Worst in history of Alabama basketball?

outhustled, outshot and outclassed
new low for tide hoops

       The only area where Alabama led the VCU Rams was the embarrassment factor. In over 55 years of watching the Tide play basketball this is the low point for an offensive performance.  How do you hold your opponent to only 33 first half points,  and be 15 points behind?  This is simply not acceptable for any team that wears Crimson and White. The team hustled their rear ends off on defense, and don't doubt for one second they didn't, but somebody needs to help Anthony Grant find an offense. How in the world do you sign such gifted players as we have at the ball handling positions and play this bad. The half time score was VCU 33 -18. I am very serious when I say that being down only 15 at the half was a gift from VCU's shot selection. The fact that Alabama shot 36% was because we only had 17 shots. VCU shot only 40%, and that was due to the Tide's relentless pressure. When you say the refs let them play you understand what that means. The only thing VCU did wrong on defense was they missed a few arm tackles.

 

     The only question in my mind was whether we could make it to 30 turnovers. That would be commit not cause. In the second half you could sense the Tide was getting sloppy because they were tired. VCU just kept putting in fresh bodies, and we had no one to substitute who might help. The Tide cut it to 11 but in a heartbeat it was back to 19. Bama couldn't match up man with the Rams, and couldn't cover the three point shot in the zone. Time after time VCU players shot uncontested threes. I think it might be worth mentioning that even had Engstrom and Steele played it would have made no appreciable difference. This is the only game that I have ever considered walking out before it was over. Well, it was over, but I mean when time expired.

 

      The only reason worth hanging around for was to admire the movement on the VCU offense and their hard nosed play on defense. I thought that around the 14 minute mark of the second half the Tide was out of energy. If we ran any plays for Lacey I couldn't tell. If ran any plays at all you couldn't tell. VCU took away our offense, then took away our defense with outside shooting, and then took away our confidence. You have to wonder how a young team will respond to such a pounding.

 

       There is really nothing you can say about what happened today on national television. The highlight for the Tide had to be Obasahon blocking a 6-8 players dunk. From start to finish it was all Rams. Somebody on this team better figure something out soon. The Tide is 6-3 but are falling like a rock. This has to be the bottom. It is this kind of loss that will question the coaches future. I hate that because I think Grant is a good coach. Three games where we couldn't get out of the starting gate. Heck, we couldn't even find the starting gate. One thing I did like was the way that Pollard got physical. He might get beat by the Rams but he was not going to stand around and take a beating. So what we knew is even more clear. We have no inside game. We have no hope for an inside game. I'm afraid without some type of inside game we have no season. I hope Coach Grant will scour the JUCO ranks for two big men who can come in and help. They couldn't be worse than the one's we have right now. We have lost to three really good teams. Each will get a bid to the NCAA. I'm not sure what Grant can do with this team. I do want our fans know this wasn't a lack of effort type game. Dakota Slaughter should get some more playing time since our big mean can't play. I watched to the bitter end. It was a bitter beginning.  Final Score was VCU 73 - Alabama 54.