CRIMSON HOOPS - Ole Miss wins, but

AVERY JOHNSON IS GETTING IT DONE

...Tide doesn't win but is getting better...

        We didn't win. One dry spell in the second half killed the Tide. That being said, Alabama played hard and had a chance. You don't win with 19 turnovers. You never win with that many floor errors. If Bama can keep turnovers down to 10, they'll win some ball games. Maybe not NCAA flavored games, but they'll be sniffing the NIT. The loss of Dazon Ingram, the illness of Shannon Hale, and just plain old sloppy play is hurting the Tide. All that, and still, the Tide was close at the end. If I were Kentucky, I'd stop thinking pit stop and start thinking land mine.  Alabama probably won't Kentucky, but I'm not discounting the Tide under Avery Johnson.  I bet in a couple of seasons we are going to be getting tons of national press about the sport that uses the round ball. 

         I'm not saying that losing is acceptable. But sometimes winning comes in small steps and not leaps and bounds. Johnson will get us to a better level.  Alabama's first five games are killers. Game won goes into the loss column, and now Bama stands at 9-4. That record could be 9-8 shortly. I'm betting the Tide wins a couple of the next four games. If Bama could get through those games and stand at 11-6, we'll make the NIT at least. The NIT would be an outstanding job well done for this team. Retin Obasahan, who has been the butt of so many jokes in the past, continues to shine.  He played better than Stephan Moody on Wednesday night. In the two games, his scoring was down he was still a defensive demon, and rebounded well. I've known he speaks four languages. I'm not sure which ones, but I'd go with shooting, defense, rebounding, and hustle if we are talking hoops. 

      What Johnson needs is for Hale to play better. He also needs Michael Kessens to catch fire and perform up to his potential. He has moments, but Johnson needs him to have long stretches of good play. Most importantly, the team needs to rebound much better and protect the ball. You can coach a team to reduce turnovers. The players have to make a commitment to rebound harder.

     

       'Bama didn't win. Their 8 point halftime lead was squandered with turnovers and giving up to many offensive rebounds. Both of those are killers for a basketball team. The Tide gave up 15 offensive rebounds. Add that to the 19 turnovers and it means Alabama gave Ole Miss 34 additional chances to score.