´Bama pulls out a key win over Tigers...

 

 The only thing missing in the Missouri vs. Alabama game were a couple of peach baskets nailed to the walls of the gym. I thought that when either team scored in the first half they refs might have a jump ball at center court like the old days. The game was about as bad as a game could be, wasn´t it? It was like going for a root canal, or hearing your wife say ´we need to talk.´ The game was excruciating to view. The Tide pulled out the win 57-54 to win their fifth road game of the SEC season. The Tide moves to 15-10, and the what if talks are breaking out all over. Can the Tide make it to the NCAA? Yes, and theyĺl need to win the SEC Tournament to make the trip. That is the only path to the dance for the Crimson and White this season. What Bama can do is win most of their remaining games and then win a couple in the SEC Tournament to get a one or two seed in the NIT. Just making it to the NIT would be quite an accomplishment for our gang who can´t shoot straight.

     You can criticize Dazon Ingram all you want. Heś not polished or the best point guard Alabama has ever played. Heś only a freshman but in the second half he played like a senior leader might play. His two big three-point baskets brought the Tide back from a double-digit second-half deficit to winning. Alabama had strong efforts from Riley Norris who got the Tide offense moving in the second half. Freshman Braxton Key and Riley had nine each. You can´t minimize the 14 big boards that grad transfer Bola Olanlyan fought like the dickens to get. I know that Ingram is going to get the kudos for his shooting, but Bola secured the win with his tip to Donta Hall after Braxton Key missed a free throw that was the play of the game. Hall threw the ball out to Ingram who calmly knocked down two free throws to give Bama the win. 

     We know that the Tideś road wins haven´t been against the best teams in the SEC. TiderInsider Poster Don Juan that those wins have been against cellar dwellers. I can remember CMG losing those games by 20. I heard John Wooden speak once at a meeting and he said the first thing you do to become a good team is win some road games you hadn´t won the year before. The Wizard of Westwood is right about that. Now the question becomes - how much more can the Tide win this season. I think they have four winnable games. The Tide has a chance to win twenty games this season if a few shots start to fall. The Tideś defense is strong, but you won´t win many games scoring 18 points in a half. 

     The Tide outrebounded the Tigers. Alabama made 2/3 of their free throws which aren't great but it beat the last game. The Tide also kept the turnovers down. In the second half, the Tide seemed downright stingy with the ball. The Tide got more than half the fifty-fifty balls, but give Missouri credit for the work in that area as well. The thing that stands out in my mind about the game, other than such horrible offense, was the officiating. It was without a doubt the worst officiated game. The calls were equally bad against each team. The officials made one call that gave the ball to Alabama which was a ridiculous call. To add insult to injury, Ingram promptly drained a three at the other end. But Bama was victims of two vicious open floor tackles against Hall and Key. The officiating crew made so many odd calls it affected the flow of the game. That is the last thing officials should do. Some of their decisions were so bad the players both teams laughed. 

    So the next thing the Tide must do is find a way to score some points. The loss of King and the lackluster play of Hale has severely limited the Tideś options. If the Tide could average 73 points a game they could win at least five more games. You look at the remaining opponents and can realistically see wins. You can also see some silly losses. If this team wins 20 games Johnson deserves to be Coach of the Year in the SEC. Anything is possible. I saw Jimmie Taylor find pure nylon on two free throws. Taylor seems ready to end his career at Bama on a high note. Let´s hope he does.