TIDE NEEDS TO FINISH STRONG AND CORRECT SOME MISTAKES

NCAA? NIT?

        One of the regular posters on TiderInsider sent me an email and asked me how I evaluated the Crimson Tide basketball team. That was one great question and caused me to give some thought to writing this blog.  So exactly how should this year's team be measured? First, the team has a lot of positives in my opinion.

THE GOOD...

1.  The Tide has a great coach who made a living with high-scoring offenses but has proven he has the flexibility to tone it down with this team's talent level. A lot of coaches can't do that. So I'd give Avery Johnson an A+ for what he's done so far.

2.  The Tide has some outstanding shooters from the perimeter. Obasahan, Edwards, and Norris can rip it from downtown. Coleman has his moments. Hale can get on a streak and isn't afraid to keep shootings. In fact, all of the above-mentioned shooters aren't afraid to let it fly. I'd give the Tide perimeter shooters a B+, but they can climb above the curb often enough to be dangerous.

3. Retin Obasahan is as good as any of the legendary Tide point guards. He can penetrate and score. He is a hand full. But he also does something else that makes him even more dangerous. He can penetrate and find the open man outside. If you watched the State game, he found Edwards, Norris, and Coleman ready to set and shoot. Mississippi State tried to put two men on Obasahan to keep him from shooting a lay-up, only to see Retin dish to the open man outside. Obasahan's career might not mirror some of the Tide's great point guard, but for one season he'd match up with anyone. I'd give Retin an A+ for his play this year.

4. The Tide is an excellent defensive team. Keep in mind the shot clock has shortened the time shoot the ball. In some ways, I've always thought this favored the offense, but if you can play good defense, it helps your team on the defensive end. I think that Johnson has done an excellent job finding that balance. I'd give the Tide a B+ on that end of the floor.

The Bad...

5.  This is one weak rebounding team. When you look at some of the teams, the Tide has beaten they have rebounded well. The losses tell the story of a different sort. When a 6-6 small forward is your best rebounder, it isn't a good sign. Riley Norris is one stubborn man in the paint. No one seems to have told him he has no business being inside. On the other hand, Jimmie Taylor, who should be the Tide's best rebounder, struggles at times. Don'ta Hall is raw but he shows a lot of fight. Michael Kessens needs a lot of work, and more strength. Shannon Hale is a good rebounder but spends most of his time on the perimeter. Retin Obasahan is an excellent board man. That's the deal. You have a small forward, and your point guard as top rebounders, and that isn't good.

6.  Turnovers. If you the ball to Jimmie Taylor or Michael Kessens you have a 50/50 of either catching the ball. I think we can say part of the problem is learning a new offense, but Alabama has too many decent ball handlers to have 20 turnovers in a game. If the Tide could cut that number to 10 per game the wins will soar. One thing that is troublesome is that the problem seems to be getting worse and not better. If that number doesn't improve Alabama will lose a lot more games this season.

7.  Free throw shooting:  There is no reason for a college team not to make 70-75% of their free throw attempts. From shooting line drives to throwing up balls that rotate sideways, the Tide has some real problems. Free throw shooting is two things. It is practice and form. I heard one of the announcers on the Missississippi State game say college teams don't practice shooting free throws like in the old days. A team like Alabama doesn't have the luxury of shooting poorly from the line. It has cost us, at least, three games this season. Not that important? How about being at 15-6 instead of fighting for an NIT berth. No, excuse for this one.

THE UGLY... 

       I'm sure someone can think of some things this team does that are ugly. I can't. You might make an argument that our free throw shooting and rebounding is ugly. I don't see it that way. Both of those areas can be fixed. I used to hate practicing free throw shooting. Our coach would make us stay at practice until we had made 25 free throws in a row. We weren't  a good team, but we won a lot of games at the line. We didn't have a lot of height on our team, but we were mean as a cornered rattlesnake. We had to be that way, r we'd lose, or we'd lose. So this team has a couple of weak areas but both can be overcome by practice, fundamentals, and clear thinking.

      The Tide is six games from winning the number of games they won last season. Look at the remaining schedule. Do you see six wins. We have at least one SEC Tournament game. We have a tough schedule left. We have Texas AM at home, then at Florida and at LSU. We have State, Auburn, and Arksansas at home. We play Kentucky and Georgia on the road. I don't see six wins in that group. No doubt the Tide as to win all their home games, and then win at least one SEC Tournament game. I don't see a win in our four remaining road game, but Avery Johnson has the Tide hanging around in everygame.We aren't likely to make it to the NCAA and the NIT is going to be tough. But the Tide has 3 wins over top 50 teams. We need to steal a road win, and it seems that Georgia is or best bet. To make it to the post-season, the Tide is going to have to rebound much better and cut down on mistake. We also need to get people healthy. I'm not worried about long term success of our team. We all knew this year would be hard. We have four good players hurt right now. I think we are going to find out if we have a great coach who is also a miracle worker at this point.


Visiting this weekend: Garrison brooks Auburn High School