The LSU game is about more than winning...

     Good vs. Evil. Is that possible in sports? Remember the winter Olympics and the 1980 game between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Communists had built an unbeatable ice hockey team. The United States team of real amateurs would be their next sacrificial lambs. Lake Placid, New York, seems like forever ago. To many readers, this post will make little sense whatsoever. For those who are older, we will turn back the hands of time and remember when good beat bad, when virtue defeated the Soviet block. The Miracle on Ice is still remembered for everything is right. It was indeed right vs. wrong.

     What does this have to do with the Southeastern Conference? LSU is a rotten basketball program coached by a man who has no idea of what morality means. The only thing that Will Wade believes in is winning. It doesn't matter what he does to reach his goal. I won't bother to repeat Wade's contribution to the FBI's tape recording of a telephone call admitting he bribed a player to come to LSU. That player is Javonte Smart. Smart is still on the LSU team, averaging 15.3 ppg, and plays more minutes than any other LSU player. That FBI tape came to light in a 2017 probe regarding cheating in College Basketball. Nothing has happened since regarding Will Wade and LSU. In a country where we espouse righteousness and honesty, it seems almost laughable that the NCAA continues to sit by on the four schools involved and take little action. It is about head coaches. The whole mess stinks to high heaven. 

    The whole situation brings me back to the right vs. wrong or the good vs. evil argument. When Alabama takes the court to play LSU on Tuesday night, it goes beyond just a game. It is something more than that. It is whether a conference and a governing body will allow cheaters to continue their actions. We live in a divided nation, but I'd like to think that everyone would side with those who play honestly and not with those who don't. I'm not preaching, but I am standing on a soapbox. None of this is about Alabama. It is about a school that everyone knows is cheating and all the schools that don't. The same argument will play out with each team LSU plays.

     Is being on the side of what's right going to help Alabama win? No, after all, we see that morality is beaten by immorality far too often. The world is complicated. This issue regarding LSU, Kansas, Auburn, and Arizona is clear cut, however.  It is about four coaches who don't believe the rules apply to them and four schools who won't fire them. It is about sports programs out of control. If you use a player who cheated you never really win. If LSU cheats on one player they will cheat on more 

     Tuesday night, I'm pulling for the good guys.

Update: Tide is now projected as a three seed by Lunardi.

Kenpom has Bama a one-point dog

CBSsports has Bama as five-seed

My dream 1st round match-up: UAB 

I will repost with updates throughout the day.

 Tide cracks top-twenty in AP and Coaches Poll... 

Gary with the block 

  Finally, the Crimson Tide has fought its way back into the AP and Coaches Top-Twenty Polls.  A quick crack at some mathematics tells me that a four seed is possible for the Tide.  Alabama is 17th in the NCAA NET rankings. All this goes to show that the media and NCAA are starting to take notice of Alabama basketball again. They should. Alabama is going to make the NCAA Tournament Field. The question remains - how low a seed will the Tide finds itself. 

     Alabama isn't going to be undefeated in the SEC. There are just too many good teams, and LSU is one of them. A win on the road in Baton Rouge would be a monstrous win for Oats his team.  I'm betting LSU will be a slight favorite.  The Tigers will be the best team Alabama has played this season since Stanford and Clemson.  The Tide has only lost three games and two of them were against good teams in the early season. The loss to WKU was an NCAA NET killer so to speak.

     If Alabama continues its hot shooting they will beat the Tigers. If Alabama shoots well they can and will beat anyone they play. The last time Alabama was ranked in the top-twenty five was 2011. 

JOHN PETTY NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN

     The SEC named John Petty, Jr. as the SEC player of the week. Petty has won the award once again. He also won it the week of January 4th. Jaden Shakelfore won it on Dec. 28th.  Three consecutive weeks for Tide guards.

 IMO -

Ambrose-Hylton

Juwan Gary - played some great ball in limited minutes. He was 4-4 from the field including a three. He had two rebounds and a steal. He also blocked three shots. A day's work in just seven minutes.

Darius Miles  - He nailed 2 of 3 from downtown, and showed some real progress to getting involved in the offense.

Keon Ambrose-Hylton - One monster Sports Center dunk, four boards made quite an impression on the commentators. KAH needs to continue to step it up in plugging the gap in the post.

Alex Reese - he made a three,  had three rebounds, and three big steals in only 13 minutes of play. Good for him.  He played some level headed basketball. If you look at the stats for Reese, Ambrose-Hylton, and Gary, they more than made up for the loss of Jordan Bruner. Oats has gotten his players to buy into his system.

HERE'S A STAT TO CHEW ON:

  Alabama has a strength of Schedule which is 32nd in the NCAA. LSU's is 91st. 

 Tide rips the hogs 90-59...

     It could have been much worse.  Had Nat Oats not called the dogs off, Alabama would have scored over 100.  It was, by any standard, a remarkable showcase for Alabama basketball. Anyone who doubted Nat Oats can now be quiet. 

     Excuse me for a brief rant.  How is it that ESPN gives more airtime to Auburn and Shariff Cooper than they give to Alabama? Post-game coverage on SEC and Espn talked about Cooper and AU. The commentators talked about Arkansas and a tough practice.  What they didn't talk about enough was Alabama and a complete dismantling of the Arkansas Razorbacks, or how the Tide did the same to Kentucky the game before. Now, you guys know my love and commitment to Alabama basketball. This is all about 'Bama fatigue in football, and it is spilling over to basketball. I'll now step off the soapbox. 

Herb Jones - UA/Ath.

           Going into the game, there was a great deal of concern regarding  Jones and Bruner's absence. Herb played, he played well, and I couldn't really see much difference in his play. Jones is a warrior. I wonder if Herb will come back for one more season. He could really enhance his professional career by extending his 'Bama career one more season. I've heard rumors. Bruner was not limping. The time frame for his recovery was 4-6 weeks. I'm betting he's back earlier than that.

     Joshua Primo described Jones as a "soldier." It was an apt tribute from a freshman to a senior. Senior leadership by Jones and Petty is making the Tide a tight-knit cohesive team. Kudos to John Petty. He broke ex-great Brian William's long-lasting record for made three-pointers. Petty was four short going into the contest and nailed five.  Speaking of Primo, he won the "hard-hat" award for his play.  Oat's singled him out of his play, saying that he played a good game even though his shooting was off. The young Canadian is going to be a star before he leaves Alabama. He needs some time in the weight room. 

     When Bama shoots the ball well, they will beat anyone they play. I was impressed with their defense, especially in the first half. Great defense leads to great offense. If you are playing solid defense, you'll win some games you might lose if the shooting isn't there.  The Tide outrebounded the Razorbacks without Bruner, and that was big. I thought Ambrose-Hylton had the play of the game. His thunderous dunk on an inbound play knocked the Hog's seven-footer to the deck and then back to the bench. Darius Miles showed his smooth outside shooting. Seven Bama players made three-pointers. Walk-on guard Britton Johnson hit one from downtown and set off a celebration on the Tide bench.  

     A special note to Keon Ellis. His play is giving the Tide some much-needed depth. He is carving some big minutes with his shooting and particularly his defense. I thought Juan Gary played a tough 7 minutes. He will be big-time for Bama this season. Nice seeing him drain the three-point basket. Tip of the hat to Alex Reese. His defense was outstanding. He will be a big help for the Tide, and I suspect he will be back next season.   I think Bama may break the top-twenty tonight. 

IMO -

MVP - John Petty's outside shooting set the tone

Defensive Player of the Game - Gritty performance by Herb Jones

Play of the Game - Keon Ambrose-Hylton gave Bama an "oh, my" moment

A Special Nod - Juwan Gary gave Alabama something to build on

 

     

 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.