NO LONGER A RHETORICAL QUESTION...
Remember the choke job last season at AU? That was the game that knocked Alabama out of the NCAA Tournament. It was also the game that started large numbers of Tide fans to question Anthony Grant. Looking back at that game leads me to believe it was the start of something bad at the Capstone for the basketball program. Auburn beat us and did so soundly. On top of that we had to put up with Cam Newton once again. For most Alabama fans it was a nightmare. The nightmare continues into this seaso as well.
It wouldn't surprirse me if we won the game later this week with AU, but it wouldn't be stunning if we lost either.These are two teams which at the end of the season may be fighting to avoid being labeled the worst team in the SEC. Losing to Auburn is simply unacceptable for any Tide fan and coach. If Grant returns to the scene of his worst lost and gives an encore performance it could finish him as the Alabama coach. It should. Losing to your arch rival who currently sports no SEC wins would be about as bad as it gets. If you are a true Alabama fan this game is as important as any game the football team plays. There are games with Auburn and then there are games with anyone else. They aren't on the same plateau. In series where the CrimsonTide has won 60% of all games played between the two schools you might expect a win. Don't count on it however. The home and home series is always exciting. Consider that Missouri beat the Tigers by one earlier in the year. How bad did Missouri beat Alabama? A lot more than one.
If you have bothered watching the Tigers play you'd be surprised that the Tigers are not as bad as their record indicates. Perhaps the greatest thing that Anthony Grant has going for him is that Tony Barbee has been a miserable failure in the worst basketball job in the SEC. What does it say about Alabama if Auburn wins this week? What does it say about the coaching and the recruiting? Perhaps a new candidate looms for the worst job in the SEC. In all candor and honesty, if Auburn continues to split home and home with Alabama how longer will Tide fans want Grant regardless of how much we personally like him. What bothers me about what we are going through is the SEC has been a lackluster league for the last four or five seasons. Two schools of thought here - a better league might have pulled Alabama up as well, and the second school of thought is that the weakened league has allowed some badly skewed stats in Bama's favor.
One thing for sure - Alabama didn't make it to the NCAA because the numbers said no. We are one game under even right now and because of the SOS a string of wins late in the SEC might find Bama in the NIT at least. I know that every one of us wants the Tide to make it to the NCAA. It isn't going to happen this year, but a strong finish might set the stage for next season. I've learned from a couple of people close to the program that Grant will be given one more season to right the ship. In an era where money is more important than records it is scary to think that mediocrity might trump a buy-out clause. I think that this is going to be one tough road game for the Tide to win even when the opponent hasn't won a single SEC game. Last year when I picked Bama to get beaten by AU on the road it wasn't a popular selection. If I had to pick today I'd pick the Tide to lose again. In a day or so perhaps I'll come to a new conclusion. Grant's team almost played their best game of the season. Grant's team came back from the dead to win. Rodney Cooper and Shannon Hale played great when it mattered most. One thing you can be sure of is that Barbee will have a good game plan for Releford. Strong play from the other Tide players can offset that strategy. I'm not saying that Alabama can't beat AU. I'm saying a loss to AU will be a tragedy of epic proportions in a struggling program. The only reason that Barbee remains at Auburn is that it is the worst coaching job in any major conference. A couple of wins over Alabama won't save Barbee, but it might make some up and comer to think he can take a step above the Crimson Tide. Please note that I said the program is struggling. That's a lot tougher than a stuggling for the season. One can be fixer. The other will required some major rebuilding.
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