georgia has won five games in a row
how will bama defend kentavious caldwell-pope?
Georgia didn't exactly start the season hotter than a pepper pot. The pot has been heating up in the last five games though .Georgia has won each of them. In the old days of SEC basketball the Bulldogs were an afterthought. It was a place where you had a good chance of winning a road game. Georgia's slow start this season revived old memories. The last five games have changed things around though. A different talent level is apparent at Georgia. At Georgia it all starts with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. For the Tide to beat Georgia they will need to keep him from having a career night. KCP is 6-5 and is quick, can jump out of the gym, and can also take it to the basket. The winning streak started after Georgia was humiliated by Florida. Since that time the Dawgs have bean TAM, Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee, and TAM again. Bama beat TAM, lost to Auburn, and Tennessee. Three of those wins were road games including a nice 68-62 win in Knoxville.
KCP is one of the top five players in the league and will move on to the NBA as soon as possible. Right now he has to be content with shredding SEC defenses. He's been a very consistent player this season. He wears # 1 on his uniform because he thinks he is the best player in the SEC. He might be. He'll be the best all - around player the Tide has faces this season. He has so many moves inside and outside it is just hard to slow him down. He's also one of the best defensive players in the SEC. Most analysts believe he will go out this season and be a mid first round pick. Look for Randolph and Cooper to get the bulk of the work against him. He is a quality player who is almost impossible to shut down. Alabama will try to slow him and hopefully not allow him to have a big night. The matchup between Randolph and KCP may very well be the highlight of the game. Both are around 6-5 and both are splendid athletes. KCP is averaging 17.5 ppg, is shooting a solid 46% from the floor, 80% of his free shots and 39% from downtown. Those are great numbers. He also is the top rebounder with 6.3 per game.
This game may resemble a demolition derby. The pace will be slow, the contact will be brutal, and score should be low. Both teams mirror each other in their offensive attack. Neither team has been explosive on the offensive end so far. Vegas had the over/under at 112. I was thinking maybe 109 so the bookies are expecting an offensive "explosion". Georgia is a 1.5 favorite to win. The Dawgs are on a roll. The Tide is a on a roll as well. For Bama, a win keeps their slim NCAA hopes alive. For the Dogs, a win would help an NIT bid. Alabama is 15-8. They are in third place in the SEC at 7-3. Georgia had a rough start but now stands at 12-11 and is 6-4 in the league. Bama has to finish in the top four of the league or they have no chance in getting an NCAA bid in my opinion.
ESPNU at 8 CST.
Georgia is a slight favorite and should win the game. They have the best player on the floor and play tough defense, not unlike Bama. Even though the score was close with LSU the Tide outplayed them soundly. If Bama can make some three point baskets they will win the game.
Alpha
bama wins a tough one 60-57
missed free throws almost costs tide a win
Once again a nail biter. Once again Tide fans sat on the edge of their seats hoping that this one wouldn't slip away. It almost did. Bama missed so many free throws in the last five minutes of the game that what could have been a 15 point laugher became sheer agony. The bottom line is that in the end the Tide won 60-57. The forum boards lite up with negativity about how the Tide won and just how bad the team really is. Really? If you think that you don't understand hoops. Alabama's last outing was about as smooth as a square wheel on a dirt road.
The object of the game is to win. We shouldn't forget that. And all you guys who love to inject the negativity really don't understand this team. Alabama is a blue collar team who carry their lunches in a brown paper bag. They don't have a lot of gloss or glitter. They simply can't afford to do that. This is a team whose winning is comprised of statistics that rarely get mentioned. Frequently, the players who contribute the most are mentioned the least. Sometimes the Tide has a line up on the floor that looks like a United Natons meeting instead of a basketball team. On Saturday night Alabama had every opportunity to take a win and make it a crushng loss. However and whoever wouldn't let it happen.
C.M. Newton used to chuckle about missed free throws. He would say don't tell me how many we missed - tell me how many we made. The Tide was 20-33 from the line. LSU made only 11. They shot 14. Alabama almost lost the game by missing some pressure packed freebies, but they won the game at the line by getting there come hell or high water. Grant's team mirrored his attitude about basketball. A basketball game is a war and a each play is a battle. Win enough battles and you win the war. Last night before 12,000 die hard fans the Crimson Tide won the battle on the boards, blocked more shots, dived on more loose balls, and hung on to win.
I think you understand Anthony Grant or you don't. I get what he's trying to do and who he has to do it with. Nick Jacobs and Moussa Gueye are not all-conference players. Together they can put up some all-conference numbers. Jacobs took Johnny O'Bryant to school on the inside much of the game. Gueye kept him off the boards just enough to make the difference. One plays offense and the other plays defense. If you watched the game it was obvious that Bama was going to take the ball inside. In some ways Bama's preoccupation with the inside game hurt them from the outside. The outside shooters never really got set and squared to the basket. The other thing that Bama did was make Randolph become involved more on offense. The only obvious mismatch that the Tide had over the Bengals on offense was whoever guarded Randolph was either not fast enough to stay with him, or he took smaller guards insider to score. His reverse one handed dunk on a lob from Releford was an ESPN highlight.
In a repeat of the last game the Tide guards were cold from the outside. Lacey has reverted to sticking his elbow outside the shooting box and as long as he continues his "chicken wing" form the slump will continue. One area we didn't slump in was blocked shots. The Tide had nine. Moussa at least four and he deflected at least two more. That's not counting the contortions he put LSU players in try to even get a shot inside. Gueye is improving every game. He also got one of the mystery calls that even two of the officials questioned. Grant, in a rare display of anger, walked to midcourt to argue the call. LSU got a couple of iffy calls as well.
If you picked a player of the game it would have to be Jacobs. He had 15 badly needed points. He also had four rebounds and two blocked shots. However, it was Randolph who kept his cool the entire second half. He scored, had an assist and two big steals late in the game. He also made a free throw which extended the game into two possessions for LSU to win. It's hard to describe just how valuable he is. He's a lot like Chris Hines with more talent. Levi is the man who always seems to get the lose ball, block a shot, pull down a big board, or come up with a steal from nowhere. Late in the game the Tigers ran a back door on Lacey, It looked like an easy basketball, but Randolph deflected ball out of bounds. A made Tiger basket would have cut the lead to one.
Bama travels to to red hot Georgia on Tuesday. Polk is a monster. We will be on the road. Look for the over/under to be below 120. If Bama can win that key road game the season will look a whole lot better. These kids are not underachieving. In fact, you could make a argument for the opposite. It is amazing to me that they continue to win without a good offense. If the Tide can get back some better outside shooting they will be a team no one will want to play. The media picked Bama 6th in the pre season. We are 3rd. That is not exactly what I'd call underachieving. What this team needs is more support and less "expert" criticism. See you in Athens.
alabama tries to change direction
tide is running out of time ...
When February rolled around I hoped the Tide might get through the month undefeated. First, the Tide came back to beat Vandy in Nashville. The game that really bothered me was the Auburn game which was on the road. I thought we might get beat. It never occured to me that we might rewrite the meaning of bad play. It was beyond terrible. It was like something from the Twilight Zone starring Cam Newton. My good buddy, Fred Erben, described it as beyond belief. No, actually it was worst than that according to the good barrister. Now the question is - what happens next? Does the Tide play road kill or do they take a look at the man in the mirror. I'm betting on the mirror because of who our head man is, and what he proven in the last six seasons.
The Tide is going to sink or swim this month. Road games at Georgia and LSU are later this month. Alabama can win both of those games. The other four, starting with LSU are home games. Mississippi State, Auburn, and South Carolina round out the February games in Coleman. The Tide is going to sink or swim with these six games. Six games would give Alabama 20 wins. None of these games are going to be against teams with helpful RPI ratings. 20 is more than a number. It is an audition number. 20 is that magical number where the Selection Committee has to at least talk about Alabama.
The Tide then has a minimum of four additional games. Bama has to go to Florida and Ole Miss and then finishes up with Georgia in Tuscaloosa. What if Bama wins a couple of games in the SEC Tournament. You get the idea. Bama could end up with more than 20 wins. What if Bama wins 23 games. What if Bama upsets Ole Miss or Florida? I'm not saying any of this is going to happen. It could. If Bama returns to being the team that beat Kentucky and Villanova it is possible. Alabama is not out of the NCAA quite yet. Sure, the fat lady is warming up but she hasn't started singing. What a great schedule for the Tide to finish the season. This is as good as basketball can be if you are a player. Everyone is counting you out. I don't know about you but I never count Alabama out of anything. I don't think that real Alabama fans ever give up. I bet our team won't give up either.
We have a lot of young talent. We have a great coach. We have great fans, and we have one of those rare opportunities to get up off the canvas and fight back. How we finish this season is going to go long
in finding out about next season. Some teams play better with their backs to the wall. What's left in this season is more about effort and character than talent. I feel good about the rest of this month. I feel even better about the next five years or so.
When: Saturday, 7CST
Where: Coleman Coliseum
Line: Alabama is a 7 point favorite
SEC Standings:
Florida 8-1
Ole Miss 7-2
Kentucky 7-2
Alabama 6-3
LSU 4-5
Key games impacting Alabama:
Ole Miss at Missouri - The Tigers are 7 point favorites. An Ole Miss loss
and a Bama win will put OleMiss and Bama with
7-3.
Auburn at Kentucky - An Auburn win over KU... Naw, won't happen
Alabama could find itself in a tie for third in the SEC if Missouri beats Ole Miss today.
TiderInsider Return
tide scores only 14 points in second half...
low point in grants' tenure
Not acceptable. No explanation needed or required.The ever continuing offensive problems with the Alabama basketball team hit a new low on Wednesday night. I'm not sure exactly how to describe what happened at Auburn in the second half last night. I'm afraid the what happened is going to known as the night that Tide fans began to have serious doubts about Grant's ability to get the job done at Alabama. A lot of fans have already expressed some concern. A lot more will now join the parade. You can't blame any Alabama fan from having doubts after watching the worst Bama performance on the offensive end of the floor this writer has ever seen.
Some fans are going to say that the defensive effort was missing in the second half as well. I'm not going to take anything away from a dismal Auburn team for beating Alabama. The Tigers played hard, but when you can't score, and I mean literally, eventually you will quit playing defense. That's what the Tide did in Lee County on Wednesday night. This loss ranks right up there with the David Hobbs debacle in 1998. That night finished any discussion of Coach Hobb's future at Alabama. Whether the heat grows as much from the ineptness shown last night remains to be seen. Last night's game was painful to watch.
Clearly, the Tide has some depth problems. This is where your head coach earns his money. Most coaches do well with an abundance of talent. Great coaches do well with a scarcity of talent. Alabama has talent. But it's all at the guard position. I think Alabama might have won last night if the Tide could figure out a way to keep Moussa Gueye in the game. When Gueye picked up his 4th foul things fell apart. Here's another way of expressing how bad last night was - we gave up only 49 points and lost by 12. It wasn't like Auburn was killing us on defense. Bama could have easily scored 40 in the first half but they couldn't make a basket. In the second half they almost couldn't find a shot. Alabama's allowing to the clock to get to 10 seconds before really getting into an offensive set is just poor coaching. if the guys on the floor can't do what you ask find some other guys on the bench who will.
We can't even throw the ball into the post without all sorts of chaos occurring. Any ball thrown to Nick Jacobs is an adventure in abject futility. We are so fundamentally unsound that we cant 'even get the post player to meet the ball on an entry pass. It's not like the entry passes are a thing of beauty to begin with. This wasn't Duke doing this to us. This was Auburn, which is the armpit of SEC basketball. You could see this coming a mile away. Yesterday's blog post reluctantly picked Auburn to win. I just had this sinking feeling that we were in for a long night. Give some credit to Alabama for pulling out a lot of close games. But the signs of what happened last night could been seen all season long.
Here is what will happen the remainder of the season. We will win more than we lose and we'll look bad in doing so. We won't go to the NCAA and we don't deserve to go. I expect we will go to the NIT, get selected to host a couple of home games, and continue to live on life support. This is the Mark G. scenario all over again. Grant better find some recruiters and someone to coach offense or he's in real trouble. How bad were we? Our football team score more points against Auburn than our basketball team managed.
I stil have a lot of faith in Grant. He knows this is unacceptable. Let's see what he does about it. As all of you know I fought hard to get Grant to come to Alabama. Don't think for one moment that I won't fight just as hard to see him go if things don't improve. I like Grant. I love Alabama. I know exactly where my loyalty lies.
I'm not the coach, but here is a novel idea - someone shoot the damn ball.
key game for Bama tonight on plains...
favored by 3 tonight
Where: Auburn University
When: 7 CST
dial: SEC Network
line: -3 Bama
I no longer bet on college basketball games. That being said - I have to say that I do consult with a few close friends who are serious about placing big money bets. If it was my money on the line tonight, I'd leave it in my wallet. No way I'd bet on this game unless Auburn was favored. An old college coach and close friend of mine once said, "betting against the home team in the SEC is going to cost you money." I agree. There is no future in betting against a home team, particularly when the home team is a dog. Ask Florida how good Arkansas is today and the Gators would say the best is Arkansas in the SEC. Bud Walton is no place for anyone but the Razorbacks. Tonight the Crimson Tide travels to Auburn to take on the Auburn Tigers. This pair appears to be two teams going in opposite directions.
The Tigers have lost six consecutive games.Tony Barbee has been so upset with the play of his Tigers he said he has been embarrassed coaching them. I didn't quite understand if he meant his coaching or his team's play. Alabama has won 6 of their last 7 games, including a win at Vanderbilt. Winning in Nashville has been rare stuff for Bama in the last two decades. The one loss is a still controversial one point game against Tennessee. The Tide has had better results in Auburn, but it is still the lair of the Tiger. Barbee has taken an extreme course of action in calling his team out in public. I think that shows that Coach Barbee knows if he doesn't beat Alabama his season is over. A loss to Alabama on Auburn's home floor might effectively put the Tigers out of business for the rest of the season. Barbee has purposely made this the biggest game of the season for his team. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen. At 8-13 and 2-6 in the conference, postseason play is not going to happen. What better thing to do than hurt your arch rivals chances in the post season. This is the state of things between the two basketball programs.
Despite losing 6 games in a row the Tigers have some good talent. In fact, it's difficult to understand how the Tigers have lost 13 games. That is what has Barbee in a funk about his team. The Tigers skid started with Arkansas and has continued unabated through their 91-77 loss to Missouri. In that six game streak the Tigers almost beat Ole Miss but the remainder of the losses were never in doubt. Alabama on the hand has found more ways to win than a cat has lives. Whether it is coming from behind or hanging on for dear life the Crimson has found a way. Bama's lack of physical size hurt them on the road at Tennessee. The Tide has managed to carve out 6 wins despite not having a good inside game. Alabama is almost the little engine that could. But now, the Tide has no latitude for error. A Bama win would put them one step closer to the NCAA or NIT. A loss however would maybe kill the Tide's chances for the NCAA. There just aren't RPI powerhouses left on schedule. A loss would be one of those "bad" losses that the NCAA will not favorably on Alabama. In short, the Tide has run out of bad wins, and good wins just aren't on the schedule except Florida and maybe Ole Miss.
The Tigers are shooting 41% from the floor and 69% from the free throw line. Bama's numbers are 44% and 70% respectively. Alabama is led by the two Trevors. I haven't heard anything that leads me to believe that Releford will not be in the lineup tonight after an injury against Vandy that set him down the last five minutes. Lacey has become the go to man for the Tide. Releford is averaging 15.3 ppg and Lacey is scoring 12.5 ppg. The Tide has no player pulling down five rebounds per game. Even though Bama isn't getting a lot of individual numbers inside, the duo of Gueye and Jacobs have cobbled together enough production to keep teams honest on the perimeter. Gueye has improved his games by leaps and bounds. He is scoring some and is a force inside on defense. He blocked 5 shots in each of his last two games. Jacobs has pieced together some decent offense lately. Bama needs a big game from Jacobs. It's getting awfully late in the season to expect a big game from Pollard. Let's hope he can.
The longest drive in the SEC is back from Auburn with a L by your team. I hate picking against Alabama. I think Bama can win. I think Auburn is due for a win. think the game will go down to the wire. If Bama is ahead or close in the last 5 minutes I like our chances. Auburn is at home. That could be the difference in the game. Visiting teams win only 30% on the road over the last two decades. That is a hard number to ignore. The way the Tigers are approaching this game puts a lot of pressure on them. If Bama can avoid a slow start or not get to far being in the first half they will win. Otherwise, it 's AU. Bottom line is that I can't really pick a winner, but if hard pressed I'd say AU has the edge.
Tide refuses to quit
Lacey lifts Tide on key three pointer...
A lot is going to be written about Alabama getting the monkey off their backs after beating Vandy for the first time in Nashville since Gary Waites was our point guard and Wimp was glaring from the end lines. That was back in 1990. Phil Collins nailed down the #1 song in America, How am I supposed to live without you. Driving Miss Daisy won the Oscar for best film, and Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister of Great Britain. More importantly, this years edition won a key road game in their quest to make the post season. Once again it was Trevor Lacey who pulled the trigger for the winning basket. His three point basket off a double screen was as pure as silk.
Bama didn't quit.
When Vanderbilt was shooting 60% from the floor and making three points baskets from downtown Nashville, the Tide hung around. The Tide learned a lot about itself in terrible December. Alabama had just lost Carl Engstrom and Andrew Steele to injuries. Two key players out of the line up and the Tide stumbled and fell. But they got back up. They refused to stay down. The Tide has shown a remarkable tenacity since that time. They show it when they play bad and when they play well. They continue to do what they do best, which is play hard nosed defense, and let games sort themselves out in the end. What this team does as well as anyone is to concentrate on the present play. They forget the last play, and don't worry about what's
coming up next. They constantly win dozens of little battles for rebounds, lose balls, big shots, and stealing passes. They took a crisp and efficient Vandy team and turned them into a train wreck with relentless play. The football team isn't the only bunch that holds up four fingers.
Andrew Steele ignites comeback
Andrew Steele doesn't have a stop button. It appears he doesn't have a panic button either. It was reported that it was Steele who kept pushing to the team to chip away at the Commodore lead. At the 7 minute mark the Tide was down 51-40, number 22 kept pushing his teammates to remember the game wasn't over. They listened and then went on scoring run that stunned Vandy. The crowd in Nashville was in a state in the disbelief from the Tide's comeback. Over that last 7 minutes the Tide played near a near perfect game. The offense clicked and the defense simply devastated Vanderbilt. In last 7 minutes of the game the Commodores scored 1 point. In a very un-Tidelike manner the Crimson threw down 18 points. That's a near 100 points per game rate. I'm sure that Vandy isn't a great team. In Nashville, they are very good though. The goofy arena gives the Commodores quite an advantage. Vandy had not been shooting the ball from the outside or from the free throw line with much success. They did against Alabama for over 3/4 of the game. In spite of their red hot shooting the Tide wouldn't go away. I don't know about you but in the last five minutes I thought we would come back and win. Shots made by Vandy in the first half were not hitting iron in the second. Even more remarkable is the fact that Bama won the game when the home team was shooting the bonus. At one point in the second half Alabama caught four fouls on two defensive stands. Vandy had been called for only 5 for entire contest.
Great win for Bama anyway you look at it. Lacey showed us why he was so highly recruited, Releford has a packed defense against him and it showed, Pollard had his least productive outing. Both Jacobs and Gueye had their moments. Nice to see Cooper back in the game. Randolph made some big free throws late and it was outside defense that caused some pretty odd looking shots by Vandy guards. He just continues to improved. But this night belonged to Grant, Steele, and Lacey. Bama has a very favorable schedule this month. The should win all the home games and the road games are winnable as well. Auburn is on a six game skid and it is going to be interesting to see if they shut down for the season, or will arch rival Alabama excite them. Alabama is on the edge of getting back in the NCAA tournament picture. Finish with no more than one more loss in the regular seasons and win one or two in the SEC Tournament and they might just squeak in. All things considered Florida is head and shoulders above anyone. Kentucky, Alabama, and Ole Miss are pretty close. Tennessee and Arkansas are gone. South Carolina has had its share of problems and they'll have more. Let's say this about Alabama. They dug themselves a deep hole with three losses to bad teams. Those were bad losses in the eyes of the NCAA. But they have a change to climb out of that hole by finishing strong. At least Alabama can control their own destiny at this point. Throw Missouri in the mix and then you wonder if the SEC gets four or five bids. I'm betting it's five. If I'm correct then we might just be the fifth team. Regardless of what happens you have to hand it to the team for refusing to quit.
tide squeaks by late to win
new level of bad play established by Al and Ark.
We predicted a Bama win if they could keep the score in the 50's. Mission accomplished on that point. The Tide proved to be slightly better than the worst Arkansas team to take the floor since joining the SEC. After this win there are more questions about the future. I really like Coach Grant, but - the level of play on the floor at Coleman Coliseum against Arkansas is an embarrasment to a lot of other Alabama teams of the past. The coach can talk about finding a way not to lose, grinding one out, and all the coach speak he chooses to use. The truth is that in the second half we were beyond horrible. There have far to many nights like Thursday.
21 turnovers on your home floor? On five occasions we lost the ball on inbound plays. That's a hot topic for Tide fans. Which ex-coach does that remind you of? My grandson, who is in the third grade asked me why we kept throwing the in bounds pass to our center. "I thought you weren't supposed to do that," was how he put it. Sloppy passes the entire second half was the rule. Even Levi Randolph threw one backcourt. We have far too many good ball handlers to allow that to happen. No ball movement and inside players who camped out, feet stuck in concrete killed Alabama. Our fundamentals are poor. We catch passes with one hand, we secure rebounds with one hand, and down right laughable at times. I know, you shouldn't complain about a win. Well, I disagree. This team has some problems with discipline on the floor, effort at times, and the complete inability to mount an offense. I'll give the kids credit for coming back. A month earlier this would have been another loss. The problem is the same kids built the hole they put themselves in. The Tide took what could have been a blowout and and turned it into a showcase futility.
Nick Jacobs had a good first half and that helped the Tide to 7 point lead. The lefty moved up a couple of feet up the lane and used his mobility to get around Razorback defenders. Gueye had some good moments, including a six foot jump shot. I thought Pollard showed a lot more than he had before last night. He was active, he led the team in rebounds, he had a couple of good steals, and play very hard. He was intense and he didn't back down.
We have great dribblers though. We have players who can move and dribble. They can stand and dribble for long stretchs of time. And to round out the equation we have four other players on the floor who can stand a watch. over. At least Andrew Steele knows how to lower this head and make a hole. Eddie Lacey would be proud. I was happy we held on to win and equally happy Dand that I didn't have to watch anymore pitiful play when the clock went to double zero We must be the only team in America that has an official diagnosis of bi-polar personality disorder. It's a long drive from Oneonta to Tuscaloosa and back for an eight o'clock game - too far to watch what we all saw last night in a 59-56 "win". At 66 I've noticed a tendency to use my time more wisely. We can 13 wins and still have a chance to win 20+ games. That is amazing. If the Tide could stitch together a little composure and effort we might just get to number 20. Any other team in the league other than Arkansas and we might have lost. In some ways this team is close to being really good. Not last night. Last night will never be mentioned again as far as I'm concerned. A pat on the back to Lacey. He came through. Sometimes it is really hard to be a serious basketball fan for Alabama isn't it.
Back to Tider Insider
Georgia didn't exactly start the season hotter than a pepper pot. The pot has been heating up in the last five games though .Georgia has won each of them. In the old days of SEC basketball the Bulldogs were an afterthought. It was a place where you had a good chance of winning a road game. Georgia's slow start this season revived old memories. The last five games have changed things around though. A different talent level is apparent at Georgia. At Georgia it all starts with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. For the Tide to beat Georgia they will need to keep him from having a career night. KCP is 6-5 and is quick, can jump out of the gym, and can also take it to the basket. The winning streak started after Georgia was humiliated by Florida. Since that time the Dawgs have bean TAM, Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee, and TAM again. Bama beat TAM, lost to Auburn, and Tennessee. Three of those wins were road games including a nice 68-62 win in Knoxville. 
