Tide wilts in second half...

     TIDE PLAYED WELL FOR A HALF...    

     

       I really have no idea about the things to say about games like Alabama’s 64-45 loss to Xavier today. We held the Musketeers to only 64 points. They were ranked #23 going into the tilt. For the first half and part of the second it appeared the Tide might hang around. Shannon Hale hit a three-pointer deep from the corner as time expired in the first half. The score was 27-24 for Xavier. Bama cut the Xavier lead to 30-28 in the half number two. Then the Tide just fell apart. It wasn’t pretty. You know root canal feeling? That’s about as good as I can describe it.

      We’ve said before this is going to be a learning process for the Tide. The process also involves the fanbase. How long is this type play going to continue? You are all smart guys. Do the math. How many recruiting seasons will it take for Johnson to get better players into the system? New players need to be the type player that fits the system. Think NBA is style. That means the Tide is going to need a great point guard, a great two guard, a small forward who can shoot it outside, and some power inside to rebound to start the break. How many of those do we have right now?  We’ve got some talent but not great talent. I’m not going to sell our young players short, though. Half a season will tell us a lot.

     I’m still not clear how you can commit to a team, recruit for them, and then not sign your letter of intent. However, Terrance Ferguson says he is firmly committed. I’ve heard a myriad of reasons why he chose not to do so. None of the stories I have heard makes a lot of sense. He says he is coming. We’ll see. He is the type player the Tide needs. We need to keep in mind we lost some good players last season. How much better would this team be with Randolph, Cooper, and Tarrant. Better for sure, but would we be an NCAA team? Doubtful. I’m going to watch the process and understand it is going to take some real time.  We all need to be patient. Patience is not one of the Tide Nation’s stronger attributes. The Tide plays Witchita State who lost to Southern Cal 72-69. How ironic is that?