Carleton is the Next Victim for the Tide
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   Day one after game one and I'm thinking about how much improved this team can be in the long run. There are a couple of things we learned. First, John Petty is going to be in the starting lineup. That might mean that Dazon Ingram would come off the bench. Or will Avery Johnson play a three guard lineup?  Could it be Hall, Key, Sexton, Petty, and Ingram?  Will that be enough rebounding to fire up the fast break? I was almost certain that Petty was going to be the first player off the bench. After watching his performance against McGill, I'm not sure how you can keep him out of the starting lineup. This is going to be a big watch issue after Canada. Second, I think we learned that all the hype about this team may not be hype. It may be a reality. The Tide just scored 96 points with most of the big guns getting limited minutes. Johnson knows what he is doing but I'd love to see the starters get three-quarters against Carleton. Keep in mind, that McGill was totally overmatched. Carleton will be better, but I can't see the Tide losing. The Ravens are the big dog in Canadian college basketball. They know how to win, but they won't know how to defend Sexton and company. 

   That doesn't mean that everything was satisfactory to Johnson. He said his team got beat off the dribble (against the man defense) too often. That is not uncommon for high school players who step up to Division 

CARLETON RAVENS...

 

     

Carleton is a perennial winner in the race for C. National Championship. If you want to have a better understanding about the caliber of play for the next game, I think the Ravens might be the equivalent of a mid-minor team. Alabama actually lost to Carleton in 2007. Who was on that team for Bama? Richard Hendrix, Mikhail Torrence, and Alonzo Gee. Alabama finished 17-16 and 5-11 in the SEC West. Poor guard play killed the Tide that season. It is an example of how a Canadian team can beat a NCAA team. Towson State whipped the Ravens in their last game 74-64 behind a lackluster 26% shooting from the floor. Just for good measure, Carleton hit a miserable 23% from behind the arc. It wasn't a lack of trying, however. The final number was 9-40. It was shooting that killed the Ravens. The Canadians were even in every other category. They hit 13-14 from the line. Statistically, the only way that Carleton can beat Alabama is in a game of twenty-one or h.o.r.s.e but stranger things have happened. Those 40 outside shots might give you a tip of the Alabama game plan. The Tide's man-to-man defense didn't look that sharp in game one of the Can-Am classic. Remember these games are called 'friendlies' by our Canadian hosts. Tell that the Collin Sexton. LOL. 

    

Here's some interesting news. SMU just squeaked by McGill in OT 86-83. Things that make you wonder about how good is SMU. ESPN doesn't have SMU in their top 25. Bama was 24th. Last season the Mustangs were a salty 17-1 in the America Athletic Conference.  It is obvious SMU is not the NCAA team a season ago. This close game is not a good sign for the AmAC. This is an example of losing when you win. I bet Joe Lunardi is re-thinking is 5 seed in the Dance.

 

  Did you know?  That the 18 wins notched by Avery Johnson's first-year Crimson Tide was the most ever by a new Coach? Johnson has taken the Crimson Tide to consecutive NIT games. He is looking for something better this time around. I'm guessing that is going to happen. Bama is listed as a top 25 team in several Pre-Season web sites. The highest I have seen is 19th. 

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