Bama stumbles past USC...
Alabama won the game 63-57. But it took some lock down defense in the last five or six minutes to make the win possible. The word upset was resonating in the Arena when Carolina tied the game at 51 late in the second half. Enter Trevor Lacey. Lacey scored 15 points for the game but none bigger than a downtown bomb which stretched a 2 point lead to 5. Lacey had already made a big league lay-up in the paint a minute earlier. He made a 6 free throws in the last four minutes.
The Tide played so horribly that an alarm should have gone off to warn the spectators. It was a win that made you think there is no way the Tide might come close to beating Florida tomorrow. We played so bad I wonder if they can find their way back to the hotel. I thought this was one of those games where the Tide would come out and play lights out. The only thing I can say is that whatever has happened to our team has not been fixed or even improved. Unless Coach Grant finds one of the voodoo women later tonight our chances at beating Florida is zero.
Its ironic that it was the first Carolina game that showed the cracks in the team, and it was Carolina who showed that Bama is still full of cracks. I'll give the Tide credit for winning. Despite the poor play they won. Bama now stands at 21-10. This wasn't a win that will make the Selection Committee think about improving the Tide's current seed. A win tomorrow might. I don't think we can beat the Gators but if we do it, could get Alabama out of the 8/9 bracket. I'm sure that Alabama fans are relieved that their team won. They can't be happy about the how.
Bruce Ellington is a great player. The diminutive point guard shredded the Alabama defense with 7 consecutive points and 1 big assist which resulted in a 3 point basket. Those 10 points made it a game. The biggest play of the game occurred with 13 minutes left in the second half. Levi Randolph put a big time move on Ellington and caused him to pick up his 4th foul. He sat on the bench for almost 8 minutes and that probably was the difference between winning and losing. When re-inserted Ellington made 2 tremendous lay-ups to keep the Gamecocks close down the stretch.
Looking forward to the Florida game I wonder if Bama will play a four guard offense to pick up the defensive pressure and try to match Florida's speed. The Gators can shoot the 3 ball and if they start making them it will be a long day for the Tide. It is hard to understand just why Alabama can't nail the 3 ball. I haven't check the stats but I think the Tide was only 1-6 today. For the record the Tide scored a mere 26 points in the second half. What they did well was make free throws. The Tide made 24-29. That's 83%. Caroline was 5-6. I know what the South Carolina newspapers will say about that statistic. Carolina took a calculated gamble to cut off the inside by fouling. Carolina was playing so hard and so reckless, particularly in the second half, they fouled on every possession. As Nolan Richardson once said, "they won't call them all".
Preview of Florida game on Friday
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| Eblen and Ellington battle at the point... |
The Tide played so horribly that an alarm should have gone off to warn the spectators. It was a win that made you think there is no way the Tide might come close to beating Florida tomorrow. We played so bad I wonder if they can find their way back to the hotel. I thought this was one of those games where the Tide would come out and play lights out. The only thing I can say is that whatever has happened to our team has not been fixed or even improved. Unless Coach Grant finds one of the voodoo women later tonight our chances at beating Florida is zero.
Its ironic that it was the first Carolina game that showed the cracks in the team, and it was Carolina who showed that Bama is still full of cracks. I'll give the Tide credit for winning. Despite the poor play they won. Bama now stands at 21-10. This wasn't a win that will make the Selection Committee think about improving the Tide's current seed. A win tomorrow might. I don't think we can beat the Gators but if we do it, could get Alabama out of the 8/9 bracket. I'm sure that Alabama fans are relieved that their team won. They can't be happy about the how.
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| A GREAT PLAYER BRUCE ELLINGTON |
Bruce Ellington is a great player. The diminutive point guard shredded the Alabama defense with 7 consecutive points and 1 big assist which resulted in a 3 point basket. Those 10 points made it a game. The biggest play of the game occurred with 13 minutes left in the second half. Levi Randolph put a big time move on Ellington and caused him to pick up his 4th foul. He sat on the bench for almost 8 minutes and that probably was the difference between winning and losing. When re-inserted Ellington made 2 tremendous lay-ups to keep the Gamecocks close down the stretch.
Looking forward to the Florida game I wonder if Bama will play a four guard offense to pick up the defensive pressure and try to match Florida's speed. The Gators can shoot the 3 ball and if they start making them it will be a long day for the Tide. It is hard to understand just why Alabama can't nail the 3 ball. I haven't check the stats but I think the Tide was only 1-6 today. For the record the Tide scored a mere 26 points in the second half. What they did well was make free throws. The Tide made 24-29. That's 83%. Caroline was 5-6. I know what the South Carolina newspapers will say about that statistic. Carolina took a calculated gamble to cut off the inside by fouling. Carolina was playing so hard and so reckless, particularly in the second half, they fouled on every possession. As Nolan Richardson once said, "they won't call them all".
- Whatever is going on with Trevor Releford's game continues to have a tremendous negative effect on the team.
- Alabama must shoot more threes even if they miss them. The paint is starting to look like Grand Central Station at 5 o'clock.
- Bama's press improved today when we played only one big man. The question for the Florida game is do we play two inside players to take advantage of the Gator's poor inside game. Do we go with the speed of four guards?
- I thought Lacey looked close to 100%. He is still a little tentative moving to his left.
- Just like the Ole Miss game our bench was missing in action. Part of that is the choice to start Steele. Hankerson has been effective for a while now. He can be though.
- Grant now has a winning SEC Tournament record at 3-2.
TALK ABOUT THE SEC...
A lot of talk revolving around whether Tennessee should be in the NCAA instead of Mississippi State. Kentucky fans are coming in record numbers. Most think the SEC should just give them the trophy right now.
Of course the topic de jour is the point shaving scandal that is about to erupt at Auburn and possibly other NCAA schools. This rumor has been floating for a couple of weeks. Ward and Denson were targets of an FBI investigation. Denson was cleared. No word on Ward. If I represented Ward I'd cut him a deal right now. Point shaving has a storied history in the NCAA. Contrary to most opinions the shaving rarely changes the outcome of the game. We are talking margin of victory. I understand that Ward has lawyered up already. I'm not sure of what NCAA violations this might effect. It appears that as soon as AU found out about the investigation they acted correctly and quickly. In fact, I think it was AU who called the Feds.
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| AVERAGE ALABAMA CO-ED |
Other rumors floating around regards how many of the Kentucky freshmen will return. Most think at least two will stay. LSU turned on the heat in the second half and put away Arkansas who went quietly without a struggle, LSU and Ole Miss still believe they have a chance to make it to the NCAA if they win two or three games. The most anticipated game today is Mississippi State and Georgia. State is now on the bubble. A loss to Georgia will likely make them the host of an NIT game.
Speaking of the NIT the SEC may do well there. Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU, and Arkansas are all going to get bids. Perhaps a bubble team who blows up and gets no invitation might be in that bunch. The Old East have the byes.
Preview of Florida game on Friday
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