WINNERS AND LOSERS IN THE SEC 

       

     It's that time of year to pick the winners and losers in the SEC. This year the biggest winner in the league was Texas A&M. The Aggies made it to the round of 16, the Sweet Sixteen, and Kentucky fizzled after the first round. You have to give the Aggies a tip of the hat for getting through a midseason slump and finishing well. They won the SEC and got the first seed in the SEC Tournament of Kentucky. By default, I'd go with Kentucky as a winner. Of course, winning and losing are relative. Ask the Aggies if they had a good year and the 12th Man would give a resounding yes. By the way, in basketball that should be the 6th man. Kentucky would tell you what a horrible year they had by their self-imposed standard. I do think the Wildcats underachieved proving the general rule that you can't always win with freshmen. TAM had a senior-heavy class, and that helped them in close games. 

THE LOSERS:

1.  The SEC got only two bids to the NCAA and fell short of anything noteworthy in the NIT; and

2.  Bruce Pearl took a massive hit in my eyes. His team was full of selfish players, and most played very me-first basketball. Losing twenty games is pretty tough to do. Pearl pulled it off in a weak league. Bonus points for doing that. Pearl will return next year, in large part due to a buy-out clause that is just short of the national budget for many small countries.

3.  Auburn was horrible. Pearl didn't take his team a step closer from last season. He has signed some great players, but I'm not convinced that Pearl's heart is in the rebuilding job. At one point the Tigers had their best inside player playing point guard. Their best player quit. In fact, the entire team took a sabbatical. 

4.  LSU had the best player in America in Ben Simmons. Despite his presence on the court, the Tigers turned down the NIT after a totalling embarrassing loss in the SEC Tournament. The Tigers had the second best talent in the SEC in my opinion, at least on paper. While we are naming potential losers, the name Johnny Jones can't be left out. He's number 5 on my list.

5. South Carolina started 15-0. If you look at those wins most were against lesser opponents. It's tough putting them in the losers league in some ways, but their end of the season wasn't due to lack of talent like Alabama. They finished the season 10-9 and lost big games when wins mattered most. It's hard calling a team with a 25-9 record, but winning and winning big games are different things. The Gamecocks lost a chance to prove they belonged with the big boys.

6.  The SEC MEDIA once again proved they don't care about basketball and their coverage is bargain basement leftovers. No real depth coverage about games, game previews, recruiting, and injuries left the SEC MEDIA in a league of their own. SEC coverage for hoops is a big joke and is laughable from start to finish. You get a commitment article regarding football recruits instead of basketball news. Shame on you guys. 

8.  Vanderbilt is next on my list. Kevin Stallings (#9) took a talented bunch of players and found ways to lose close games. The have the league's best inside player, and he looked persona non grata in a dozen games. One of the most talented teams in the conference was anchored in the bay far too often.

10. The SEC schedule makers need to rethink what they are doing. Moving away from the East and West Divisions was supposed to help the SEC get more teams into the NCAA field. I rest my case. If you have to play Kentucky twice, you have a terrible time in your quest to make that Tournament. Home and Home is the fairest way to determine the champion. That won't happen because when a league is as weak as the SEC beating each other up won't help. Maybe go back to the East and West format might be better. At least, that gives you a chance to schedule some good teams like Bama did this season.

THE WINNERS:

1. Texas A&M entered the SEC  as a football school. They won the SEC as co-champions with Kentucky and ended up a number 3 seed in the NCAA. They were the highest seeded SEC school. Billy Kennedy announced that it was his intention to make TAM a basketball powerhouse. In talent-rich Texas, he'll find plenty of recruits to make that possible.

2. Ben Simmons had a banner year despite poor coaching and questionable decisions on the part of Coach Johnson. Granted, Simmons didn't lead LSU to any pos season glory, but he killed whoever he played. Simmons is the best prospect I've seen for a couple of decades in the SEC. He almost averaged a double-double while being one of the most unselfish players in the NCAA. The young man is a player. He could have been the next Pete Maravich, or as close as anyone might come
3. Alabama Crimson Tide  had a great run with very limited talent. They lost their top recruit early on in the season.  They did have the best guard in the league in Retin Obasohan. The fifth-year senior was First-Team All-SEC on offense and defense. He also was the Scholar of the Year. Avery Johnson Retin Obasohan our number four winner brought some fire and enthusiasm to the Crimson Tide this year. Some close losses in the late season kept the Tide out of the NCAA.  That Bama was even talked about for the Dance was beyond the wildest dreams of Bama fans. The future seems bright for the Tide in the next few years. 

4. Retin Obasohan - The Belgium Bulldog is how Joe Dean, Jr. describes him. I have seen two senior seasons by guards that separate themselves from the others. Gary Waites senior season was a production of leadership and deadly outside shooting. Obasohan won all the laurels an SEC player might like. The media got only one wrong. We should have been named Player of the Year. 

5. Ben Howland seemed like an odd fit at Mississippi State when named head coach. The Ex-UCLA head coach, winner of one national championship, and the best coach at Westwood since John Wooden is turning Mississippi State into a winner. I suspect they will be a power to be reckoned with shortly. 

6. Tyler Ulis of Kentucky was named the SEC Player of the Year. Like Obasohan, he was also first-team All-SEC on offense and defense. The 5-9 inch point guard was the sparkplug of the Wildcat team and always seemed to have an answer for the 'Cats when things turned tough. He wasn't a one and done, but is a two and through taking his game to the NBA. 

7. Billy Kennedy of Texas A&M took a fairly average bunch of players and won the SEC. If Kennedy can continue to recruit Texas, and only Texas, he will keep the Aggies near the top for years to come.

 8. Aggie comeback against Northern Iowa was the game of the year. Down 12 points with 30.2 seconds in the second round of the NCAA, the Aggies put on a full court press for the ages. The Aggies tied the game and eventually won in double overtime. You will never see a comeback like this in your life again. 

9. The Florida Gators minus Billy Donovan had a twenty plus win season and made the NIT. While the Gators weren't great they beat some highly regarded teams and seemed to be on track to an NCAA bid. 

10. Stephan Moody of the Ole Miss Rebels was the energizer bunny of the SEC. This 5-10 shooting guard had no peer when shooting the ball. He never saw a shot he didn't like, and he made more than he missed. Moodie was a joy to watch, and I have to admit feeling a little sad when he fouled out in his last game. He epitomized what college basketball is all about. It also helps to have a 42-inch vertical leap. You gotta love the dreadlocks dipped in red dye for the Rebels. 

SEC BASKETBALL NEEDS SOME HELP AND A CONSULTANT WILL NOT HELP 

         I think the SEC needs to do some serious soul searching about the sorry state of its basketball program. It appears that the SEC is at the bottom of the Power Five Major basketball leagues, and frankly, there are two or three mid-major conferences which might be better than the SEC as well. If you look at the NCAA and NIT results so far it proves my point. It's difficult to understand the slow demise of the SEC. Everyone has their opinion, and I'll offer you mine.

1. The SEC is all about football. It is about nothing else to most fans. I'm not denigrating women's sports or minor sports, but SEC fans don't care about anything else but football. I've had dozens of friends over the year say "I'm an Alabama fan, but I don't keep up with basketball." The implication is that sports other than football don't count. Is is possible that if you are the undisputed leader in NCAA football it hurts in other sports. I think perhaps it does. How much? I'm not sure.

2. The South doesn't produce great basketball players. You can rattle off a list of great players who played in the SEC. However; the SEC seems to have outstanding athletes who are not fundamentally sound as basketball players. Since I'm familiar with Alabama, I'll use them as an example. Other than Retin Obasohan, who is Bama's best player. The answer is Riley Norris. He understands the game. He's going to help you in all aspects of the sport. Is he a great player? Yes, I say he is, but he isn't a great athlete. The SEC seems to get fewer of tremendous athletes who are also great basketball players. Norris holds his own because he knows how to play the game. Don'ta Hall and Jimmie Taylor are outstanding athletes. Neither one of those hard working young men seems to understand how to play their position. For all I know both might end up being players and great athletes. Hall is more likely than Taylor. 

3. Southern high school basketball is a lesser sport. Basketball is the sport that is played between football season and spring camps. Not all schools are that way but proportionally the south does not produce as many basketball players as their football counterparts. Fundamentals are often lacking. Here's some proof. I have coaches ask me to help them with fundamentals annually. I'm talking about defensive position, how to use the baseline and sidelines in presses, and how to improve their shooting skills. Those are three areas that I think have hurt the SEC. But there is one more than hurts the SEC. I call it the ESPN effect. 

    Kids no longer have the same loyalty toward local or in-state schools as in the past. Turn on the television and PAC 12, Big 10, and other conferences don't seem so far away. Mom and Dad won't miss seeing any games. Students can broaden their horizons by playing in New York, LA, or Lawrence. The ESPN has almost produced super leagues. Those schools may not play in the same conferences. Those schools are the center of the attention of all players who tune in on the TV. Right now the SEC looks like a bad hair-cut on prom night. 

Next up: Does the Tide need to model their program on Gonzaga?

TIDE FALLS WITH A THUD IN THE NIT AND A LOOK-BACK AT THE SEASON

    Mercifully, the basketball season is over. It ended with a whimper and not a bang. Bama played the worst game of the season against a team they could have beaten. I saw two differences between the teams. One, Creighton has real post players. Bama was forced to defend them. Bama has no post players that anyone has to guard. Second, Retin Obasohan is worn out. The senior, All-SEC player looked exhausted and played the same. With no post scoring and a dead tired point guard, the JayHawks whipped the Tide 72-54. It was a complete beatdown. 


     Justin Coleman led the Tide with 18 points, and Retin Obasohan had 13. Retin  could not supply the emotional lift the Tide needed in the second half. No other Tide player scored in double figures. Edwards had 2, Riley had 3, and Hale had 9. Don'ta Hall had 5 points and 8 rebounds. I'm not sure how many blocked shots he had for the game. It was a bunch. The Tide shot 28% for the night and got outbound by 13. Bama also had 14 turnovers. That's how you get beat by 18 points. The Tide did make 12-15 free throws in an ironic twist. 

    It must be said the Tide collapsed at the end of the season. The Crimson went to an almost shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament to losing a first round NIT game.  The took us on a roller-coaster ride all season.  Tide fans went from exhilarated to humbled in the course of two weeks. The first negative posts about Johnson are being posted.  I'm not sure how to put this season into perspective. The final record was 18-15. Alabama beat 4 teams in the top 25 (at the time they played). That has to be considered quite an accomplishment. They also lost a couple of home games which killed their NCAA hopes. There was nothing in the middle about this team. They were either doing amazing things or looking like a lost team. Last night's offensive performance is such an example of the latter. There were a lot of ups and downs, but to find an average for this team was almost impossible. Anthony Grant's last season? He was 18-14, and Levi Randolph had a Retin Obasohan type season. And just to balance history we have to remember that Grant lost two starters in the last two weeks of the season. Had Shannon Hale and Ricky Tarrant stayed healthy the Tide could have gone to the NCAA, and Avery Johnson wouldn't be coaching Alabama. 

      I am convinced that Johnson brings a lot of things to the Alabama table that Grant couldn't do. To say that Grant couldn't coach would be a lie. He just couldn't keep great recruits in his program. To say that Grant was a fan favorite would be untrue. The fans love Avery Johnson. Give him three bad seasons in a row and he'll be maligned and hated. I think that Johnson is a great coach. Better than Grant. He probably is a better coach, but the only thing that matters is can he recruit? If he can't sign great players, he won't be a great coach. If he can, he will be a great coach. If he can recruit enough players to make the Tide a great team, he will be one of the most outstanding recruiters in SEC basketball history. At Alabama, it is as simple as that. 

    Making the NIT was a pleasant surprise. Retin Obasohan was not an entirely unexpected gift because he showed flashes of splendid play the last third of last season. Still, being named TFirst-Team All-SEC was stunning.  Riley Norris had an outstanding year, do did Arthur Edwards. Who had ever heard of him before Bama gave him a chance? That signing continues to tell me a lot about Johnson. Jimmie Taylor gave vigorous effort, and was a good shot blocker, but he can't score, and he can't rebound in the numbers needed by the Tide. Don'ta Hall can rebound and block shots, and I suspect he'll come into nest season with a sweet little drop shot and baby hook to stun the opposition. Justin Coleman showed us glimpses of what he can do. Shannon Hall may be ready for a good senior season. He can score and rebound. Michael Kessens remains a mystery to me. His playing time will be significantly reduced when Brandon Key and Nicky King get on the floor. 

     But none of that means anything if Bama can't find another point guard to back up Coleman or start ahead of him. If Creighton can win with two fat boys inside surely Alabama can find someone similar. Without signing a good post player who can score it will be another long and unsuccessful season for the Tide. You can turn around a hoops program with an aircraft carrier in the middle and couple of fighter planes on the outside. I understand that Bama is in the running for a pair of freshman big men.

       All things considered it was a good start for Johnson and company. 
       

TIDE GETS NIT BID AND GET SHIPPED TO CREIGHTON FOR FIRST GAME
A few Tide "fans" to quit the board

 

This writer is proud of our year

   While watching the Kentucky game, it entered my mind that the lopsided loss would cost us a lower seed in the NIT.  I think that had we made that a competitive game we would have hosted UAB in Coleman. Losing five of your last seven games isn't going to impress anyone. Kudos for Avery Johnson and his team for making a postseason tournament. The Tide will be at least a five point underdog to Creighton, but I think we will win. 

       I know a lot of posters are going to say the NIT is a second-rate  tournament. Those guys who say such nonsense are idiots. The NIT is a historically important tournament and gives us a chance play in Madison Square Garden, which is the world's most famous basketball venue. Before our first game if  you told me that we'd make it to any postseason tournament, I'd have been highly skeptical. We should be proud of the team for making the season an enjoyable one, even though it wasn't for those of us who have heart trouble. All you guys who want to slam Alabama for playing in the NIT can drop dead as far as I'm concerned. You know nothing about basketball. You aren't an Alabama fan, and don't try to convince any real Tide basketball fan you are. You are part of those who feel protected by remaining anonymous. I'm attempting to conjure up a name for you. So far "loser" is about the nicest thing that comes to mind. If you can't support the effort of this year's team, you should take it to your mommy. Try to get the day shift at McDonald's. Maybe that will improve your attitude. It's one thing to be disappointed in not making the NCAA. It's entirely different in defaming your team because of your complete lack of basketball knowledge and history. 

     I think of all the hours our players spent at practice and in the weight room. They made sacrifices while a bunch of you sat at home in the lazy-boy knocking down cheap beer. Say anything you want to say about me, but damn it, leave our players alone. This was one of the most miraculous seasons I've seen, and that goes back for 60 years. We didn't have a proven big time player, not one who averaged double figures, we lost our only big time recruit to injury,  and still almost made the NCAA.  You question whether our team "wanted" it enough.If you had half a brain you should apologize, but people no longer do that. I think of fans like rolltider67 and MD4U and it makes me proud we have real fans. I'm sure most of you are true fans. Please feel free to hit the ignore button. I know I have today. 

BAMA NEEDS TO PLAY SOMEWHERE 

NIT NEWS,  LSU DOGS IT UP, AND SHOULD GEORGIA MAKE THE NCAA AHEAD OF VANDERBILT?

    I have to say that LSU just put on the worst performance in the history of basketball. I'm joking, kinda. The Tigers scored 13 points in their first half humiliation loss to Texas A&M. The final score was 71-38, and the man once said, "it wasn't that close".  Remember Stephan Moody dropped in 39 against Alabama earlier in the Tournament. LSU got some bad news when Hornsby was out with a sports hernia. Still, Johnny Jones might well lose his job after that one. The Cajuns have become restless in Baton Rouge after seeing a poor season, despite the signing of Ben Simmons. Simmons is the best talent I've seen in years, but he needs to be less selfish. He led the nation in double-doubles. He is so fundamentally sound it makes me recall the way basketball was once played. Simmons might find one more season in the NCAA to help him define which position he should play. It isn't likely he'll stick around for another Titanic ending. 

      Regardless, look for LSU to make the NIT. I think Vanderbilt will be taken over Georgia. Georgia hurt themselves by lack of quality wins. That doesn't mean they aren't a quality team. So it looks like TAM, Kentucky, SC (may fall to play in game) and Vandy will make the NCAA. I'm still confused if a team can count making the NCAA if they lose a play in game. 

     Kentucky handled Georgia, but it was a much closer game their game with the Tide. If I were on the Selection Committee, I'd take Georgia over South Carolina or Vanderbilt. South Carolina had a miserable end to a terrific start; they may not have Carrera as well. He didn't play in the last game and will game to game with a hamstring injury. Vandy, as is their habit, took a very talented team and managed to stink it up near the end. Take away their unique playing arena and they not have won 12 games this season. I see where Tyler Eulis is going to the NBA at the end of the season. He might stick due to the NBA's elimination of the Detroit Piston Bad Boys type defense. Otherwise, a 5-9 player would make an NBA roster. 

 .   I've talked three times today with my guy in NYC who is close to the NIT Selection Committee. He says Alabama is in, and there is a lot of debate as where to place them. The win over Ole Miss convinced some members they are at least a four seed. The substantial loss to Kentucky hurt the Tide. Right now it appears that Bama will:

A. play an away game somewhere near NYC.

B. Be a four seed and play a game at home to their belief that Bama will sell out Coleman Coliseum.

C. Strong consideration is a Bama vs. UAB match up is possible. It is also possible that the Tide may play Princeton in New Jersey.

   BIG APPLE BUCKETS.COM CURRENTLY  BELIEVES BAMA WILL REMAIN IN THE SOUTH AND BE IN THE SAME BRACKET AS GEORGIA SHOULD GEORGIA NOT MAKE THE NCAA. 

    Would Bama ever consider an invitation to the CIT or a similar Tournament? I don't know. The Tide needs all the games they can play to help their younger players. 

KENTUCKY SENDS THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA A MESSAGE...

HEART NOT ENOUGH TO BE 'CATS

   

 Alabama isn't Kentucky in the world of hoops. Despite having three shots as an underdog with the Wildcats, the Tide didn't win a game. They weren't even close. Alabama could have gotten lucky with the Cats in only one way - the SEC schedule could have made them play each other only once. The Tide is now 18-14. Had the Tide been fortunate enough to draw the Cats only once, the Tide could have possibly won 2 more games. That would make their season record a decent 20-12. Would that have been enough to make the NCAA? Perhaps, but the problem is there are a lot more Kentucky type teams in the Tournament than in the SEC Conference. At one time winning 20 games was an almost sure ticket to postseason play.  That's not the case anymore. So Tide fans can relax, beating the Wildcats wouldn't have made much difference in the overall scheme of this season.

        One thing that Tide fans should take away from the SEC Tournament is the gap between where we are and where we hope to be one day. It won't happen next year or the year after that. Alabama is, at least, two more recruiting classes away from being a great team. Moreover, those classes have to be good classes. Good recruiting years might separate the Tide from the pack. It will not put them in the category of Kentucky-type teams. That is going to take a bunch to top 50 kids deciding they want to play for Avery Johnson. Honestly, I don't think the name Alabama is going to have much to do with recruiting success for a while. The Tide might get a few in-state kids who grew up loving all things Alabama.

         No school in the state will ever be great when our top players decide to go to Michigan State. Alabama is a long way from being a great hoops state. It wasn't always that way. Alabama basketball, under C.M. Newton and Wimp Sanderson, showed that Alabama could attract a lot of future NBA players. Even under Mark Gottfried, the program continued to draw top players. Gottfried couldn't bring that talent to a consistent level of excellence. The day that Hootie Ingram decided to fire Wimp Sanderson was a watershed moment in the history of Bama basketball. The Tide has never recovered. A lot of our posters are young and probably have no idea of how feared Tide hoops were "back in the day."


     Now the question is whether Avery Johnson can bring the program to a level of national pride. It depends on whether he can recruit. We know he can coach. Anthony Grant was a great coach, but couldn't recruit a starving dog from under the porch for a hamburger. I'm not overly concerned about losing a player like Ferguson. Teams will always lose players. I'm more concerned that players know that by coming to 'Bama it is a ticket to the NBA.  If Johnson can do that, it will take some serious work on the part of him, his staff,  and the Athletic Department. History tells us that you can't "buy" a program. You have to establish a program, and Alabama does have a base to do that. Will the Athletic Department make each and every decision necessary to allow success? I don't know. We need a new arena. We need to market our program outside of the State borders. We need to have a real media savvy approach to what we do. The State of Alabama basketball coverage is embarrassing to both the print and electronic media. If fans believe that Alabama is only about football Avery Johnson will fail. In a search for success, it is going to require a fundamental change in thinking.    Basketball success requires progressive thinking and sharing.  In Alabama, we don't engage in much outside the box thinking or any understanding we need to share the football team's level of excellence for basketball. To win in basketball it requires the same approach and dedication we have in football

    TIDE HOPES TO START OVER IN SEC

Obasohan and Moody showdown in Nashville
Betting Line falls to +2
Tide projected at 4,5, or 6 in NIT 

     Alabama plays in the opening game of the evening rounds tonight. Ole Miss, the opponent, has gotten some injured players back on the floor and are on a roll. The Tide is lamenting a late season collapse of major proportions. The Crimson went from being a lock in the NCAA to just holding on and hoping they don't lose an NIT berth. Today is going to say a lot about what the Crimson Tide is all about. In would be unfair to say the Tide got pelted in their closing games except Kentucky game.  The Tide could have won each game they lost. It was a missed shot here, a turnover there, and heartbreak everywhere for Bama. When the Tide started the SEC season 1-5, they dug themselves a hole. They fought back and then dug themselves another deep hole. Will tomorrow be an extension of the latter part of the season, or will Alabama look at the SEC as a new start?

     The two best NIT projections have Bama at a four seed. A win could elevate the seed, or a bad loss might knock the Tide out of the Tournament.  When you see a team with a losing record win their conference tournament, it means someone gets bumped down to the NIT. The Holy Cross Crusaders finished their season at 14-16. Say what you want about the NIT but there will be no teams in the NIT. There is no way a team with a losing record should be allowed to play in the NCAA Tournament. I'm sure someone is going to say Cinderella, but It's just kissing a frog. 

       Alabama had the unfortunate luck of having to play Ole Miss the night they opened their new arena. The Tide held an eight-point lead at the half, only to see Ole Miss knock down the door in half two. There is not a team in today's game the Tide will have more match-up problems than the Rebels. Ole Miss is active inside; my bet is Alabama will have a tough night on the boards given their rebound problem.  Earlier, I said that I wished Avery would start Taylor and Hall to give us a chance on the boards. It's not like Kessens is going to score a lot of points, is it? I hope he proves me wrong. We have had another season of molasses ball. It has been a necessity because of the Tide's poor rebounding. Watching Taylor and Hall block shots is great. But it's better to see them get rebounds. It is a lot better to see our power players block out the offense to keep them from getting easy baskets. Rebounding has been the Achilles Heel for the Crimson and White this season. Playing with great effort and heart has been the hallmark of this team on the other side of the equation.

     The game is going to be a battle between two great point guards. Stephane Moody will shot the ball from anywhere. Alabama must rebound close to even, make free throws, and keep turnovers close to no more than ten. Bama needs three players to step up to score in double figures. I think Obasohan can penetrate on the Rebels. Hale needs another big game. Someone else must chip in as well. The winner of the game has the chance to upset Kentucky tomorrow. Never underestimate a team with a game under their belt. A win over Ole Miss and Kentucky would give Bama some NCAA votes again from the Committee. Ole Miss hasn't beaten anyone of any significance away from home this season. Bama has several wins over top 25 and top 50 teams. Today's  game is one the Tide can win. Alabama must keep Moody under control, and cover the boards. The real question is whether the Tide has packed it in and lost any confidence they can win. Alabama catches the Rebels at a time they seem to be playing their best game of the year. If Ole Miss can get the game into the 70 point range, I doubt Alabama can score enough to keep up. The Crimson needs Edwards or Riley (who has disappeared from the scoring columns) to give a solid scoring performance.