TIDE STUNS THE GATORS IN THE O'DOME

RollTider67 Called This One

     

Thunder and Lightning for the Crimson Tide

 I'll take the crow raw, please. No salt or pepper for me. I picked Florida to win by nine. And boy how happy it is to be wrong. I'll watch this game a couple of more times and still wonder how we won.  We got outrebounded on the offensive boards by 27-7, Let that one sink in for a minute. The Tide was only 14-24 from the free throw line for a measly 58%. We said that to win this game Florida would have to help. They did, but a lot of what happened was the Alabama put on their hard hats and went to work. The defense which Alabama through at Florida was the best I've ever seen. Bama kept the Florida Gators off the three point line, upset their flow, and contested every shot, extrashot, and more extra shots. A stifling defense negated those 20 offensive rebounds.  That, and a spirit that seems to be a bottomless well. Most teams earn a nickname. I think of them as "The Foundation."  Florida shot 29% from the floor. That was 29% on their home floor. The Crimson Tide wore Florida's offense down so low they ended up looking like sawdust. In the second half, the Tide only shot the ball 20 times. They made 12 of those shots for an outstanding 60%.

      If you ever get down and out and believe that nothing goes right, remember this team and keep in mind that nothing is impossible. There must be a thousand ways to win a basketball game and today I learned another way. I could not be any happier or more proud of and for a group of young men and their coaches. We have a tremendously difficult schedule left this season. Here's a consolation - every team that sees Bama up next won't think anything is going to be easy. One thing for sure, you may beat Alabama, but you are going to have to play your best game and then some.

     Jimmie Taylor was a huge difference. He blocked six shots by my count. He caused a lot of other shots to look kind of funny on their way up. One Florida player suffered the rarity of having his blocked shot hit the shooter out of bounds which gave the Tide the ball. The Crimson had only 10 turnovers, and that number will win a ton of games. It helped win the Florida game  61-55.

     So the magical mystery tour continues for the Tide. At 15-9, a solid SOS, and an RPI that will be in high 30's. I'm sticking with my NCAA number of a minimum of 18, but we are close to lock-city for the NIT. 


The best: When Retin Obasahan and Arthur Edwards fouls out within ten seconds with over 5 minutes, the Tide did not panic. They played smart basketball, and built a lead. It was lead that the Gators couldn't catch.