Norris explodes for 27 and ties a school record


   

  Several days ago one of the TiderInsider posters said that Riley Norris brought "nothing" to the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team. Hey, I know the taste of crow myself. I said then, and I'll say it again - Riley Norris is a great player. He's not a franchise type player, but he can shoot better than any Alabama player we've had in our program for a long, long time. Last night Norris, the nothing player, was in the books for 27 points and 7 rebounds. He made 8 three-pointers from deep behind the arc. His teammates found him wide open, and Norris ripped it. The USC Gamecocks got rocked from the start by Norris and the Bama defense piled on.  Just as important, the Crimson outrebounded the 'Cocks by five. South Carolina made some inside baskets when the game was well in hand.  

      How good was the Tide defense? In the second half, it took Carolina almost ten minutes to score.  For the third time this season, the Crimson Tide took down a top-twenty teams. The Tide's RPI rose to 38th in the NCAA. After a 0-2 start in the SEC, it was a big win. Avery Johnson notched his first SEC win.  After the game, an effusive Johnson explained why he wanted to coach at Alabama.  As a Tide supporter, it sure made me feel good to hear the things he said.  He does all the small things needed to light a fire under the Tide's program had stalled. I'm sure a lot of fans came to celebrate the football championship. I'd bet that a lot more came to watch basketball. I'd also bet that most of them will return to see Johnson's team grow. It's going to be a fun ride. Not every night will be as good as last night. We may well have some nights along the way.  More likely than not, we'll see a couple of repeats of last night. Our talent level is good enough to win some games. I think this team is learning how to do that.  What Norris did last night was remarkable, but he will do it again. I'm looking at all the players we have right now, and each brings something different to the floor. Grant got some good players. Johnson seems able to coach them. What happened last night was without Ingram and a very minimal contribution from Hale. That's coaching. That was also some tremendous play.