Bama hits the road for big game with Bearcats

lost in the shuffle of the weekend the crimson tide heads north...
Cincinnati is a big time program

    In the midst of all the hoopla of the SEC Championship another little game is going to be played at the same time. This one involves the basketball team which heads up north to Cincinnati to contest the Bearcats. This is going to be a game where the Tide could be drowned under the boards. The Bearcats are averaging 50 rebounds a game. The Tide is pulling down 32.6 boards a game. If you are a basketball purist the game is over in your mind already. No way you can get beat by 18 on the glass and even be competitive, much less win. This is going to be the first game the Tide plays were the lack of an inside game is probably going to get us beat. That doesn't mean we have no chance to win. It's not like your chances are slim and none and slim just let the gym. But it is close. The Bearcats are shooting better, getting more assists, and are 7th in the nation in points scored. They average about 87 points per game. And on top of all those stats the game is being played on the Bearcats home floor.

Sean Kilptrick is averaging 22 ppg.

      We are going to find out just how good a coach Anthony Grant is under circumstances that seem impossible. I hope the Tide wins. They probably won't win, but it is important not to get completely clocked. Alabama is going to press Cincy from the moment they hit the floor. Alabama has nothing to lose in this game, but they do have a lot to gain if they win, or even if they keep it close.

      One of the great things about basketball is that you have an entire season to get better. It's not like football when you lose a game and then hope joins your roster. No, in hoops you can mess around with your lineup, try different defenses, see young players suddenly blossom after a good game. You can lose a lot of games and win a conference championship. Unknown coaches can rise from nowhere to become hot commodities. And great coaches can have a couple of bad seasons and drop off the map.

     Anthony Grant is one of the best coaches I've ever seen. He catches far to much flack from casual fans. Give him another couple of years and we can compete with anyone. I don't think that we beat Cincinnati on Saturday, but I'm more concerned about playing hard, playing smart, holding our turnovers down and hoping the Pollard can have a breakout game. If Bama plays a great game they can win. Cincinnati would have to help us.  I like Cincy by 10. Would I be surprised if Bama pulled an upset? Nope. Nothing that Grant does surprises me.


SEC Opinions for Championship game here

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Cincinnati is a great team...

bama will learn how their inside game will hold up...
and can they win without one ?

Engstrom in action against SC

      First, the good news. Alabama almost broke into the top 25 this week.  CBS Sports Line has the Tide at  #15. Now for the bad. Alabama takes on the Cincinnati Bearcats this Saturday afternoon on the road. The Bearcats are now 6-0 and are the nation's # 1 rebounding team at almost 50 boards a game. By comparison the Crimson Tide is only pulling down 32.7 boards a game and is ranked 271st in the NCAA. That is a difference of  18 rebounds a game. I have never see such a big difference between two teams on the glass. Moussa Gueye, Carl Engstrom, Nick Jacobs, and Devonta Pollard will need to get low and play hard. Engstrom is coming off the best game of his career. His play against Charleston Southern was hopeful for the future. If Carl can continue to get a few points, pull down a few rebounds,and block a shot or two, the Tide will be a much better team.

      Cincinnati has long been a great basketball power. They are a perennial NCAA bracket team. The team plays in the Big East. In the preseason poll the Bearcats were picked to finish 3rd or 4th in the voting among Big Est media. The Ohio team is now ranked 16th in the Associated Press Poll. Alabama was 26th in poll this week. The line has not be set as of today's blog but I'd expect the Bearcats to be an  8 point favorite. This is going to be a speed and quickness vs. size and power game. That isn't saying that Cincinnati has not speed or quickness. They do, its just not the center of the Bearcats game. I've seen them play three games on televsion and I'm impressed. If Bama wins this  game I'm going to be very surprised. The inside power of the Bearcats may overwhelm Bama unless...

      The Tide has the speed and quickness on defense to offset a lot of the bulk of the Bearcats. Whether it is enough remains to be seen. For the Tide to win it will take a game of few turnovers and great shooting. The Tide will have to create a lot of turnovers. I think Bama has the tools to beat Cincinnati. I just don't think the Tide will be able to get it done on the road. Home cooking will play a part. How big a part remains to be seen. If Alabama can pull this one off it will put Bama on track to have a great season. Bama will need Releford bright eyed and at full speed. That is likely. Steele's situation is day to day More on Friday.

          

Tide beats Lamar 75-47

Releford and Steele did not dress due to illness...

The European part of Tide

     We have a better idea of the value of Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele. Had this game been anyone else on our schedule we might have come out on the short end. Releford runs the offense like he owns it. Steele has a calming effect and shows senior leadership for a still youthful team. Despite being without the "old men" of the team Alabama pulled away for a solid win. Not all was guns and roses for the Tide:

• Free throws remain a problem. I mean that we don't shoot enough or make enough
• Three point shooting has been really good this season but not against Lamar
• The defense caused a lot  of turnovers but made a lot of turnovers. It hurt not having Andrew and Trevor on the floor
• Overall shooting was pretty bad, but Alabama's best shooter did not play. But Bama clawed their way up to 48% by games end.
• The Tide played pretty sloppy but without your point guard that can happen.
• Alabama didn't  dominate reboundng but got a lot of points in the paint. The Tide clearly owned the glass in the second half
• The Tide took advantage of the turnovers they caused and got a ton of points off them.

     Regardless of all those problems the Tide still forged a 30 point lead in the second half. You can chalk that up due to hard play. It wasn't very pretty it the Tide worked hard. It was more of a meat cleaver effort. One thing we DID learn that their is some decent depth. Dakota Slaughter and Keon Blackledge showed they can play and contribute. Slaughter, in particular, showed he can help the team inside. Devonta Pollard is slowly getting settled in. For the night he was 3-6 and had 4 rebounds. No where near his potential but he is starting to look better. Slaughter had 10 points and he'll get some additional minutes in the future. Cooper led Bama with 17. Obahasan had 10 including two 3 point buckets. The big numbers for Alabama was the 34 points scored in the paint, 20 points off turnovers, and 19 points after grabbing an offensive board.

      In the morning article we said the real question about this game would not be whether Alabama would win. The real question is that they held a Division One team to 47 points. That happened. If you told me the Tide would do that and have Releford and Steele unavailable I'd said it wouldn't happen.  Bama now goes from playing one of the worst teams in the NCAA to one of the best. Cincinnati is is averaging almost 50 rebounds a game. This will be a big test for the Tide. A win would cause the nation to take notice of Grant's team.


SEC OPINIONS - Redshirt off of Black?

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Lamar is a bad team...

bama should have no trouble with lamar...
bama by 20? Wouldn't be surprised
can lamar score 50 against Tide ?
   



Sole returning starter - Stan Brown

      Lamar has a pretty good basketball history. This year's team is not going to add one once of good to that history. In short, the Lamar Cardinals are a horrible basketball team. They are in the Southland Conference which is a good conference. Lamar has been the bell cow of that league in the past. They may be the worst team in the Conference this season. Here are a few stats to know about:

• Lamar is ranked 321st in the NCAA for points scored at 57.7 per game
• The Cardinals are ranked a paltry 162nd in rebounds
• Field goal shooting is 278th in field goal percentage at 38%
• 308th in assists per game won't win a lot of games.

     Incidentally, there are 345 Division one teams. Statistics don't lose or win games. But these numbers are against teams like North Texas and Arkansas State. The 1-5 Cardinals beat IU- Indiana Purdue. I watched Lamar beat a Wimp Sanderson coached team once. They can put a good team on the floor, but this team isn't one of those teams. Pat Knight is the new head coach. He had a 50-61 record at Texas Tech. He learned his craft from this father Bob Knight. Pat Knight has the drive and he has a temper, but falls short of throwing chairs and choking players. Knight is attempting to bring a disciplined brand of basketball to Lamar, and the process so far has been painful for the coach, team, and fan base. Twenty five point blowouts have been common but in fairness to Lamar they have improved their pre-league schedule. The Cardinals were picked third in the league's pre-season vote.

      Lamar made it to the post season last year, but lost their top five scorers. Stan Brown, a forward, is the sole starter back from last season. Lamar did score something of a recruiting coup in Amos Wilson, he averaged 16.5 in junior college and is an excellent shooter. The only other player of note is Donley Minor. He has made 65 three point shots in 94 games as a Cardinal.

      Alabama should have no trouble winning this game. Alabama almost made it to the AP top 25. They were 26th in the poll. A win tonight and then a big upset over Cincinnati on the road this weekend would get the Tide in the elite group.

 

    

RELEFORD IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN...

       There may be a better point guard in the SEC. If so, I have no idea who he might be. Trevor Releford can take you off the dribble and make you look like you're stuck in mud. He can take you outside and kill you with bombs away. In between those two things, he is causing havoc and mayhem on defense. His hands are quicker than a pickpocket on a crowed subway. For the night he had 22 points on 7-15 shooting. He nailed 5-8 from behind the arc, had 3 steals, and 6 assists. He did get 5 minutes of rest. Trevor Lacey, who has been on fire of late had only 9 points including 1-7 from the arc, but he had 5 offensive rebounds, and 6 assists also. Levi Randolph, the third musketeer, had 10 points of 4-8 shooting including 2-4 from the 3 point line. All in all a good nights work for the trio. Their most important contribution? They kept Charleston Southern to only 21 three point attempt which was 9 below their season average. The Southern Conference team builds their offense from downtown. Friday night they Buccaneers only made only 8 threes. 8 threes in the SEC is a lot. In the Southern Conference it's just another walk in the park. 


Tide defense rules and Grants has a nice moment...


      This wasn't a good night for those fans who love an offensive explosion. If you like defense and watching a good Bama defensive effort effort you enjoyed the night. The biggest offensive excitement was the technical foul that Anthony got while screaming at an official for his ludicrous call on Gueye for a charge he didn't commit. It was also on of those great moments for the crowd. How many times have you seen a coach get a standing ovation after being nailed with a T. Grant got one. it was well deserved. He got it the old fashioned way - he earned it. For those who think that Coach is not emotional you missed a show. Bobby Knight would have been proud.

Bama takes a step back for a game...

      Bama won it's 5th game of the season and this one was ugly with a capital U. The Tide took four steps forward and then took on backward this Friday night in Tuscaloosa. The 1-3 Charleston Southern Buccaneers came in decided underdogs. They didn't play like they understood that however. Alabama had a nice little 9 point lead at half time. Then came the cold spell. Once again a cold spell. The offense just quit. To many of these cold spells will spell defeat on night, but it wasn't on Friday night. Some night it might cost the Tide a win, even a key win, but luckily for Alabama they have the defense to help weather the storm. Last season the Tide had the inside game to help avoid those games. Last night the Tide did some inside inside help. Gueye had a thee of blocked shots. Engram held his own inside and chipped in sis points. Jacobs only played eight minutes. I don't know what the deal was there. Probably two early fouls. When the season is over this will be a win, and it might be a win against against a conference champion. Rodney Cooper did not play due to tendonitis in his shooting shoulder.

Carl Engstrom played the best game of his career. He got the start and responded with 8 big boards, 6 points, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots. If Bama could consistently get this type effort from the the Big Swede, Bama will be an SEC force.

By the way guess who is # 7 in the RPI this morning?

Not all the moves occurred on the floor were by the players....



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Will Chizik's firing tell us what happened with Newton?

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       .

Things to know about Charleston Southern vs. 'Bama

HERE ARE FEW FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME

Charleston Southern was picked the win the Big South South Conference by lead coaches.

• CS is only 1-3 but they lost a 9 point game to highly regarded PAC 12 Arizona
• Trevor Releford comes into the Friday night game with an average of 17.8 ppg. Throw in 2 assists per game.
• Releford, Lacey, and Randolph are are 50% or better from the 3 point

Alabama officials expect a crowd in excess of 10,000 because the Iron Bowl game is being played on Saturday. Don't take that for granted. If you are in the mood to watch to exciting teams play come to Coleman. The next day you'll only get to see one exciting team play.

Grant is very pleased with the progress of his second year players. “I think there is a comfort level with the guys that are now sophomores when they are on the floor. There is a little more stability in terms of their understanding both offensively and defensively in terms of what they need to do.”

Grant addresses the progress of the Tide so far: “I feel like we are getting better with every game. When you look at our first game against Stillman (exhibition game on Nov. 6), I think we improved over the course of that game. We got better during the South Dakota State game. Every game this year we have grown a little bit and that’s good. We have a lot of youth on our team and have guys with different roles and different responsibilities on this team. Right now, in the month of November, the focus is to try and get better every day and to learn about what we need to do to put ourselves in the position to be successful. I feel like our guys are doing that.”

Charleston Southern is attempting 30 three point baskets a game. The have shot 120 so for for 31% having made only 38. That's the same as scoring 76 two point goals. If you shoot enough they add up. Bama will defend the Bucaneers with a man to man defense. Look for the Tide to press them as well. The Bucaneers are very much a guard dominated team, and like Alabama do not have a strong inside bame. This might be a good game to establish Nick Jacobs in the paint.  

Tip Off is at 7 PM CST.   Bama is a 17 point favorite

SEC OPINIONS Link


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Bama set to host Charleston Southern Friday...

Alabama hopes to start Iron Bowl weekend with a win over Charleston...



TIDE WINS!!!

      No game is a formality. Alabama is ready to host Charleston Southern on Friday night in Tuscaloosa before the Tiger hunt the next day.  Alabama will be hunting for win number 5 of the young season. Alabama is hot off winning the 2K Sports Classic basketball Tournament. The Tide had a thrillling game over Oregon State. Rodney Cooper nailed a 3 pointer from the corner with 12.2 seconds left. That broke a 62-62 tie to give Alabama a 3 point win. The following night saw the Tide blow Big East bad boy Villanova by a lopsided score of 77-55. The Tide caused 20 Wildcat turnovers. It wasn't one of those games that got a lot of national attention, but it caused a few eyebrows to be raised in the SEC. 

Bucaneers off to slow start...

      Don't expect the slow start to heat up any. The Southern Conference team is shooting a cold 37.6% from the floor.  That ranks 312th in the NCAA. Friday night the Bucs will run headlong into one of the nastiest defenses in the NCAA. All things point to a Tide blowout win. I'm not sure if the Tide actually can blow anyone away. It might be that the 77-55 game is about as one sided as the Tide's patient offense will allow. This Tide shooting has improved, but the character of this team is defensvie and not on the offensive end. If Devonta Pollard can get in gear the Tide might up some offensive numbers. Friday night is going to be a big game for the highly recruited five star recruit. Pollard needs a good game to get his confidence to where it needs to be. Without a bigger year from Pollard the Tide is going to lose some games they ought to win later in the year. The same goes for Jacobs. If big Nick can get some help inside he can be a bigger force for Bama. Pollard and Jacobs are attached at the hip as far as success for either is concerned. In all honesty, Pollard has looked pretty bad so far. I bet he'll play well Friday night and this will start a coming out party for the Mississippi high school star.

Alabama stats ...

      Alabama is shooting 49% from the floor. That is a big time winning percentage in basketball. If Alabama could shoot that percentage for an entire year it would translate into a lot of wins. Releford is making 50% of this 3 point shots. Lacy is hitting 61%,Cooper hits for 36% of his 3's and Randolph is hitting 50%. Of our outside shooters only Steele is under his last years percentage. Alabama's ability to win games is going to rise and fall on the outside shooting of the team. I had no doubt that this group would shoot better from the outide than last season. A year's maturity can make a big difference out of high school. The one stat is that Alabama needs more producton from the inside. It would be nice to see Gueye step up and deliver. I think we all know what we are going to get from Engstrom. He has shown improvement and seems to understand the game more. Jacobs will just get better and better with his improving health and experience.


Look for Bama to beat the Bucs by 20.


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After Successful NYC trip what's next for Tide?

A good weekend for the Tide...

BAMA WINS 2K SPORTS CLASSIC IN THE GARDEN

     Alabama had a thrilling win over Oregon State this past weekend. In the Championship game the Tide drilled a decent Villanova team by 22 points. So where does this Tide team stand today. It's hard to say. For me personally, there is a great deal of relief about the team. Alabama beat South Dakota State University and West Alabama. SDSU was a very good win. At the end of the season we will see why. After losing to Alabama SDSU went to Hofstra and got beat 66-63. This Hofstra team is a shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament and will have a chance at beating the all time record for wins in a single season by a Hofstra team. Long story short is that the 4-0 start makes me feel a lot better about the future of the team.

     Between now and the start of the SEC season the Tide has some games against good teams. They particularly are going to get some good road tests.

• Cincinnati        12/1
• VCU                       12/15
• Texas Tech      12/19

        Alabama also has good home games in Coleman to test the Tide:

• Dayton                    12/5
• Mercer                    12/22
• Oakland                  1/5/2013

      College basketball fans understand that those three home games are against good teams with a history of NCAA Tournaments. There are two additional home games with Charleston Southern and Tulane. Can Alabama win all those games? It is not really reasonable to think that they can. The trips to VCU, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech will be tough.  If Alabama could start in the SEC season with one or two losses I think that would be a good start. Once the SEC season gets underway the Tide is going into the belly of the beast and play Missouri. Missouri is a great team and program.  That is one of the most anticipated games of the season in book, and I cannot wait to fire up the old RV and hit the road.

Here's how I'd rate the Tide players so far:

• Trevor Releford       A
• Trevor Lacey           A
• Levi Randolph         A-
• Rodney Cooper        A-
• Andrew Steele         B-
• Nick Jacobs             C+
• Carl Engstorm         B
• Retin Obahasan       C+
• Mousssa G.             D
• Devonta Pollard       Incomplete in fairness to him. If he doesn't pick it up soon it is going to be a hard season for him. I cannot believe how much better he plays in practice. Shell shocked might might describe him right now.                         

      There is an obvious difference between the front court and back court. Gueye needs to step it up. Engstrom is playing solid and will get better. Jacobs has been limited by an ankle but once well he'll be a better player. The Belgium Waffle has been a pleasant surprised. He has some painful lessons to be learned but stepping up and knocking down that 3 and then getting a great assist has to excite him.

 

Wow...

Alabama destroys Villanova
Tide blows out Big East team 77-55...

Releford enjoyed the Garden Party with
a career night

     Trevor Releford started his first game this season. He'll remember this night for a long time. Releford had a career high 25 points including a perfect and deadly 5-5 from downtown. On thursday night the junior point guard dazzled the Madison Square Garden crowd with his magical act in the paint. In the Friday night championship game, he was more like a surgeon. He sliced and diced the Wildcats with his outside shooting. Just to be well rounded he also took another couple bewitching trips down the lane for scores. It was a splendid night to be an Alabama basketball fan. Alabama left Tuscaloosa with a lot of unanswered questions. They will be leaving NYC as an impressive basketball team. Last season the Tide was a team that couldn't shoot straight. So far this season the Tide's outside shooting is marked by laser guided accuracy. Releford did the most damage to Villanova with those five bombs from Times Square. The junior from Kansas continues to impress everyone who seems him play. This kid is a winner.  His attitude is contagious. He is a team leader even if he is not vocal. He leads by example.     

Cooper celebrates his Friday night game
winner.

       If anyone still wants to doubt the quality of Alabama's recruiting class that produced Lacey, Randolph, Cooper, and Jacobs you've lost your argument. Levi Randolph may be the best pure athlete I've ever seen. Now he is starting to blossom as basketball player. Trevor Lacey had a great first game in the Garden. Rodney Cooper stepped up to hit a game winner. Nick Jacobs battle hard for two games against much taller post players and held his own. Levi Randolph did a little of everything. Randolph reminds me of a young T.R. Dunn, who was perhaps the best defensive player ever to play at Alabama. Randolph is so fluid it belies his quickness and power. He does all the dirty little jobs that win basketball games. He is always around the action. He causes chaos with his length and  hustle. If he came off the bench you'd be seeing the reincarnation of John Havlicek.

Engstrom fights for a rebound

        Two years ago I thought that Rodney Cooper might end up the best of the four. He's on track to be a really, really good player. The lanky sophomore had another solid game punctuated by big baskets. Last season he showed his potential against LSU. This season he seems to have settled in and his maturity shows. Releford and these four sophomores had the crowd at the Garden on their feet with a defense that had claws and teeth. Villanova was literally overwhelmed by Alabama's pressure and athletic ability. Only the officials, coupled with Trevor Lacey sitting on the bench for almost 15 minutes in the first half kept the game close. Lacey picked up two quick fouls and Grant chose to let him sit. Alabama held on and even increased a small lead. It was 29-26 at the break, but the bottom was going to fall out for the Wildcats in the second half. 77 points is a boatload for Grant's team. Holding the other team to 55 is just another nights work. The only blemish in a Crimson night was some poor free throw shooting. The Tide hit only 18-31 from the line. Alabama beat the Wildcats by 22 and missed 13 free throws. A few of those were the front end of a one and one.

      I have to admit to having some real doubts about this team. The lack of inside power will cause Alabama some real match up problems and a couple of wins this season, but the rest of the SEC is forced to reconsider just how good this team can be. I know my opinion has changed. Roll Tide.


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Good Tide Win...

Alabama gets big win 65-62...
Cooper hits the winner with 12 seconds left

       Let's get right to it. Alabama had a lot of things to prove last night. They proved a lot of those things to this writer. Oregon State is not a great team. They aren't chopped liver either. Alabama needed to prove they could compete against a team who could muscle them around inside. It took Craig Robinson almost 30 minutes before he tried to do this but by that time the Tide has taken a 15 point lead. The point is that through some great coaching Grant was able to negate some of that size.

       I was very impressed with how Alabama managed to play OSU almost even in the paint despite at 28-42 rebound deficit. That sounds funny saying almost even you have a rebound margin that great. Here's how.  OSU got a lot of those rebounds because Alabama took a lot of shots. The team had 12 more shots than OSU which made up for a 43% shooting night. In looking at the play by play board the Tide was almost dead even with OSU in boards until the last 10 minutes of the game. They weren't exactly even, but close enough. During that stretch the Tide was shooting over 50%. That percentage dropped in the last part of the game when the Tide got tight and missed a lot of shots.. When Alabama started missing shots and free throws the Beavers padded their rebound lead. That's what having a 15 point lead does for your team. The margin of error becomes larger. I know that Coach Grant was unhappy with the way the team finished the game. In summary, he said the team played well but didn't finish well because it appeared the Tide was playing not to lose. The team got a little tentative. Credit OSU for coming back. Credit the Tide for hanging on to win.

       We had predicted that this might be a breakout game for Trevor Lacey. He showed the SEC that he is a player. He made a lot of big baskets. His pass to Rodney Cooper was the best play he made all night. Known primarily as a shooter, Lacey has expanded his game to prove he can drive and score. He can also driven and dish. The reason that Lacey could make that play was OSU had to respect his outside shooting. Lacey had not chance to square up into a good shoactt so he drove toward the paint. When OSU collasped around Lacey he kicked it out to the corner where Cooper hit the winner. One key stat is that Alabama had 7 offensive rebounds and scored 5 baskets on those boards.

       I also think this was a kind of showcase game for Releford. His first half was a good a performance as any guard I've seen lately. His ability to penetrate and score is uncanny. One thing you might notice is that when his penetration is stopped he has the gift of being able to adjust and shot. Not many guards can do that.. Releford is a great little point guard. He may not get the attention that some points get nationally but he gets the job done. I wouldn't trade him for anyone. Releford is our best insider player. One reason the Tide did so well in the paint was the 14 points that Releford got inside. He had 12 of those points in the first half. All the players eventually wore down OSU on their offensive end of the floor. OSU started to run a rag-tag offense and it allowed Bama to get a big lead. Defense was the key for Bama last night



       Bama shot the ball pretty well. They missed a lot of 3 point shots, but they made 7. Lacey was 4-7 from the arc. More important was the fact that OSU couldn't ignore him. That allowed the middle to open up some for Releford, Gunderson, and Jacobs. Gunderson played well. He is not mobile but he is big. He had 2 nice baskets, and pulled down 4 rebounds. He also had a block. Here's how well he played - when Big Carl picked up his 5th foul you could clearly see the concern in Grant's face.  Carl was altering a lot of shots inside and was plugging the leak in that frantic last 10 mintues. Jacobs is getting well. He had 4 points and 4 rebounds. I thought he also had one blocked shot but the final stats didn't reflect one. Here is a  stat that Bama fans better get used to: The Tide had one blocked shot for the game. That is a big drop off from last season. Help is on the way in the form of Jimmie Taylor and Hale. Both are long and jump well. Bama isn't finished with their recruiting. They are stil trying to find a post player. We have two scholorships to play with. Because of our youth a lot of scholorships are lumped into two classes. Grant has to be careful with those remaining two. We aren't having much luck in finding the player we want but the process is taking us overseas. 

      I have to say that Gueye has been very disappointing. Perhaps with a breakout game he will approve. I'm not quiet sure that leave Releford on the bench serves much purpose but we have won two good games with him coming off the bench. Yesterday we said the Tide would win if they had 10 or less turnovers. They had only 8. Lacey beat Starks. Starks was ball and chained all  night with Grant choosing to alternate defenders on him and it worked like a charm.

A few parting shots...

• Bama was tired late in the game. With only ten players someone has got to step up off the bench. Villinova was forced to OT to beat Purdue. We may see two tired teams tonight.
• If I have counted correctly the Tide has forced 58 turnovers in 3 games. WOW
• Bama needs to get Randolph a little more involved in the offense. He is a better offensive player than he has shown.
• For those who argue that Cooper takes too many shots - he's a shooter he thinks they are all going in. That's why he didn't hesitate to take the winning basket. He also plays pretty tough inside. He has a decent outside shot and can penetrate.  He's a winner.
• I bet their was no more that 1000-1500 hundred fans at the star of the game. Embarrassing for a sports city, but they have a lot of more important things to worry about right now. At least 100 of those fans were Tide fans. It's nice hear Roll Tide whereever we play.
• BAMA SHUT DOWN AHMAD STARKS TO 17 BELOW HIS AVERAGE. VERY GOOD.

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Bama hangs on for a 65-62 win...

Lacey and Releford lead the way

     Trevor Lacey and Trevor Releford each had strong games in the Tide's 65-62 win over the Oregon State Beavers. Bama carved out a big 15 point second half lead only to see Oregon State roar back to tie the game at 62.  This time it was Rodney Cooper who stepped up an knocked down a three pointer directly in front of the Alabama bench to give the Tide a 3 point lead. 12.2 seconds remained in the game. That was enough. The Crimson then survived a last second shot to escape. Ironically, Ahmad Starks hit a long 3 point basket and to seemingly tie the game.  Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson called a time out a second before the shot. Alabama forced a key turnover in thelast 12 seconds, and then survived a long shot at the end.

         It was a hard played game. In the first half Alabama actually controlled the boards. This was big for the shorter Tide. Bama continued ot hold their own in the paint throughout most of the game. The Alabama team occasionally got overpowered inside but fought for every rebound. Behind this strong board play Alabama built a 15 point lead. The magical moves of Trevor Releford  ripped the Beaver defense several times for layups. When Releford wasn't making lay ups, his teammate, Trevor Lacey was knocking down threes. Alabama was only outscored 32-20 scored in the paint despite the huge size advantage the PAC 12 team enjoyed. It was only in the late stages of the game where the larger Oregon State game began to assert themselves down low. Kudos for Anthony Grant for putting in a game plan that did two things: Ahmad Starks scored on 3 points. Releford, Lacey, and Randolph put handcuffs on him for the entire game. Bama kept the taller Oregon State team out of the paint for 32 minutes. By the time Craig Robinson made adjustments inside,  Alabama had built a 15 point lead which proved to be enough.

      Releford ended with 14 points with 12 coming in the first half. He dazzled the small MSG audience with a series of  almost unbelievable moves to the basket. Lacey finished with 20 points and was aptly named Player of the Game by the ESPN broadcasting crew. Once again Lacey was en fuego from behind the line. The key stat in the game was 20 turnovers caused by the Tide defense. It was the defense that kept the Beavers out of their half court game until the last 8 minutes of the game. Trevor Lacey made a lot of great plays, but the best was his brushing off a pick, and then outkicking a pass to the  wide open Rodney Cooper at the 13 second mark. Cooper squared up and nailed the three from deep in corner. He was standing in front of the Bama bench which erupted in jubilation. So did the sizeable following of Tide fans sitting behind the team. It was a fitting finish for Lacey and Cooper. Both players had key roles in the Tide win. It was a good night for Alabama and true Alabama fans who are worried about their basketball team.

      We had earlier predicted a breakout game for Lacey on the big stage in NYC. He didn't disappoint did he?  Historically, I believe Lacey will be a Bama Great when all is said and done.
    

     And for all the forum posters who continue to take pot shots at me - go right ahead. I do this to try to contribute something for the crummy coverage most media gives our team. For those of you who appreciate the effort,  thank you. Any fool can make negative remarks behind a screen name. I will never understand why Tide fans are so hateful to other Tide fans. An absolute lack of class and in the flies in the  face of our sports history. Roll Tide Roll to all true Alabama fans, and particularly those Tide fans in the 31 countries outside the US who read my blog.

Break Out Night for Lacey?

Lacey will be on the big stage tonight...
   

Bama teammates celebrate Lacey's game winner
against South Dakota State

      If you really love college basketball their are a few places that are special. Madison Square Garden is one of those at the top of the list. More than one player has gone into the Garden as good player, and played a great game and it turned around a college career. I wonder if Trevor Lacey might fit that profile. Lacey has had his ups and downs in his brief career at the Capstone. He has started this season of with some pretty good play. I wonder if he is ready to take that next step which would solidify him as a nationally prominent player. No better place for that to happen than at the Garden in front of a nation wide ESPN telecast. Bama is now a 2 point favorite in the game against Oregon State. That's down 1/2 point from earlier today. I've previously stated this is going to be a real test for Bama's lackluster inside game.

Ben Nelson is a good shooter
from the 2 guard...

     Tonight the Tide is going to need some frenetic defense, and even better shooting. The Tide also needs to break somewhere near even in rebounding. They need to allow as few second shot opportunities as possible. The Beaver's are not a great team. I honestly don't know how good we are or might end up being. A bad game tonight will not be a good sign for Bama. I do know that Alabma players will play harder than steel. The will play inside with a purpose. I've seen them practice for this tonight. Don't be surprised to see five players crash the glass if it appears that the Tide cannot stand toe to toe with the Beavers in the paint. Let's be clear - Alabama doesn't have to win the battle of the boards. They need to play as even as possible. Alabama needs to win the outside shooting war, and needs to shoot 50% or better.  The Tide might get away with a little lower percentage than that if they keep the turnovers down. Bama will win this game if they can hold their turnovers to ten or less. ESPN is probabably going to bill this as a fight between Starks and Lacey. They will be key. I'd predict the one who has a bad game will see his team lose.

 

Taylor and Hale sign with Bama...

Proud of Hale for withstanding the pressure...

Jimmie Taylor is a great defensive player

     Shannon Hale withstood a lot of pressure from hometown friends and fans to sign with Tennessee and  not Alabama.  Hale made it clear from day one he intended to keep his promise to ink with 'Bama. Hale and Taylor both represent missing pieces for Anthony Grant. Grant has been successful in signing a lot of great prospects, but he needs to find  great players at every position. He found two great ones on signing day.

      Hale is a 6-8 power forward. He is another top 100 player that has signed with Grant. He weighs about  205 lbs. He is long and lanky with a nice perimeter game.  Grant is going to have to help him with his insider game. He doesn't like to play with his back to the basket. He can run and score. He is a good inside defender because of the lenght and hops. Rivals.com lists him as a 4 star player and that seems right from what I've seen so far. He is one of those kids whose athleticism is head and shoulders above anyone he plays against. I haven't seen him play AAU ball so I can't really comment playing against competition equal to his. The best thing about him is that I think he has a big upside. He is just scratching the surface the of his game according to his coach and two other area high school coaches I spoke with  recently.  Hale transferred from Science High School in Tennessee to one of the top prep programs in America.- Christ School in Ashville, N.C. 

       Taylor is probably the most important player Grant has recently signed. He is a true inside post player who can knock you back to last week with his strength, power, and shot blocking expertise. He is a defensive machine in high school. He reminds me a little of Antonio McDyess (I'm not saying he is that good yet) in how physical he plays the game. He blocks a lot of shots and alters a lot of shots. Those alter shots are just as important as blocked shots.  Jimmie's the answer to 'Bama's woeful inside game. He is 6-10 inches tall and is listed at 235 lbs. It is all muscle. He doesn't score a lot. Truthfully, he is on a team that doesn't need him to score a lot of points.  I think he has the skills to become a more than average inside offensive player. He can run the floor. He gets the ball off the glass and hits the guards who start the fast break on his Greenville High School team. He is unselfish, relentless, and basically mean as a snake under the basket. He needs to improve his fundamental. Taylor is another top 100 player with four stars. He might get that fifth star before he graduates. Hale might as well.

       The reason that I am so happy with this class is it meets the two biggest needs for Bama. Think about the next season - Releford, Lacey, Randolph,Pollard, and Jacobs on the floor along with Taylor and Hale. Both Jacobs and Hale are power forwards. Jacobs likes to play with his back to the basket. Hale is a more in your face type guy. He can go inside and outside.  This is a great class in quality if not numbers. C.M. Newton once said that layering your recruiting classes are so important. He meant two things - first make sure you have a star waiting to replace a senior, and make sure you have one at every position. Next season might be the first time Grant has all the pieces on the floor together. Here's an example. Assume that Mitchell was back and had a great attitude. How much would his presence mean to the Tide? One player in basketball can make a huge differnce, particularly if it frees up other players to be in their best positions. Hale and Taylor can help the Tide do just that. 

Tide shoot around at the

Garden. Compliments of Jimmy Crawford - Facebook Friend who is in NYC.

     

Oregon State is experienced and have the size...

Coaches nightmare...

     We have some severe match up problems with Oregon State. They are big inside with decent talent. If we want to know how our inside game will fair this season I think the OSU will tell us.  The Beavers also have a good coach in Craig Robinson. They have been picked to be 8th or 9th in the PAC 12. That was before Ahmad Starks showed he might be a first team All-league player. He is averaging 25 points per game.  He is diminutive and very quick. At 5-9 you have to be. He dropped in 30 against New Mexico State in his last game. The Aggies are a good basketball team. Those points came against good players. Starks is the straw that stirs the Beavers game. Robinson has given him the green light from anywhere on the floor. If you watched that game on ESPN you had to be impressed with OSU. I have no idea what the line on this game will be tomorrow but if we are favored I'd be surprised. isn't the only player the Tide has to contend with however. For his efforts in the New Mexico State game  Starks was namStarks e Pac 12 Player of the week.

Size, Size, and good shooters...



The Big One - Joe Burton

     The front court of OSU is big and they are all shooting better than 50% from the field. Last season Eric Moreland, 6-10, led the PAC 12 in blocked shots. He has blocked 8 shots already this year. He is averagine 9 ppg, and is pulling down 9.5 boards per game. That means he is active and athletic and will clearly be the best inside player in the game. Angus Brandt is also 6-10 and is averaging 13 ppg and 7 rebounds a game. Throw in the power forward, Joe Burton who is 6-7 who tips the scales at 300 lbs. His endurance is always a question but so far he is averaging 11.5 ppg and 4 boards. You look at this line up and it is clear we  have no one who can compete with the size. At least no one has shown the ability to do so in the young season. Burton is so large he has to be seen to appreciate his actual size.  The other starter is shooting guard, Roberto Nelson. He is a muscular 6-3 and 198 lbs. He is averaging 15.5 points per game. 6th man Devon Collier, 6-8, forward comes in for Burton and gets a lot of minutes. He is knocking down 7 per game along with 3 boards.]

Bama cannot let this become a half court game...

       The two guards are averaging 41 points together per game. Here's a scary little state. the two are 17-35 from behind the the point line. That is great shooting. Last seaon OSU averaged 79 points per game, and this season they believe they should score more. The Beavers want to paint and dominate the defensive end to give easy baskets for the guards. On paper, OSU is a dominating team. Alabama may very well lose this game because they just can't compete inside. The real question in my mind is how effect is Alabama's death by defense strategy going to be. I think we'll do well. The Beavers have no experienced ball handlers beside their starting guards.  Bama will attempt to keep the ball out of Starks' hands as much as possible. The old cut the head of the snake off defense. That might very well work. The PAC 12 team has not seen the type of defense that Bama will throw at them. This is going to be a game of different style. It will be size vs. speed.

The Tide must do a few things to win:

• They have to slow down the scoring of Starks and Nelson.
• They have to find some way of defending the inside
• Do not let this become a half court game
• The Tide needs to have a 50% + shooting from the outside.

I have no idea who will win. If I was forced to pick a team logic tells me that Oregon State will be favored. I'll say this - Craig Robinson vs. Anthony Grant is going to be one of the great coaching match ups this season. Mr. Offense vs. Mr. Defense. Update: Bama was just posted as 2.5 point favorite. That makes me feel a little better. Several people have told me they can't shoot, can't create their own shots, and are timid inside. People see different things. I think one thing that people are missing is that Utah State was a pretty good basketball team.

Bama has a shoot around around 2:30 shoot around. It will be the first time for a lot of the Tide Player to play at the Garden. It's as special place to play with a lot of history.

 

Oregon State is a big game for Bama...

We'll know more about 'Bama after this week...

Ahmad Starks - he had 30 last week

 

     After watching Alabama in three games I have to say underwhelmed would be kind. The team has some potential but no post play. For a school that has been blessed with big men it is hard to understand. So it is essential for us to find an alternate way to go. We only have ten players on scholarship right now. There is an old adage that says it is better to miss on good players than end up signing bad players. I thing we can see some of that in the Tide's roster right now. I understand Grant's desire to open up a pipeline to Europe.

 

The Tide's season hinges on three things in my opinion. They are:

 

1. How well can Bama shoot the ball from the perimeter this year?  Last year's shooting will not get the job done. Lacey, Cooper, and Randolph all look better in my view.

     2. How quickly does Devonta Pollard take to become a big time player. Every player

         advances at his own rate. Trevor Releford came into the league ready to go. Pollard

         looked better against West Alabama. But he has long way to go. He has the ability

         to be a great player. He'll progress quickly. How quickly will mean a lot to Bama.

 

     3. Will Alabama have any inside game?  I think it is fair to say that Moussa Gueye has

         been very disappointing. Carl Gunderson was never going to be a big time player. He

         could have been benefited from a red shirt freshman year. He needed more time to

         develop. He is what he is, and what he isn't is a big time  college player. He'll get

         better. He isn't the answer. Nick Jacobs has had some real success as a college

         player. He can actually play with his back the basketball. He's a power forward and

         not a post player. I have a lot of faith in Carl.

 

•      Right now, it is clear that Alabama is going to play small and hope that one of the inside    layers can take step up. If that doesn't happen the Tide will not make not make it to the NCAA and finish in the upper division of the SEC. This is how a person close to the program put it to me - "I don't feel very good about this year." We exchanged some observations about the team and speculated about what Alabama do to be a better team

 

• Small ball is one way to go. Start Releford, Lacey, Cooper, Randolph, and Pollard. That  means that Alabama has Levi Randolph and Andrew Pollard as primary rebounders. That doesn't seem plausible. The upside is that the team can run and press. It also means that Alabama will need additional guard help. Steele is a real bonus to this team. He's a special kind of player. After that, Retin Obasahon will have to play some meaningful minutes.  
• Big ball is the second option. Alabama could put Gueye on the floor along with Jacobs. This would allow Nick to play more minutes and give us some offense inside. The downside is pretty clear - Bama can't press. Grant won't give up the press because he it is his best weapon. 
• Keep playing the way we play right now.  That is not going to work against better teams. I know the coaching staff is considering all options. If it were me coaching I'd be working with Devonta Pollard overtime. As things are we won't be a bad team, but I don't see a lot of success in the post season.

      None of those options make me think that we are going to be world beaters. But the best option that we have is Anthony Grant. He is one quality big man away from having a team that can go a long ways to winning the SEC.  We missed out on four quality recruits. Each told me that had narrowed their choices down to Alabama and who they signed with to play. I have a lot of faith in Grant. It isn't rebuilding a program. I said from the first day we got Coach Grant it will take 5 years minimum to elevate our program to a consistent top 20 team. Right now we have a lot of talent on the floor. None is big however. Against Oregon State we'll find out if speed can beat size and one 5-9 point guard who shoots lights out.

 

Hopefully, I'll be traveling to NYC if I can get my schedule squared away.