TIDE TAKES ON THE RICHMOND SPIDERS TONIGHT...
DON'T KNOCK THE NIT BECAUSE IT GAVE BIRTH TO TIDE GREATNESS
It was a simple sentence. “I hate the NIT.” I saw someone post that the other day, and a couple of other people picked up on the idea. Why would anyone hate the NIT? Why don’t you just say nothing and watch Netflix instead. There is nothing wrong with the NIT. It has a storied past, and was very instrumental in the Tide’s rise to a three decade glory run in basketball. How important was it for the Tide? Here is how much - Coach Paul Bryant sat at the end of the bench. He was cheerleading for his school. It was enjoyable to see him as a fan.
I clearly remember our first trip to the NIT. Glenn Garrett knocked down a jump shot that put the Tide over the Manhatten Jaspers 87-86. In the next game, the Tide polished off the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a major upset. This was during the day that every team in the NIT would have been an NCAA at large team. There was always considerable arguments if the NIT champion could beat the NCAA champions. Who knows? I wouldn’t bet against the NIT champ. The main point is that the Tide used the NIT as a launching pad for announcing to the nation that the were going to play basketball, now, and play it in a serious manner. For that reason alone the NIT should make Tide fans have fond memories of the Tournament that gave birth to Alabama basketball on a national level. This Tournament was played in the Garden. It was the Mecca of college basketball. This wasn’t the new Garden but the old one. It reeked of a leather smell when you walked through the doors.
This was also during the time that all invited teams actually made it to New York. For a young man, the drive from Alabama to NYC, was a defining moment in my life. I had always loved Alabama basketball, but after that trip it became an avocation in my life. With 1200 games under my belt I’ve seen a lot of good games. I’ve seen a lot of important games for the Tide. But until the Tide wins the NCAA Tournament there is no more memorable game for the Tide. It was, and is, the single most important game in the history of Alabama hoops. Now, most of our fans were not even alive when this game was played, and putting it into perspective will be hard for some. For those of us who go back a long ways we know exactly what it meant. From there the Tide would win three consecutive SEC Crowns. Only Kentucky has done that as well. It was a magical time for Alabama basketball. For me it ranks above the Tide being ranked #1 for a cup of coffee in the Gottfried era.
Ironically, the game tonight and the Tournament takes on the same role as that first Tide game. The Tide had been to the NIT many times. But it was when we had decent teams and were not invited to the NCAA. This year is a little different in my mind. We are doing exactly what C.M. Newton was trying to do in that very first Alabama appearance. Avery Johnson believes he is on the cusp of returning Alabama to past greatness. An NIT win would be like lighting a match to a can of gasoline for ‘Bama. The explosion might accelerate the process on a national stage.
A loser’s tournament? No way. There are 12 to 15 teams that would have played in the NCAA if My Old Mother State didn’t get an auto-bid. We all like Cinderella. But Cinderella isn’t going to win an NCAA championship. It’s not going to happen. Instead, those teams rob the NCAA of having the best field possible. I know it’s quaint. We all pull for 16 to beat a 1. So, in that sense the NIT has a lot of teams better than some of the teams in the NCAA. You want to hate the NIT? Go ahead, but unless you understand the importance of this Tournament to the University of Alabama you are selling fool’s gold.
This blog is for Johnny Dill. Thank you Johnny.
DON'T KNOCK THE NIT BECAUSE IT GAVE BIRTH TO TIDE GREATNESS
I clearly remember our first trip to the NIT. Glenn Garrett knocked down a jump shot that put the Tide over the Manhatten Jaspers 87-86. In the next game, the Tide polished off the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a major upset. This was during the day that every team in the NIT would have been an NCAA at large team. There was always considerable arguments if the NIT champion could beat the NCAA champions. Who knows? I wouldn’t bet against the NIT champ. The main point is that the Tide used the NIT as a launching pad for announcing to the nation that the were going to play basketball, now, and play it in a serious manner. For that reason alone the NIT should make Tide fans have fond memories of the Tournament that gave birth to Alabama basketball on a national level. This Tournament was played in the Garden. It was the Mecca of college basketball. This wasn’t the new Garden but the old one. It reeked of a leather smell when you walked through the doors.
This was also during the time that all invited teams actually made it to New York. For a young man, the drive from Alabama to NYC, was a defining moment in my life. I had always loved Alabama basketball, but after that trip it became an avocation in my life. With 1200 games under my belt I’ve seen a lot of good games. I’ve seen a lot of important games for the Tide. But until the Tide wins the NCAA Tournament there is no more memorable game for the Tide. It was, and is, the single most important game in the history of Alabama hoops. Now, most of our fans were not even alive when this game was played, and putting it into perspective will be hard for some. For those of us who go back a long ways we know exactly what it meant. From there the Tide would win three consecutive SEC Crowns. Only Kentucky has done that as well. It was a magical time for Alabama basketball. For me it ranks above the Tide being ranked #1 for a cup of coffee in the Gottfried era.
Ironically, the game tonight and the Tournament takes on the same role as that first Tide game. The Tide had been to the NIT many times. But it was when we had decent teams and were not invited to the NCAA. This year is a little different in my mind. We are doing exactly what C.M. Newton was trying to do in that very first Alabama appearance. Avery Johnson believes he is on the cusp of returning Alabama to past greatness. An NIT win would be like lighting a match to a can of gasoline for ‘Bama. The explosion might accelerate the process on a national stage.
A loser’s tournament? No way. There are 12 to 15 teams that would have played in the NCAA if My Old Mother State didn’t get an auto-bid. We all like Cinderella. But Cinderella isn’t going to win an NCAA championship. It’s not going to happen. Instead, those teams rob the NCAA of having the best field possible. I know it’s quaint. We all pull for 16 to beat a 1. So, in that sense the NIT has a lot of teams better than some of the teams in the NCAA. You want to hate the NIT? Go ahead, but unless you understand the importance of this Tournament to the University of Alabama you are selling fool’s gold.
This blog is for Johnny Dill. Thank you Johnny.
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