he still is the head man the Tiger sideline. Jahvon Quinerly, who transferred to Alabama from Villanova saw his petition to play this season denied by the NCAA. A pox on the entire house of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. North Carolina offered fake classes to players. North Carolina and their players escaped punishment. Are you kidding me? So, the NCAA rules that's okay, but JQ doesn't fit any exceptions which allows a player to transfer and play immediately.  He had no sick family members and he was nor sick himself.  He had been pushed out by a coaching staff by egregious behavior, or threatened with reduced or no playing time. He and his family did nothing wrong. The were defamed by a con man. 

       A federal judge made it clear that JQ and his family did nothing wrong in the scandal. They had been accused of taking money but that did not happen. Instead of attending Arizona where he had hope to play, he switched to Villanova. Villanova fans didn't want him. Arizona fans despised him for not wanting to stay in out West. After a miserable season at Villanova he transferred to 'Bama. I don't think most Alabama fans understand why he picked Alabama. First, it was because he liked the coach and school, but wanted to follow a great tradition of point guards. That's why he picked Arizona. And it is also why he considered the Tide. The combo of coaching and point-guard tradition helped him make the decision to come  to Alabama. 

       JQ got so depressed from what had happened to his life he sought the help of a therapist. The move to Villanova and his very supportive family were not enough to get him back on the right track. His grades dropped which must be  devastating to a National Honor member. None of  that mattered to the NCAA. I was disappointed that Alabama did not seek a legal remedy. That's above my pay grade I suppose, but JQ is the poster child for someone who should be allowed to play immediately.  There was no ambiguity in this young man's case. This was just a decision that should embarrass the NCAA.