CRIMSON HOOPS - Time to support the team...

Time for Bama fans to stick together...
Tide dismantles the Aggies with hard D


   I don't know about you, but when  Texas A&M was not able to play their top scorer and rebounder, it was a big break. Alabama probably would have won regardless, but it made it easier. I'm not sure that the casual fan understands that keeping a team to less than 50 points is phenomenal. TAM scored only 44 points. In fact, I think they were lucky to get over 40. It was a great defensive effort by the Tide. As predicted, the Tide used a zone the majority of the game, but switched to a man when it appeared the Aggies might find some success. That switch killed TAM. The mixing of defenses seemed to confuse TAM. Alabama came out in the second half and had more energy than I've seen this season. Obasahan supplied the energy in the last 10 minutes. All in all, it was a great win. It was a step forward.

Alabama wasn't a dynamite offensive team themselves. They proved to be good enough. The final was 65-44. 21 points is a huge differential in today's games. Keep in mind there are no bad coaches in the SEC. The "worst" SEC coach is probably much better than anyone who coached any of us. Grant gets some knocks from the fan base, but this game shouldn't fall into that category. I don't know what else a fan could expect from a team or a coach, than a 21 point win. Most people who post of some boards clearly don't have the slightest idea what they are talking about. There are a few who do, and their insight is great to read.

   Anthony Grant is our coach this season and will be next year barring a complete implosion by the Tide. I think there is enough talent on this team to avoid a repeat of last season. My knock on Coach Grant has been an inability to recruit great players, and a reluctance (as I see it) to integrate himself with the fan base. Alabama has now won 11 games. The number last year was 13 for the entire season. If I had to rate the teams on a 1 to 14th basis my number would be 6 or maybe even 5. That is a borderline number for an NCAA invitation. Alabama needs to win at least 3 or 4 road games. That's entirely possible. If you watched the Florida-South Carolina game last night, it appeared that ' Bama is as good as those two teams. Two SEC losses at home would be hard to overcome. You have to believe that a win over Kentucky will be tough. The other games will be winnable if Alabama continues to play with the same energy and effort as shown in the TAM game. It seems to me that fans have had their say about Grant. It's time to stop. The point has been made. Bill Battle can read and write. He understands how much of the fan base  feels. South Carolina at home will be tough. They'll come in ready to go after the Florida game. 

    Someone accused me the other day of trying to kill the Alabama basketball program. This came from a poster I really respect. I'm not sure why he thinks I have "almost killed" the basketball program. First of all, I don't have that kind of power. Secondly, that would never be my intent. But it made me think about a few things. What really is wrong with our program? Part of what is wrong is based on what was done correctly in the past. Here's my take:

1. C.M. Newton and Wimp Sanderson set the bar pretty high for any future Alabama coach. What the pair did for our basketball program was miraculous. Newton had the temperament to build a basketball team in a time of change in America. He was the perfect man for the job. Newton was like the learned professor. He was almost above everything around him. He believed that Alabama had the players in state to win, and he set out on a single minded course to prove that. What Newton did was to take almost nothing and make something the State of Alabama should be proud in watching and supporting.

2. Wimp Sanderson took the something that Newton started  and built, and infused his unique personality into the program. If Newton was the professor, then Wimp Sanderson was the beloved uncle we all wish we had. He was first and foremost one of us. He was (and probably still could be) the best coach in school history. I admire him greatly, but he spoiled us. Bully, for him. He was indeed the Man.

3. What the two men did was to set a standard. Anyone who followed them would have to live up to those reputations. How long did it take Alabama to find someone to live up to the standards that Coach Bryant brought to the Capstone? I have little doubt that had Wimp remained we might have won a national champions. His '87 team was as good a team as anyone in the nation. CM could match his '76 team with anyone.

4. When that is the test and measurement you have to follow, anyone was going to have a tough time being successful. Mark Gottfried got the Tide ranked # 1 for a brief period. He got to the Elite Eight and that was outstanding. I remember at the end of the Elite Eight season I wrote an article about the "downward spiral tjhat had started in our program. I got laughed at, spit on, and even worse. If you followed Alabama basketball you were aware of some of the problems. I'm not sure anyone but a die hard fan could understand what was happening. I don't think anyone takes any pleasure in seeing a Coach fail. That one extra year that Gottfried stayed was the second worst decision made regarding Alabama basketball. I understand why my friend, Mal Moore, made the choice. I asked him to note my exception, and Mark put himself in the position where he finally was finished. It was a sad day in our program. Almost as sad as the unwarranted decision made in firing Wimp.Sometimes an extra season can be fatal, but not always.

5. David Hobbs got blinded sided when McDyess unexpectedly turned pro. Big Mac had assure d David he was coming back. I don't think Big Mac lied to David. Money is money, and unexpected big money is something most of us can only dream of. He made the correct decision. Even David supported him even as  the trap door fell open.

6. The Peanuts character, Charlie Brown was said "potential is worst thing a person can have." That is what is hurting Anthony Grant. Grant came to Alabama with the same fanfare that football fans had for Nick Saban. That is as close as I can explain it. Grant had to win as much as CM or Wimp did, and come close to what Saban was doing in football. For Grant, this was a perfect storm of destruction. He also caught a lot of bad breaks along the line. Getting left out of 2 NCAA's was questionable. Grant had to live with the results. The real problem that Grant has, even today, is living up to what people considered to be his potential. I was doing some numbers the other night and realized that Grant is right on track to have average 20 wins per season since he came to the Capstone. 20 has always been one of those magical numbers on a coaches resume. It may not mean as much as it has in the past, but it's still hard to ignore. Looking back, that was an unrealistic expectation.

7. "Happiness is a warm puppy" is not in Grant's personality. He obviously doesn't read Peanuts. He has always struck me as the kind of guy you like despite his personality. Sounds like another coach we know. But the other coach lived up to his potential, and one has fallen short in the eyes of fans. I think we should note that Grant has not been far from being very successful, until last season.  Grant's personality is his personality. It's hard to change. I promise you if he was winning 25 games a year and making the NCAA Tournament he'd be the second most popular person in Alabama. Even then, the Tide fans, as unhinged as we can sometimes be, would demand Sweet Sixteen Rounds, The it would multiply to "we need a Final Four appearance. That is the nature of stupid beast that encompass Alabama fanworld.  An extra year for Coach Grant just isn't that important given where we are know.

8. The final thing that makes Grant unsuccessful is that he isn't living up to the expectations of a bunch of people who couldn't set a pick if they weighed three hundred pounds. That's just the damn truth. For years I have hoped that we could be a national power again in basketball. Bad decisions can set off a cascade of even worse results. In fairness to Grant, I think he got to Alabama at the worst possible moment in our basketball history. I'm not sure, Alabama will ever be what we once were in hoops. I'm still hoping and praying, but I'd rather have a couple of Parade High School All-Americans big men to play inside. . I'm starting to curtail my hopes, and temper them, a dawning realization that it may never be the same. And no, I'm not a CEO, but until we build a real facility to attract first rate players, I'm not sure any coach can deliver what we want. This year, or next? What difference does it make until we have an AD who can make hoops a priority. I'm not sure that Battle will not ultimately do that, but I'm not hearing much to make me hopeful. Let me put it another way - when you go to AU and see their facility, and the commitment to basketball, it makes me sick. We should at least do that. Maybe Grant is merely playing the hand dealt him. I don't know. I know enough about coaching to know he's not a bad coach. He's not perfect. He's not Nick Saban. Nick Saban isn't even the Nick Saban people believe exists.

     Maybe the time has arrived when even the die hard fans need to question the future of basketball at the Capstone, regardless of what Grant can and cannot do. Or maybe it's time for fans to demand something better. Let's be fair - Grant is not the singular problem we have in basketball. There is a lot of blame to spread around. The fans, the administration, the lack of commitment, are all to blame. I shoulder some of that blame. Maybe my dreams of a national championship were deluded from the start. I'm not giving up. But I am not going to blame Anthony Grant for everything he does. That is just is not true and it certainly isn't fair. I had hoped he could stop the leaking. What if the hole was so large it couldn't be stopped. Look guys, anyone can take cheap shots from behind a screen name. It's just time to stop and support our team. The rest of the problems are beyond our control. Let's be fans for a change.  

 

Bama Opens SEC with A&M Tonight...
Tide is a five point favorite

   

Stop Caruso and stop the Aggies?

 Here we go. Tonight, Alabama opens its SEC season against a pretty good Texas A&M team. The line is -5 for the home team. It is imperative that Alabama win every home game this season. I'm not foolish enough to think the Tide could upset Kentucky at Coleman, but stranger things have happened. The Crimson Tide now is 10-3. 9 of those wins count toward their potential selection in March. Tip-Off is at 8:00 CST in Tuscaloosa and can be seen on the SEC 

Lucky for Bama fans we have
such a great pair to broadcast games.

Network, and is carried by radio on the Alabama Sports Network. The gifted and always witty Chris Stewart, and color man Bryan Passink will call the radio portion tonight. Bryan played for Alabama, and boy did he have sweet jump shot. I wish he still had some eligibility left. I know its kind of strange to start a blog post about the broadcasters and not the game. Hey, these guys have hung in under some cruel and unusual circumstances. The last couple of seasons could not have been fun. The team of Stewart and Passink have hung in there like grim death. Follow them on Twitter for the latest news. They actually post more real news about the Basketball team than a lot of so-call Newspapers. For example, the Al.COM had one small article about tonight's game. Talk about a back-water sports page. Let's send the guys a tweet and tell them how much we appreciate them.

 

House has helped A&M

  Last season, Rod Caruso turned into a great player. He's 6-5 and plays the point. Most people believe that to beat A&M you have to keep Caruso from controlling the game. I'd love to see a Caruso-Randolph man to man fight, but I think Bama is going to zone a lot against the Aggies in hopes of getting through the first half with Taylor and Kessens out of foul trouble. The Aggies are 9-3 and have have plenty of confidence going into Tuscaloosa tonight. Texas A&M is a team on the rise. The Aggies has the third best recruiting class in the nation according to ESPN.  The program is trending toward the top. Like Alabama, the Aggies had a pretty good pre-SEC run. They avoided any embarrassing losses and beat some half-way decent teams. Caruso is the team leader, but forward Danuel House, a Houston transfer, has made the Aggies a much better team. House is 6-7 and weighs a little over 200 lbs. He's a lot like Rodney Cooper in build, size, ability. This should be a highly fought game. A&M believes this is a place to steal a road win. Bama will be protecting their home turf.

    Where does Alabama stand today? The Tide is not-ranked, unmentioned, and ignored. That is simply the national perception of the Crimson Tide now. But this team can change that with a few wins. A win tonight would move the team to 11-3 and that has to be getting close to the edge of the NCAA field. Tonight is the place to start to change the perception of the program. 

    Grading the Tide? I'd give them a solid B right now. Had the team won any of the games they lost, you might consider a little higher grade. The team is better than last season. That was pretty low bar to cross, however. Grant seems more inclined to slow down the pace than his early season decision to open up the scoring. What happened to change that? I think it is a combination of poor showings offensively by Cooper and Hale. Both players are key to the Tide, and both need to play better. Hale is pushing himself to hard. Cooper is an riddle wrapped in a puzzle to me. I'll give him credit for his defense and his rebounding. Despite the his scoring problems he has helped the team on defense, and has provided some leadership inside. One SEC assistant coach told me that if you put "any" pressure on Cooper from the perimeter he will hurry his shot. That's obviously true. Cooper cannot quick shoot the basketball in same way that Tarrant can. Rodney is good enough when left alone. Hale thinks the next one is going in despite missing the prior five shots. That's good and bad. Mainly, I think he is just pressing the issue too much. He needs to settle down and let the flow of game come to him, instead of trying to force the issue. You have to like his hard play around the baskets. He is penetrating and trying to slam home the shot.

    Kessens and Tarrant have been key additions to the team. Michaels is getting his game back, and has adapted to the tougher competition. He isn't going to dominate anyone inside, but he can help with some scoring and rebounds. Taylor is force inside. On defense he can block shots, but he makes a lot to shots to be altered. That can be better than a block. Put Kessens and Taylor together on the floor and you have good combination of offense and defense. If Cooper or Hale could play better it could really help our interior offense.

With Randolph you get a lot of steady plays. He's been around and is not intimidated by SEC defenses. He's starting to cut back on his shooting some. I'm not sure if that is by design or he's just be overplayed more often. One thing for sure, you can count on him in the clutch. He's cooled off some from a rocket start, but he's dependable, smart, plays great defense,and can finish off plays. He looks like a Gazelle on those lob slams off Tarrant passes. That is pretty impressive. He reminds me a lot of the great T.R. Dunn in so many ways. A Tennessee coach called Dunn, the ghost. "you might not see him but you are always afraid he's there." Randolph's double pump short jumper saved the UCLA game. The UCLA game is important to Bama. It was so informative. The first half showed us how good we can be, and the second half showed how far we have to go.

Lost in the shuffle of all that is going on is Justin Coleman. He needs to have some increased minutes. It is beginning to look like Grant is afraid to give him that time to do slim margin Bama enjoys on the offensive end. He is the future of SEC basketball. Next season, it will be Tarrant and Coleman that holds down the back-court. I think he needs some playing time.

Tarrant has been great. He has the tools to be a All-SEC guard. He is a good shooter, defends well, and has great court sense. He understands the overall flow the game and makes adjustments to changes better than most players. He is not just a great athlete. Alabama has always signed great athletes. Rickey is a player. He's a throwback player. He isn't flashy. He is like a rock. With Tarrant and Randolph holding down the back-court you have to feel good about scoring, defense, and turnovers. I think this team has a lot of upside. If everyone stays healthy we could be pretty good at the right time. We are going to lose some games in the SEC. The league is pretty balanced right now. Well, not counting the one NBA team we have in Kentucky. This team might make the tournament.

What does the team need to do?  This is an answer right out of coaching 101. They need to:

1. Starting making all those free throws we've missed lately,
2. Try to break even on the boards;
3. Hold turnovers to around 10-12 per game.
4. Hale and Cooper need to return to active duty,
5. Follow the example of Levi Randolph.

And, of course, they need to shoot the ball around 50% from the floor, and 40% from the outside. Cooper and Hale need to look at their shooting position and work on moving into the shot. Hale in particular is often off his back foot. Cooper is so unorthodox with his release, it is always going to be good or bad. We are a much better team than last season. Norris has been a great addition to the team, and he's going to get much better. You really haven't seen him shoot. He's playing within the system and following his role which is just what he needs to do. One night he is going to explode. Don't be surprised. He is a deadly shooter. He is fearless when shooting the ball. He thinks he can make them all. Most of all, he doesn't take a lot of bad shots. Justin can really help. I have to admit I'm surprised that he isn't getting more minutes as we talked about above. I believe Bama will win

'Bama 73 - TAM 65

CRIMSON HOOPS - TIDE TAKES DOWN UCLA

'Bama wins over name brand UCLA...
Tide guts out win despite poor play...
Tarrant stars with game high 24 pts.

   

Randolph moves on Alford for a layup...

 If you have any historical perspective about college basketball, you have to give the Tide credit for beating the UCLA Bruins. Granted, this isn't a vintage Gold and Blue team. Likewise, this isn't a great 'Bama team either. The first half of the game looked more like an eight grade girls game than big time basketball. UCLA literally self destructed. 6 unforced turnovers put the west coast team in a straight jacket. Alabama was only slightly better. Let's define that just a bit. Ricky Tarrant was better. Ricky Tarrant scored 18 points in the first half. For much of the first twenty minutes Tarrant was outscoring the Bruins on his own. That was outstanding. 

    We won the game, but the road from start to finish wasn't pretty. But, the Tide won. Last season this was the type game they would have likely lost. 'Bama shot only 33% from the floor. The missed free throws that would have iced the game early on. They Tide made only
4-22 from downtown for a miserable 18.2%. UCLA shot only 30.8% from the floor. The Bruins made only 5 three point baskets on 26% shooting. There was more iron clanging that in a blacksmith's shop. The Tide did manage to score 56 points. That's not many, but UCLA could put up only 50. It was a win, but not one for the ages. Hey, Alabama can't be picky at this point. The Tide moved to 9-3 with North Florida on stage Jan. 2, which will close out the pre-SEC schedule for the Tide. 10-3 is a world beater number compared to the total of 13 games the Tide won last season.North Florida has already beaten BIG 10 Purdue, so that game doesn't  have cake walk in a box written on the outside.

    If you read the posts of forums this morning you probably thought we lost. We didn't. You probably thought that Grant couldn't coach his way out of a wet paper bag. Yes and no, in my opinion on that one. My pregame post suggested the winner would do four things:

1. The Tide broke even on the boards and gave up only 9 offensive rebounds. That is more than you'd like, but they snared 8 themselves;

2. The Tide would make their free throws. They didn't but they did. The were only 18-30 which was far below their season average. UCLA made only 13. As C.M. Newton would remind us that the key stat is how many did we make and not how many did we miss. Credit to Ricky Tarrant for forcing the issue in the paint.

3. Shooting for both teams was abysmal. UCLA was more abysmal. Alabama knocked down one third of third shots. UCLA knocked down about a quarter of their attempts.

4. 'Bama had only 12 turnovers. Some where foolish, some came from hard effort, and a couple were just crazy. The Bruins were credited with 18 but most of their turnovers were self induced. You know what I mean? Dribbling the ball off your own foot, standing on an out of bounds line, lazy passes, and anything else from the Book of Turnover Disasters that coach preach from daily.

     On balance the Tide won each of those four areas. I was proud of the rebounding effort in particular. The Tide also did some other good things:

a. The put two quick fouls on Parade High School All-American Kevon Looney. He sat most of the first half as a result. Because of that, the Bruins never got their offense on track. I bet they are tired of coming  to the southeast to be embarrassed.

b. When it mattered most the Tide held their composure and made some free throws. Down the stretch they made 6-8 when they needed them.

c. They held Tony Parker, the interior banger for the Bruins, to only 10 points. Parker got some points in the second half when Taylor was on the bench. Last season he killed the Tide. I give the nod to Taylor this year.

d.  The Tide played good switch defense on Alford when he needed to score. He put up one air ball and one brick in the last 45 seconds.

e.   The boards were a draw, and 'Bama worked hard to get the really big ones down to the wire.    

       There was a lot of bad things as well. Some ill advised shots. The complete disappearance of Cooper on offense. But lost in his poor offensive showing was some tough rebounding and defense against Norman Powell, who is the Bruin's top player. He finished with only 3 points and was clearly upset with the Tide defense. I think it was interesting we won this game with Cooper scoring only 1 point. Way to much standing around on offense again.

      You can only speculate why Grant left Taylor in the game after he got his third foul. When he picked up his forth file on the next trip down the floor, the Bruins were able to get the ball to Parker, who scored 4 baskets. It was questionable coaching to leave in a player who gets a lot of fouls. For those who find a lot of fault in Grant's game management you have your evidence. I also wondered why Riley Norris was on the pine the last ten minutes. Norris is a good player who seems to make things happen. It's also time to give him the green light to shoot more. He is a deadly shooter. For those who think he should replace Cooper I'd advise that he's not quite ready. Take Cooper's defense out of the game and we would have lost the game. Cooper and company cut the head off the pride of the UCLA floor game when they shut down Powell.  At times those things get lost in the flow of a game. Kudos to Cooper for keeping up the hard inside play when his offense was missing.

      Boy, did Grant ever slow the pace down. Fans go nuts when this happens. Here's my question - what exactly should he have done? The most effective way to minimize poor shooting is to take less shots. Try to get the foul line as often as possible, and take only good shots. Alabama shortened the game because of their poor offensive play. The poor offensive play was not the slow play. It was absolutely the best thing Grant could have done. It takes guts to minimize your shots in a tight game. Grant knew his team was solid on defense and wasn't giving up a lot of second shots. Great move by Grant, and I tip my hat to him regardless of the blow back. But coach, could you please not let Taylor and Kessens handle the ball 30 feet from the baskets. Only a couple of things can happen out there in the hinterlands and neither are good.

    Had the Tide been shooting well early, on the game would have been over by halftime. The Tide could have folded late in the second half. They didn't. They sucked it up, stuck with the new game plan on offense and won. In the end that is all that matters, or should matter. It wasn't the game I expected to see, but it was the result I'd hoped for. Roll Tide.

  

CRIMSON HOOPS - TIDE AND BRUINS BOTH IN MUST WIN GAME

UCLA and Alabama need a win...



    If you think that there discord in Tuscaloosa regarding Coach Grant, it pales in comparison with what tradition rich UCLA is going through right now. Bruin fans are a like Alabama fans. Losing is simply not an option. The Westwood Warriors have won a mere 11 NCAA Championships. When you win 10 championships in 12 years the bar is set almost impossibly high. John Wooden was the head coach of the Bruins when those 10 national championships occurred. He topped it off with 1 additional title. That is the greatest coaching run in the history of American sports. Alabama had Bear Bryant. UCLA had John Wooden. I have been a UCLA fan my entire basketball life. I have been an Alabama fan my entire life. This year I watched the Bruins play Gonzaga. There is no shame in losing to Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have a great program. Mark Few would be on my short list for any future coaching vacancy at the Capstone. In all honesty, it surprised me the Bruins lost that game on their home floor.
    

         Things were bad enough in the Bruin camp. Then came that little 24-0 run the Wildcats put on blue and gold. UCLA scored 7 points in the first half. The Bruin nation exploded in anger. Steve Alford, coach of UCLA, found himself on the coaches hot seat in much the same manner as Anthony Grant. Keep in mind that UCLA has 3 Parade-All Americans on the floor. It's one thing to get beat without talent. It's entirely another to get beat with outstanding talent. As one Los Angeles writer suggested, "The Alabama game was the lightweight in a murderer's row for the Bruins. It has now become the most important game on the UCLA schedule." UCLA's attempt to sign five star recruits has been fairly successful. Not as good as Kentucky, and the UCLA fundamental base was weak when Alford started this new approach. UCLA has had very few upper classmen to anchor their team as the super stars matured.

      Last season, my wife and I drove to Los Angeles to spend a couple of months with our daughter. It also gave me a chance to attend our game with UCLA. The Tide lost,but Trevor Releford left an indelible mark on the UCLA fans. He got a standing ovation for his terrific game. We all know that basketball is a second class citizen in our state. In Los Angeles the Bruins basketball team is just like Kentucky is in the Deep South. For the Crimson Tide to schedule a home and home with Alabama says a lot about Mal Moore and Anthony Grant. The scheduling of this game has brought a firestorm of dismay among the Bruin faithful. It is a game that winning will mean nothing to the UCLA program but a loss might end their NCAA hopes. How ironic is that? This weekend's game is between two teams that need a win in the worse way. In our state an Alabama loss would be (probably) the end to the NCAA's. In Los Angeles, a loss to Alabama would be demeaning. As I pointed out to a Bruin supporter - it has happened before, and it happened in Los Angeles."

    On Friday, I'm trying to put some thoughts together about the game. I'll have much more detailed report over the weekend. Here are the four areas which will determine the winner:

1. Who is going to shoot the ball better from the field. Bama has a slight overall edge, but the edge may be just from the Kentucky game.
 
2. Bama shoots free throws better. This will be a game where each side will need to make their free throws.

3. UCLA has turned the ball over fewer times than Alabama. The number is small but important. Alabama has been looking shaky lately.

1.  But this game is going to boil down to which team gives up the fewest offensive rebounds to their opponent. UCLA has a big edge in this area. Grant is going to play big if he hopes to break even on the boards. It wouldn't surprise me if Kessens, Taylor, Cooper, and Hale get some minutes together at the same time. Cooper and Hale give the Tide some opportunities to make some three pointers against Bruin defenders.

CRIMSON HOOPS - Some good things after WSU and Appalachian State

Some good and some bad...
Slow Progress being made in my opinion

      Seriously trying to find a silver line in the WSU game… If the Shockers are really the 11^th best team in America, what does that say for Alabama? Are we 12^th? It doesn’t work that way but it sure is something to think about. Plus, it was a one-point loss on the road. For 34 minutes the Tide sure looked like the best team to me. I have no doubt we would have won that game at Coleman.     On the other hand, it obvious that the Shockers are not as good as last year. They are close though, and we should take some solace in that.

       So, like all fans, I try to find something good to come out of the loss. Unlike many fans I think you can do that. Basketball is not how good you are on any given night, but how good you are in March of each year. So we made some real progress in the WSU game. And then, like a creditor demanding his due, comes the Appalachian State game. Some good things came out of the game. First, we won the game. In March that will be win and the near upset won’t be remembered. Second, say hello to how good Michael Kessens can be. He had a double-double. That’s been rare for an inside player lately. Kenssens even hit a passing lane, stole a pass, and took it the length of the court for basketball. Sure, he didn’t look like Kevin Durant, but he didn’t look like Carl Engstrom either. Jimmy Taylor blocked a few shots and continues to improve his defensive presence

in the paint. He’ll start making that little left handed jump as he matures.

       What do we make of a game like Sunday night? Joe Dean, the dean of SEC basketball announcers, said it was the ‘holiday blues’. We might not have liked the way we won, but don’t lose fact that when we were staring defeat in the eye, we pulled together at the end. We played well in Kansas but didn’t finish well. We played poorly in Tuscaloosa but won. We finished better. We didn’t finish in a way to make anyone quit sitting on the edge of their seats. Missed free throws kept Appalachian State in the game. Play of the Game: Riley Cooper and Retin Obasahan had great communication on a defensive screen at the end.  Riley switched to get to the shooter in time to make it an almost impossible shot. Keep in mind, a freshman, playing fundamental pick and switch may have saved the game.  I thought Grant’s game management in the last five minutes was fine. Coach cannot shoot free throws. We miss four in a row that we have been making and the fans could have relaxed some. 

      A lot of fans on the forum boards continue to give Grant a hard time. I don’t want Grant to fail. I want him to succeed like any real Alabama fan. I’m not happy with the lack of progress under his tenure, but anyone who thinks this team isn’t better just doesn’t know basketball. If the past is the best predictor of the future you sure get a mixed message from Grant. Is he the Coach at VCU and the first couple of years of Alabama, or is he the man we have seen the last three? The Tide is now 9-3. That is only 4 games short of the number we won last season. Just to remind us all, last season we were a horrible 13-19. Regardless of how many feel you cannot deny that is improvement. The next 3 games are huge for Alabama.

 

  

      Next up is UCLA. I hope younger fans appreciate the fact that UCLA actually signed a home and home contract with Alabama. They had nothing to gain from doing so. Last year in Pauley Pavilion we almost pulled off an improbable upset.  Don’t think for one minute that UCLA is a bad team. What happened to the Bruins in Chicago was a perfect storm for the first 25 minutes.  I expect the LA team to fly into Tuscaloosa and be more than ready to amend from the last SEC disaster. We will have some real match-up problems with UCLA. At least Taylor has matured and Kessens may help shut down some of the damage we saw inside last season. I think Alabama has a slight edge at the guards. The Bruins, despite what you saw over the weekend, can flat out shoot the rock. I went to Westwood a couple of weeks ago and watched the Gonzaga game. What I saw was two fine basketball teams. The Bulldogs won but UCLA could have won. A win over UCLA is still a big deal. They are the name brand in NCAA college basketball history. Winning the game is not unlike someone beating Alabama in football even when the Tide is not rolling. We can beat the Bruins, but don’t be fooled. The Kentucky game was an anomaly for UCLA. It was also the explosion of Kentucky talent and effort.

 

       Looking back, maybe the close game on Sunday will serve as a wake-up call for the Tide. The team looked confused on offense. We missed a lot of good shots. We took some ill-advised shots as well. Are you listening Shannon Hale? Speaking of Hale, I think he is the missing piece of the Tide puzzle. When Hale finds his game the Tide may be a pretty decent little team. We won’t win the SEC but when teams see we’re on deck, teams are not going to say “automatic win” either. I don’t know if Anthony Grant can get the job done. He is clearly refocused. For the time being, I am taking them one game at a time. I’m going to dwell in the present and let the future take care of itself. There is a real possibility that we could be 12-3 at the end of this home stand. After that, we go through one of the toughest runs I’ve ever seen in the SEC. The next seven games include two games against Kentucky. There are six road games on the schedule. That is ridiculous. Whoever makes up the schedule needs to be taken out behind the woodshed and whipped.

     

 

       

CRIMSON HOOPS - ALMOST

Turnovers kill Tide in last five minutes...

 

The Round House is a tough venue

    Normally, at the end of a game I’ll grab a coke. Last night it was a two fingers of Oban Scotch. Straight up. It was a grown up drink for crying baby. I just couldn’t find any words to express my disappointment in our collapse against Wichita State. For almost 35 minutes the Tide hung like a rusty fishhook in one the most difficult places to win a basketball game in the NCAA. For the last five minutes the Tide looked like a team who doesn’t understand or believe they can’t win a game. The term “Road Warrior” doesn’t come to mind when thinking about Alabama.

 

Road games are hard…

    Every team that plays on the road is going to see the home team mount a comeback. You know it’s coming. The only question is when. In Alabama’s case it could only come in the last five minutes of the game. Given all that, last night’s loss was still stunning to watch. The exit of Jimmy Taylor, who was playing the game of his young career hurt. Foul number five made it possible for WSU to exploit the paint. And then there was the substitution of Retin Obasahan for Ricky Tarrant. It was one of the coaching even the casual fan of basketball had to wonder why the heck Anthony Grant did that. I understand that Obasahan can play good defense. He can also make some really bad decisions.

    I swear that you could hear Wimp Sanderson moan when Tarrant went to the bench. What you don’t want in the last five minutes are bad decisions and turnovers. Grant wrapped up a Christmas gift and gave it to Gregg Marshall. It didn’t have a big red bow. It had a neon sign stuck on the side that said, “now’s the time”. Marshall took that opportunity, turned up the pressure, and ‘Bama fell apart. I asked Bobby Knight a question a couple of decades ago. “Coach, how do you beat a team that presses?” His answer was simple – press them yourself. You can only expend so much energy at any given time in a game. For thirty-five minutes the Tide had played like a great team. They took Wichita State’s best shots to the jaw and hit back even harder. State was stunned. The crowd was dead. After six years Alabama had a chance to win a really significant game, and then it was gone. You can chalk this one up to coaching. I never like to use football terminology in basketball. Nick Saban would say you have to finish. You also have to have the players on the floor to finish well.

  

Basketball is a forty minute game…    

Hale and Taylor each played well in loss

 You have to finish. You have to calm down, collect your wits, and look to the bench for help. I sincerely believe that players did all three of those things. Two they could do on their own. The gaze toward the bench hurt. Those were all the things I saw and felt as a fan. In being objective, the team did a lot of good things. I’m proud of them for walking into a snake pit and trying to kill the snake. To kill a snake you can’t just cut it in half. You have to lop off the head. Baker and Van Fleet are the head of the snake and in the last five minutes they made the difference. I give a lot of credit to Wichita and Gregg Marshall. I’d take Levi Randolph and Ricky Tarrant in a close nod over Baker and Van Fleet. The talent level between the teams was small. The ‘Shockers were better inside over all, but Taylor shut down the middle. Kessens played well. Once Taylor was gone and Kessens was saddled with four fouls, the talent level shifted back to State in my opinion.

What went well?

    We did so much right. We broke even inside. We defended so well it was as impressive as anything I’ve seen in a long time. Hey, say what you want to about Grant, the man has given us a lot of great defense over the years. Last night might have been his defensive masterpiece. I’ll give the man that. Some people will say that if a coach puts his team into a position to win he’s done his job. I’ll leave that up to the readers in this case. But... 

What went wrong?

1.   We certainly played great defense, except… on the winning basketball our weak side help didn’t rotate over to help Kessens. A small but fundamental mistake. WSU executed and the Tide was a half-step slow. What was so frustrating was that you could see it coming. Cooper realized what was happening and gave it one heck of a try to cut off the post.

2.   We missed free throws. Of all the things that you would have expected the Tide to do well, making free throws were not really a concern. Levi’s miss was just one of several. There was lot of pressure. I’d put him on the line in that spot every game and feel good about it.

3.   On Levi’s move to the basket as time was running out he missed a wide open Ricky Tarrant on the wing. He probably didn’t see him because of the suggestion, but Ricky wanted the rock. I like that. It’s great to have a man who wants to have the final shot.

4.   Bama missed a wide open shot at the end which could have won the game. Alabama was clearly trying to screen inside to get the ball to Kessens but the ‘Shockers shut that down. Cooper had a good look. With 1.2 seconds that is about as good as you can get.

5.   We almost broke even on the boards. Clearly, it was a team effort. That helped. Losing Taylor in the last five minutes was the difference.

6.   We shot the ball well enough to win from the field, but needed a couple of more from downtown.

7.   The stats were almost dead even. Our defense gave us a chance to win. The game was lost at the free throw line.

 

Progress made, the season is not over…

So where do we go from there. The season is not over. We made some real progress. I think getting into this position will help us win some close games later in the year. I think we need to recognize that WSU is not a powerhouse, but are a great deal like us at the talent level. That is why coaching can really make a difference one way or the other. Alabama is more likely than not to get better as the year progresses. Winning at home against UCLA isn’t mandatory but the mental benefits it would bring our huge. The Bruins are going to be a tougher match up than WSU. However, we have shown to play every well in Tuscaloosa. If we can keep Taylor or Kessens around for the entire game we should win. We are not devoid of talent. We are not overload with talent either. We seem to have good leadership. I was honestly touched with Grant and Randolph, arms around the others shoulder, in the final time out. That says a great deal about what Grant thinks of Levi. But we should recognize this team really likes their coach. That is very important.

 

My bottom line – We are getting better

Overall, we played well for the vast majority of the game. We built a lead large enough to have weathered a Shocker storm in the end. We can’t feel terrible about the effort. We can dog Grant, and perhaps some dogging is deserved. The bottom line for me is that we have proven that we are a pretty good little team. Our record depends on the number of really close games we win. Losing last night to the fans was really tough. I couldn’t help but to think about Arkansas football after the game. I think last night was a step forward. Winning would have been a big step, but it seems to me we are making progress. Is Grant the man for the job? I don’t think so, but I’m willing to support him for the remainder of this season because I love the players. I could be convinced otherwise about the coach, but this is a tough haul for Grant. When Dickie V talks about your coaching future things are not good. Vitale said a lot of good things about the Tide. He was clearly surprised at how good we were. Fasten those seat belts. This season is going to a bumpy ride even when we win. 

 

 

Crimson Hoops - Tide faces its toughest opponent this season

Tide has uphill battle in Wichita tonight...
Dick Vitale will be doing the color...
National Stage for the Crimson...

  



What a great opportunity for Grant and the Tide

  

      Just when I think the Tide might have turned a corner, or at least peeked around one, Xavier scores 97 points and the Tide looks like Moses wandering in the desert without the pillar of fire for guidance. The tough play the Tide had shown against a much superior Iowa State team was nowhere to be found. If we thought that Iowa State and Xavier were good teams then you better buckle up for Wichita State on their home floor.

      WSU is a basketball program which is simply better than Alabama’s right now. Last season they lost no regular season games, and have lost only one this year. ‘Bama played the ‘Shockers a close game in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson even led the game with six minutes left. Then the depth and great defense of WSU turned the tide so to speak. Get ready to greet the usual suspects from last season. Last winter, the ‘Shockers abused Alabama inside. Alabama had managed to put All-Conference guard Ron Baker on the bench with early foul trouble. Instead, the Missouri Valley team turned to Cleanthony Earl who knocked down 26 for the game. ‘Bama had no one who could match up wirh the forward. The Tide even slowed down Fred Van Fleet who had only 11. The boards killed the Tide. WSU got 12 additional boards than the home team, which included 12 offensive boards. None of the missed shots hurt the Tide more than two offensive rebounds in the last two minutes.

 

Baker is a great guard, and team leader

     I’m not sure exactly what it is about WSU that is so impressive. It starts with coaching. Greg Marshall can flat out coach, and he is seems to have a knack of finding a way to win even when the stats say otherwise. One thing the ‘Shockers do is take care of the ball.  Marshall’s teams don’t waste shots either. They are not the most prolific shooting team you will ever see but they take a lot of good shots. Both team have similar stats except for two areas. First, the ‘Shockers are tough under the boards, and second, they are a much better defensive team than Bama. I thought that Bama played great defense against Tennessee Tech in the second half. Holding any team to only 17 points in a half is phenomenal. The Tennessee team had only 53 for the night. That is hopeful if the offense returns this week. As of Monday, no line had been posted for the game, but I’d guess it would fall around 12. That seems about right to me. One thing that should keep Alabama competitive in every game is their potential at guard. If the Tide can eliminate a few turnovers they can win some games. Interior play has been turnover city so far. I look for MK to get better. He has good hands. Taylor is better but, it is still an adventure when he catches the ball. If the Tide can hold Van Fleet and Baker below their season averages and break even or close to even inside we might win.

 

Tarrant should be at full speed tonight

          The Tide is still figuring out their lineup and there is a lot of youth and new on the team. Randolph and Tarrant are a strong backcourt. Throw Coleman in the mix and you slide Randolph down to the baseline, which causes a lot of matchup problems. Hale is pressing and he’ll be okay in the long run. I’m not sold on this team yet, but I’m not writing them off either. Alabama needs to beat WSU or UCLA. I went to the UCLA – Gonzaga game and the Bruins have some problems at the guard position. They are also big and explosive inside. If Bama loses both those games they need to win 15 or so league games to go dancing. 20+ is no cinch for the tournament any longer. The Tide may have a lot of good loses, but you still have to win some big ones. I like State by 10. If Tarrant can’t go it might be worse. It will take one heck of a game for Bama to win. My heart says yes, but my common sense says no. Hope I’m wrong. Roll Tide.

Keys to winning:

Break even on the glass

Keep turnovers below 10

Shoot 50% from floor and 40% from downtown

Shoot at least 25 free throws / make 80%