Tide faces a must-win game tonight
A&M is a slight favorite...

   

 I've always hated the term must-win. It seems so dramatic and overstated. Tonight the unranked Crimson Tide hosts the Aggies of Texas A&M that might actually fall into that category.   As much as I hate to say must-win Tide has lost two home games. A third home loss wouldn't be the end of the world or would it?  We can look at today's game in two ways. We are not playing well and the best team we play will hit the hardwood tonight. That is a recipe for disaster. That is one way to view the game tonight Johnson is not worried about A&M. He is concerned about his own team.  So what can you say that favors the Tide in tonight's tip-off?  How about we have a great opportunity to beat the 5th rated team in the nation which will be without their top scorer. We catch them in Tuscaloosa. And a win would be a great catalyst to get the SEC season off to a tsunami-start.  Take your pick. There isn't much else to consider today. 

    It can't be that time of the year, can it? It is still December and monumental games can't be this early can they? The can if you have taken a couple of home court losses. Both A&M and 'Bama have excellent RPI's at this time. Bama is 33rd and A&M checks in at #8. A&M has a strength of schedule of 48. The Tide is much better at 11th.  Each of those numbers tells me that both teams are in the NCAA field right now. 'Bama is on the edge looking in or hanging on not to fall out of the field. The Aggies will still be a top 10 team win or lose today. Bama should regain a spot in the AP top 25. The poll means nothing. It is all about the Selection Committee looking at numbers. Teams have to pass the eye test but it is namely about stats in today's world.  That is why a third home floor loss could be detrimental.

     D.J. Hogg, the Aggie's leading scorer is suspended for tonight's game. He was the leading scorer for Texas A&M.  Savion  Flagg, who has been Freshman of the Week for his last two games will likely take his place.Flagg has averaged over 17 points in the last two games. TAM is number 5 in one and number 6  in another. The Aggies are big and very physical. I'm sure that Johnson is going to start Key and his biggest role tonight is to rebound the ball. 

     Alabama has enough talent plus a home court advantage to win this game. Will they? It is really hard to say. The Tide has lost 4 games. One was a bizarre game with Minnesota. If you want to know how good Mo Bambo really is, go to Youtube and watch him dismantle the inside Kansas Jayhawks. Kansas made 17 three-points to win that game.  The Tide lost a stinker Central Florida on their home floor. That loss hurt. The Tide has lost three of their last five games. No shame in losing to Arizona. A lot of teams will. Then Texas dropped a bomb on the Tide which showed some interior weakness and a lack of ball movement. It also might serve as a blueprint on how to beat the Tide. The Longhorns double teamed Collin Sexton. John Petty answered the bell, but other Tide players didn't show up that night.

I hope the Tide wins. Logic says it is A&M. I think the home court advantage and the lose of Hogg gives Crimson and White a chance. The Tide by 2.

'BAMA NEEDS GOOD START TO SEC ...

Tide needs Key to settle down and just play

 

Johnson needs to win this one.

  I think it is a fair statement to say there has been a lot of disappointment registered by Tide fans over Bama's pre-season SEC finish. Whether or not that disappointment is warranted remains to be seen. Expectations were too high, to begin with. I'd like to suggest that all of our fans might be better served with supporting the program and giving it additional time to succeed. Johnson has some tough decisions to make in the next two weeks. The main decision is how long do you stick with Braxton Key to come around after his knee surgery? I'm not knocking Key.  For those of us who have suffered knee surgery, it is quite clear that not everyone gets back to 100%.  With Key, it appears that he is physically well, but seems to be trying too hard.  I am sure the coaches are telling him that you have to let the game come to you. You can't press it to happen. Basketball is the ultimate sport of action and reaction. There is a fine balance between forcing the issue and controlling the issue of better play. One thing that makes me believe that Key will come around is that his fundamentals are solid. Solid fundamentals always help in your game. 

Are the returning players having a hard time with the new game?

    One additional thing we should keep in mind regarding all the returning players from last season. They all played in an offense last year that was about as fast as molasses on a cold day. Now, they are being asked to run a fast-paced run and gun game. I think that all of our players from last year are having some trouble in finding exactly how they fit in. Our freshman learned the new offense from the start. All of our returning players are going to get better once they adapt to the speed of what Johnson wants them to do.

 

Time for Key to break out 

 We have some tremendous upsides. We also have some weaknesses that are easily recognized. One, we are still not solid in defending the interior. The effort is there as soon as Sexton and Petty understand that their perimeter defense sets that stage for what happens in the paint is dependant on what they do outside the quicker we improve. We are not shooting well despite getting good looks. We will have good nights and bad nights. That is the nature of the beast. A solid defense can help those poor shooting nights.  

Only one loss that should have been a W?

     If you look at the wins and losses it seems to me that the UCF game was only game we "should" have won. I would have picked Arizona and Texas to beat us anyway. I throw out Minnesota as an outlier due to the 5 on 3. That was a game we might have lost anyway. From a ranking viewpoint, the UCF game loss at home was pretty bad. Anytime you lose a home game it hurts. Texas was listed as a home game but in reality, it was a neutral site game in a lot of ways. That loss hurt us but will not keep us out of the NCAA if we finish well. 

    I picked us to be 9-3 at the break. 8-4 is not bad, and the strength of schedule will back that up. What is troubling to me is the close wins against some teams. The Tide has as the 3rd toughest SOS in the NCAA. We all need to remember that. I was disappointed with how we won some games, but we still get to ink a W by those games. In the end, the Selection Committee is not going to remember how much a team wins games by. How much you lost by is what kills you.  We finished very close to where we should be in terms of wins and losses. 

A key game with Texas A&M...

   

Hogg may not play against the Tide

 Alabama now opens SEC play with a game against Texas A&M. They are ranked as the #6 team in the latest poll. This is one of those games that might propel the Tide into a nice winning streak. Another home court loss might sting the Tide so much that they hit the skids. This might well be the biggest Avery Johnson game since he signed on with 'Bama. The Tide catches a break. D.J. Hogg, the Aggies leading scorer, will still be on a three-game suspension. A&M struggled with Buffalo in College Station for 3/4 of the game.  The Aggies then put the New York team away. 86-73. It was one of those games where last minute fouls put A&M on the line to inflate the numbers. 

     Who gave the only loss in the twelve games they have played?  Arizona, and by a similar score that the Wildcats beat the Tide. Will Alabama beat A&M? I don't know. They can beat the Aggies. To win the Tide must do three things.

1. break even or better on the boards.

2. keep turnovers down to a minimum

3. Shoot the three much better.

   If the Tide can shoot the three around 45% they should win. If not, 8-4 becomes 9-5 and that will cause a lot of questions. It may or not be put up or shut up. A loss will not be NCAA fatal. But it makes you wonder just how good this team can be. I still think we will be fine, but I'd love to see the Tide pull off an upset here. 

UPDATE: just got off the phone with a long time friend who is scouting for an NBA team. He told me that Sexton will be the first guard taken in the NBA draft. I asked him about Trae Young. Sexton and Young are the top two guards in college. Young is also a freshman and is a better shooter than Sexton. That is where the comparison stops. After that, Sexton is better in all regards. 

Sexton gets the edge because he "may be the fastest guard I've ever seen." Speed is what separates Sexton from all other guards. 


TIP OFF - SATURDAY THE 30TH AT 5 PM 

Alabama will be as good as Sexton and Key...


Some thoughts on 'Bama's offense...


 

Sexton needs some shooting help from team

   The Alabama Crimson Tide is coming off a pre-SEC on a down. They are not, however, down and out. I wonder where the team might have been had Key not been hurt. The reason I say that is because Key will get well, put some WD-40 on his rusty game, and become the player he was last season. That is when Tide fans will know just how good they can be. Basketball is a sport where finishing on a high note will frequently get you into the NCAA Tournament. A fast start and a poor finish can keep you out of the field however. 

      Clearly, the team is at a fork in the road right now. Do they continue to play average ball, or do they seek redemption and become what they would like to be. So where does the team go from here?

1.  First, keep in mind that even though the Tide lost to Texas good defense held the Longhorns to only 66 points. That will win most games for Alabama.

2. Johnson now has to make a definite decision about how he wants his offense to play. Does he still try for a modified run and shoot offense, or does he slow down pace. Seriously, this team was made to run, and even though they have sputtered in a few games it seems to me this is the way to go. 

3. I would turn Collin Sexton loose to score each trip down the floor. He is so gifted (ask Minnesota) he will score a lot of points. He will draw so much attention he will be able to dish the ball off and the Tide is going to get a lot of wide open looks.

4. A lot of teams are going to double team Sexton. Texas did that, but keep in mind they had Mo Bomba to pick up the mistakes the perimeter defenders make. Bomba drew a lot of praise from the media (well deserved) but it was their two guards who shut down Sexton that won the game.  Of course, Collin was injured and wasn't playing at full speed. 

5. The defense must become more aggressive and cause some turnovers. Fouling has been a problem in the pre-season, but this team has 10 solid players. If Johnson chooses to keep 10 players off the pine he needs to turn his defense to press. 

    There isn't anything to keep the Tide from improving. Now they need to have a system, identify the players, and hope the team chemistry improves. In my last post I elaborated on this. This team has at least three players who will play in the league at some point. They might have four. They have at least three other players who will play professional ball somewhere. 

     If Johnson decides to run all the offense through Sexton is doesn't mean that team work is out the window. It just needs to be a different type of team work.  This Tide teams needs to understand the most talent won't win all their games. Great team work will win a lot more than just physicality. I have a lot of faith in Avery Johnson. When Bama was searching for a head coach I wrote letters to the AD saying, "let's step up the program" by hiring Johnson. I think we are doing that. I'm giving Alabama an incomplete grade for their season so far. The final grade can't be judged just yet. We have played a very hard schedule thus far. It doesn't get any easier from this point forward. We will see if Johnson's pre-season gamble pays off. It will in my opinion. 

Roll Tide and Happy New Year. 

The Tide is struggling, but ...


    I'm not trying to be the Grinch who stole Christmas. This year's Alabama basketball team is not ready for prime time, at least not yet. More than anything, basketball is a sport which values team chemistry above everything else.  The Tide has some dynamic talent. What they don't have is the ability to play together. I'm not sure a coach can do anything about that. 

To date, the Alabama coach has tried to throw together every conceivable line up possible. The Tide has played 9 or 10 players in almost every game. So far none of those lineups have worked. Should we be surprised?

At the start of the season, some Tide fans tried to sound a note of caution about expectations. Lowered expectations is not something Alabama fans can deal with. I suggested on a couple of occasions that it was going to take four recruiting seasons to get things squared away on the floor. That only meant the talent level. You simply cannot predict chemistry. 

         Now our fans are starting to label this team as underachievers, or that Johnson cannot coach. I doubt either of those beliefs are true. First, Johnson is a good coach. The second thing we must keep in mind is that the Tide starts two pure freshmen, and despite what you might see on occasions, pure freshmen rarely deliver championships. The talent and coaching are present for a good plus season. So far we have proven to be a good minus team, however. The season can still be stellar. The SEC season looms and I am not sure there is one great team in the SEC. There are a lot of good ones. 

   If you look at teams that beat 'Bama a couple of things is pretty clear. If you cut the head off the snake (Collin Sexton) the rest dies. Sexton is a great player. Petty is a much better than the average player. I had a good conversation with the Dick Vitale on a layover in Atlanta once. That coach/commentator said something that has stuck with me.  "You need three good players. You need an aircraft carrier on the inside, you need a great point guard, and you need a pure shooter from the perimeter." Vitale is not very popular in the Southeast. He has become more of a showman than coach these days. The man has a first-rate mind for coaching. If you apply that standard to Alabama what do you have?  Don'ta Hall is doing a good job inside. Don't let his performance against Texas minimize his season thus far. A lot of players are going to struggle against Mo Bamba this year. I'd check off that position as more than solid. What about the point guard? Sexton is unbelievable. Not only can he score in a variety of ways, he is also very unselfish with the ball. Let's check that one off as solid. Does the Tide have a pure shooter from the arc? That is the area where the Tide may be missing a player so far. Shooters by their very nature are going to be streaky. Some nights a great shooter may stink the gym up. I think Petty is a good answer to position three, but after him, the outside shooting has been poor. I think 'Bama looked to get a lot more out of Riley Norris, and Dazon Ingram. Neither of those players has lit it up from downtown. I agree with Vital about his basketball trinity, although I'd add that you need two good outside shooters. Alabama needs to find a second great shooter. 

   You look around the nation and you see a lot of programs that survive and win on outside shooting. They may not have the best athletes, but they have a much need skill the Tide is lacking right now. If 'Bama has two outside shooters that could hit around 45% they might well be undefeated right now. Throw out the Minnesota game which was one of the greatest games I have ever seen. I've thought about that game a lot. Why did we score so well with just three players? That night it was the Collin Sexton show. The depleted Tide didn't need chemistry. They had Sexton. It was essentially a one-man show late in the game. It seems to me the Tide is stuck between letting Sexton run the show or try to get him to distribute the ball. I know what Johnson is thinking - I need to get Key ready for the SEC and take some lumps along the way.  Right now the Tide is much better when Sexton penetrates to score. He is so good at driving the lane that he gets a lot of open three point looks himself. That should work for the outside shooters as well. So far there has been no positive consistency from the downtown. I had hoped the Tide would be ready for some fine tuning. It appears we can't get the car started at this point.  But... we can.

Texas A&M is next up. The game will be in Tuscaloosa and A&M is a very good team. The Tide then hits the road for Vandy (always tough) and very improved Georgia team. Then its back home for the Gamecocks. I'd like to see the Tide start 3-1. I'm not holding my breath. It is more like keeping your fingers crossed. Merry Christmas

ON THE ROAD AGAIN…

    Today I am over in Mississippi talking with coaches, family members, and attempt to talk with some of Alabama’s recruits. I’ll have something to post very soon.

So far it looks good for Bama. Of the six I hope to connect, I have a pretty good feel for two kids already. More info asap.  

1922 'BAMA WIN OVER PENN SET THE STAGE FOR THE PROMINENCE OF SOUTHERN FOOTBALL

   There is something almost spiritual about the University of Alabama sports. It is the one place where the problems of America are left at the door. Once you proclaim yourself as a Tide fan it carries with it certain expectations. Alabama has given a poor state national acclaim. Southern football in the early days was considered to be an after thought. It was with that belief took with them to Philadelphia to play Ivy League power Penn.


When the Alabama Crimson Tide went to Philadelphia to play national power Penn, the hopes of an entire state road the train with the team. Alabama beat the Penn Quakers 9-7. It was a major upset and gave Alabama a taste of national recognition. It was the beginning of a love affair the Tide has never relinquished. The game featured Alabama coach Xen Scott. The Quakers had a coach named  John Heisman. That is Heisman as in the Heisman Trophy. Alabama was a huge underdog. Sports writer Grantland Rice thought the final score would be 21-0 in favor of Penn.

 

When the teams took the field the Tide was 2-2-1. Penn was 5-0. The Quakers were playing their home games at famed Franklin field. The inaugural game was Penn's victory over Navy. Alabama was playing their first intersectional game. Most thought there was no way for the Tide to prevail. With 20,000 fans (sellout) expecting to see Penn thoroughly whip the Tide. It didn't happen. The Tide had watched Penn play Washington on their way to Philadelphia. One thing was clear to the Tide players. Penn might have the national fanfare, but the Quakers were human.

    Alabama took an early three-point lead on 27-yard field goal. Penn fought back and took a 7-3 lead after a long run. The crowd assumed the rout would now begin. It didn't, and the Tide scored another touchdown on a fumble recovery after Pooley Hubert was tackled near the goal line. Alabama's Shorty Price recovered the ball in the end-zone. The scoring was over and Alabama has just recorded the most important win the Deep South had recorded. Most Alabama fans remember the first Rose Bowl. The 'Swamp Rats' would win over Washington the South was firmly entrenched as a football power. That Rose Bowl game would never have happened if 'Bama hadn't beaten Penn. The win gave credence to football in the Deep South. One Philadelphia sports page said, "Those Southern Boys sure can Play".  Many in the South view the game as retribution for Gettysburg.  Some southerners might have believed that. It turned out to be more important than that.

ujGl

THE BEST OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL

    There are and were so many great players in the NCAA. I have my best two players in mind. You probably won't agree but you'll get no argument from me. In fact, I'd like to see who our posters believe might hold that honor. There are a few things to keep in mind. I think there is no doubt that modern players are superior athletes. When I was in school there were some great athletes but today's size and speed are beyond compare. Finally, who made a significant impact on the game of basketball. That narrows the list. 


    Here's an example - What player had the biggest impact on the history of college basketball? Michael Jordan would be a good pick. What about Kareem? Or should we say Lew Alcindor? If you like SEC players you might pick Pete Maravich,  who averaged 44.8 points a game. That is just short of an Anthony Grant team average. Bill Walton was a deadly shooter. I was in the stands in '73 when he made 21-22 against the Memphis Tigers in the NCAA Championship game. The list is long and distinguished. 

Here, are some I considered. 

The Shooters:

Think style, grace, and percentage 

      Rick Mount of Purdue refined college shooting with the deadliest jump shot ever. He was so technically perfect that every kid who ever dreams of shooting should watch his form. If Mount had a three-point line he would have averaged 45 a game.  Runner-Up in the shooting category - Pete Maravich of LSU - the pistol could do it all including long range shooting, 

High Honorable Mention: Steve Alford of Indiana - Alford was a dead eye shooter before becoming a coach. Larry Bird of Indiana State: The bird man has the quickest release of any shooter I've seen. As an aside, John Petty may be quicker and he is a lot like Bird. Jerry West of West Virginia - back in the day he was the absolute man.

Honorable Mention:  Wesley Person Auburn, Chris Lofton Tn, Alan Houston Tn, Jimmer Fredette BYU (best long distance shooter in NCAA history) Tony Bennett Wisc. Green Bay (holds the NCAA record for the percentage on threes) Glenn Rice Michigan, Jason Kapono UCLA, Austin Carr Notre Dame, Salim Stoudemire Arizona, Steph Curry Davidson, J.J.Redick of Duke.

For the record: Pete Maravich is the greatest college player in NCAA history. There are two categories for that honor. Pistol Pete is #1 and the rest of the NCAA is up for grabs. He was a single man Harlem Globetrotters team against real opposition. He was Meadowlark Lemon with the ball. He transcended the era of basketball when he came to LSU. No one had ever seen anyone like him. If he played today, he would still be the best player on the floor. There have been some great players in NCAA history but there was only one Pete Maravich. I am excited to watch him, talk with him, and even play a three-on-three game with him back when younger blood flowed through my veins. The day he passed away I wept tears of sadness but also tears of joyful remembrance. 

Number two: Lew Alcindor, and if I lost the argument about Pete, it wouldn't be much of a surprise.


Did you know that Mount was the first high school player on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED?

 THE POST PLAYERS

Think dominance 

   

  Lew Alcindor of UCLA was a tremendous presence in the lane for UCLA. Alcindor came out of NYC and stunned the world by choosing UCLA. He did everything you could ask a big man to do. He could score (and literally was so long no one could guard him). He rebounded and if a big board was needed he was always there. He blocked shots. No doubt Alcindor was the most versatile. He was also responsible for the Alcindor rule. Dunking in college was prohibited because the NCAA thought he would dominate the game.

Bill Walton of UCLA - he defied logic. He was the center in terms of playing within a system I've ever seen. Walton was a free spirit except for one place - in the paint. He was a dominant player. You want to know one reason why UCLA had the best program in basketball history. Think Walton. He looked gangly. John Wooden would never single out a favorite player, but if he did it probably would have been Walton

Wilt Chamberlain of Kansas. Chamberlain's first game as a JayHawker saw him score 52 points and grab 31 rebounds. Chamberlain frequently led Kansas fast breaks. He would get a rebound and turn and fly down the court. He was the fasted player on the Kansas team. Chamberlain's impact on the game is undeniable. Chamberlain causes a rule change in college basketball - he would throw the ball off the glass on a free throw, follow the shot in, and then slam dunk.

Tom Gola of LaSalle - as hard as it is to understand how good LaSalle was back in the day just look them up. The reason why? Tom Gola had 2021 rebounds at LaSalle. Gola was only 6-6 but played like a giant. He was technically a shooting guard, but he spent most of his time inside. 

Honorable Mention: Bill Russell of the University of San Fransico. Robert Parrish of Centenary. David Robinson of Navy. Elvin Hayes of Houston. Jerry Harper of Alabama* Hakeem Olajuwon of Houston.

Coming up soon: OTHER POSITIONS AND IMPACT ON THE GAME.

* Technically a power forward, but played inside

BEST SHOOTERS IN NCAA HISTORY?

OR CAN LONZO BELL BE A GREAT SHOOTER?

TIDE TAKES DOWN OTTAWA 81-71

Sexton sits out this one...

Petty hurts shoulder but is okay...

AJ, jr. played a good floor game...compliments UA

 It is early in the season, but color me unimpressed with our perimeter defense. I'm sure it will get better. Check that. I hope it will get better. The Gee -Gees of the University of Ottawa dribbled around, through, and around the Alabama's perimeter defense. This is obvious after the win over Ottawa. The Tide allows defenders to get into the lane like a someone with a credit card in Paint Department at HOME DEPOT. Three things are obvious about the Tide after three exhibition games. 

Freshman Alex Reese

1. Our perimeter defense is not good at all. Quick passing around the elbow seems to confuse our defenders. Also, it seems as if anyone can dribble penetrate. After penetrating the offense trails a shooter in the lane and he drops in a bunny.

2. John Petty is our best offensive threat. His outside shooting is deadly, and he shoots so quickly a defense can't get set. Petty is well versed in taking it to the hoop. 

3. Our two inside players, despite glowing pre-season chatter, need some real improvement. Neither seems to have drop step to the basket. Neither appears to have a move to the basket. The big men get too deep around the goal and have to lean back toward the outs. Each is very aggressive on defense. Put them on the floor together and a lot of stumbling seems to occur. 

 

Ingram will be fine...

   Let me get one thing out of the way. The term Gee-Gee has to be the worst nickname in the entire history of nicknames. The team colors are garnet and gray. That could be their origin. It is also a well-known term in horse racing for the fastest horse out of the gate who usually fades down the stretch.I'd like to tender my apology to the Campbell College Fighting Camels. I was unaware that camels fought, although I did have one spit at me once, and second, camels are nowhere to be found around Campbell College. Presbyterian was a close second to Campbell. They are the Blue Hose. Really? I also had the Akron Zips up there at one time. Zip seems to hint you are nothing, as in nothing burger. 

   One thing to keep in mind was that Sexton and Ingram did not play. Sexton sat out the game with an injury against Carleton. Ingram hurt a foot and Johnson is taking no chances for an exhibition swing. Both injuries as described as "not serious". Junior took over the point and scored 15 points and showed he can hold down the position when. 

Norris has been Mr. Steady...

 Riley Norris played an aggressive back to the basket on over matches and had three nice inside moves. He also hit a three pointer. Norris continues to impress with his overall play going into his final season. Time flys. Braxton Key also had a good game. I thought Lawson played a good game. It is nice to see him get some extended minutes.

    Alex Reese may dodge a redshirt season. He has shown some toughness inside and plays well within himself. He has a nice touch. Every player on the Bama teams needs to watch him shoot freebies. Once again the Tide had a bad night from the line. 60% won't get it done.

COACHSPEAK: 

       

“For a team that’s just played three games in four nights, I thought we gave an outstanding effort, especially in the second half,” Coach Avery Johnson said in a release. “We were able to get our defense set, guys made the extra pass and we did a great job on the boards. Thankfully, we were able to close it out.

     We wanted to take a look at different rotations because we had a lot of different guys playing tonight. We have a lot of young players and they all got their share of minutes. We looked at a lot of different combinations and I like the different combinations we can utilize this year – we can go big, we can go small or we can spread the floor. We had a chance to look at multiple defenses, so from a video standpoint, we’ve got a lot that we are able to analyze."

GRADING THE TIDE IN CANADA:

Overall Grade:  B - Winning two of three games was okay. I wish we had beaten Carleton. What was that important? The Raens represented the best of college basketball in Canada. In all the games the Tide offense had trouble getting out of the gate. Only an exceptional effort by Braxton Key in game three got the Tide started quickly. Ottawa was not physically imposing. They had no size and their best man didn't play. Of course, winning was probably a secondary concern for the Tide coaching staff. Mixing lineups (three different starting lineups) and rotations don't make for polished play. You have to keep that in mind, yet...

Big 1st quarter sparked Tide

The OffenseLB this swing. The inside game with Hall and Giddens showed potential, but potential is worst thing a player can show. That means he is not fullfilling his game. The big men were just short of horrible on offense. They did get a few offensive rebounds. Was the effort there? I'll leave that for the posters to decide but at best it was spotty. Collin Sexton played well. His injury gives him an ' i ' for incomplete. Riley Norris was steady. Braxton Key was impressive. John Petty was lights out, and he showed us something we haven't seen at 'Bama in a long time. We may have never seen an outside shooter with the quickest release possible. 

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The Defense: D I'm tempted to say what defense but the two inside big men covered up a multitude of sins on the perimeter. If the Tide cannot fix the outside portion of their defense, look for a lot of losses. Granted, Sexton and Petty are freshmen. The big men were aircraft carriers compared to PT Boats they had to defend. As a last line of defense Hall was outstanding. Giddens looked a little lost but he is game rusty. I bet he will okay with a few games under his belt. 

Final Thoughts:  

     I have some real mixed opinion about the Candadian swing. Clearly, Alabama has a lot of talent. The ability to mesh that talent is all that matters. The best five players are not always the best team. We need to keep that in mind. I didn't see but one thing that causes any worry. The Tide's perimeter defense simply not SEC ready. This is not a criticism, but a concern. A harder work ethic should fix this in a few games.

Next Game:

   

Alabama's next scheduled game is with Memphis at the Veteren's Classic in Annapolis, Maryland. The games will be played at the United States Naval Academy. Teams in the field are: Alabama, Memphis, Navy, and Pitt.

Tip-Off: 5:30 PM (CST)

Televison: CBS Sports
Navy vs. Pitt: 1/2 hour later

Highest Ranked preseason team:  Alabama

Overtime: 

     Exhibition games can make you look great or horrible. There is rarely anything in between. The last two games the Tide looked like the KeyStone Kops rumbling and bumbling all over the Court. The lineups are frequently changed to see what a combination looks like in action. One thing should always be present and that is defense. That doesn't take anything but effort. Tide won this game not because they outplayed Ottawa. They won by physical presence. By the way, Ottawa was playing without their best player. Just something to keep in mind. Speaking of physical presence, you have to love those Page Two Canadian young ladies.

    

     

     

Tide Stumbles Against Carleton 84-71

Sexton injury not serious

Jones out with concussion protocol

   

  

You'll never find a better sparring partner than adversity - Golda Meir. After setting the world on fire, the Crimson Tide stumbled. Young teams do that, and hopefully, a lesson is learned and you improve. For Alabama's younger players big time basketball just knocked the silly out of high school dreams. It happens to each of us. Unfortunately, athletes get to learn that before the world. Most of us learn the lesson and quietly go home and brood over what happened. In the greater scheme of a basketball season, it is best to learn this lesson when a game doesn't count. You can't make any lasting impressions about an exhibition game. Lick your wounds and come back to soothe the pain of a loss with a victory.

Carleton was a miserable 9-40 from three point land against Towson. The Ravens were on fire against Bama. The home standing team made 12 threes. A 25% shooting night against Towson turned into a 45% night against Bama. That isn't a world beater but it was good enough. Surprisingly, the Ravens controlled the offensive and defensive boards against a much bigger and more physical Tide. The Crimson opened up with both Hall and Giddens in the starting lineup. Okay, let's table that lineup for further discussion. The only weakness the Ravens showed was a poor night from the free throw line. They hit only 10-17. Bama was a lackluster 12-18 for 67%. Alabama shot only 38% for the night. Ouch, you won't win a lot of games anywhere throwing up bricks. The Tide was only 38% from behind the arc. The team shot 9-24. John Petty knocked down 4-7 from downtown and Braxton Key was 3-4. The remainder of the team was only 2-13. That is a double Ouch.


Bama got a scare when it appeared Collin Sexton was hurt. Johnson said the Sexton is fine and expects him to play tomorrow against the Univesity of Ottawa. It might assuage your fears when you understand that Carleton has won 13 of the last 15 Canadian National Championships. The Ravens were a perfect 19-0 for last season's regular season. Ask Wichita State how good they are? SEC and Alabama fans will get a chance to compare Vanderbilt and the Tide when Carleton takes on the Commodores next week.


The Tide played very poor defense and had 15 turnovers on offense. Sexton had 8 assists to lead both teams. All teams have off nights shooting. Bama just had one and now can move on. Johnson is not going to be happy with his offense but is going to be upset (and clearly so) with the rebounding. That is just effort and guts. The defense was pretty bad as well. The Tide has shown some problems with their man defense.

Carleton is the Next Victim for the Tide
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   Day one after game one and I'm thinking about how much improved this team can be in the long run. There are a couple of things we learned. First, John Petty is going to be in the starting lineup. That might mean that Dazon Ingram would come off the bench. Or will Avery Johnson play a three guard lineup?  Could it be Hall, Key, Sexton, Petty, and Ingram?  Will that be enough rebounding to fire up the fast break? I was almost certain that Petty was going to be the first player off the bench. After watching his performance against McGill, I'm not sure how you can keep him out of the starting lineup. This is going to be a big watch issue after Canada. Second, I think we learned that all the hype about this team may not be hype. It may be a reality. The Tide just scored 96 points with most of the big guns getting limited minutes. Johnson knows what he is doing but I'd love to see the starters get three-quarters against Carleton. Keep in mind, that McGill was totally overmatched. Carleton will be better, but I can't see the Tide losing. The Ravens are the big dog in Canadian college basketball. They know how to win, but they won't know how to defend Sexton and company. 

   That doesn't mean that everything was satisfactory to Johnson. He said his team got beat off the dribble (against the man defense) too often. That is not uncommon for high school players who step up to Division 

CARLETON RAVENS...

 

     

Carleton is a perennial winner in the race for C. National Championship. If you want to have a better understanding about the caliber of play for the next game, I think the Ravens might be the equivalent of a mid-minor team. Alabama actually lost to Carleton in 2007. Who was on that team for Bama? Richard Hendrix, Mikhail Torrence, and Alonzo Gee. Alabama finished 17-16 and 5-11 in the SEC West. Poor guard play killed the Tide that season. It is an example of how a Canadian team can beat a NCAA team. Towson State whipped the Ravens in their last game 74-64 behind a lackluster 26% shooting from the floor. Just for good measure, Carleton hit a miserable 23% from behind the arc. It wasn't a lack of trying, however. The final number was 9-40. It was shooting that killed the Ravens. The Canadians were even in every other category. They hit 13-14 from the line. Statistically, the only way that Carleton can beat Alabama is in a game of twenty-one or h.o.r.s.e but stranger things have happened. Those 40 outside shots might give you a tip of the Alabama game plan. The Tide's man-to-man defense didn't look that sharp in game one of the Can-Am classic. Remember these games are called 'friendlies' by our Canadian hosts. Tell that the Collin Sexton. LOL. 

    

Here's some interesting news. SMU just squeaked by McGill in OT 86-83. Things that make you wonder about how good is SMU. ESPN doesn't have SMU in their top 25. Bama was 24th. Last season the Mustangs were a salty 17-1 in the America Athletic Conference.  It is obvious SMU is not the NCAA team a season ago. This close game is not a good sign for the AmAC. This is an example of losing when you win. I bet Joe Lunardi is re-thinking is 5 seed in the Dance.

 

  Did you know?  That the 18 wins notched by Avery Johnson's first-year Crimson Tide was the most ever by a new Coach? Johnson has taken the Crimson Tide to consecutive NIT games. He is looking for something better this time around. I'm guessing that is going to happen. Bama is listed as a top 25 team in several Pre-Season web sites. The highest I have seen is 19th. 

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