I Suppose It's Time To Abandon My Alliteration Schtick

now that BobbyJack has joined DJC in plagiarizing it because they both can get to computers before I can get back to Mobile. It's probably all for the best. The other three posters are the ones' whose work should be read because I don't know that much about basketball. I'm really just a fan and supporter of the team.

The little I can add to what already has been posted is that Torrance did not seem to be himself. DJC constantly wondered about about the previous coach's substitution "patterns." Last night it looked like Coach Grant sat Torrance form much of the first half so he could have legs to run the team late in the game. Torrance still looked tired but rose to the occasion when he was needed.
Coach Grant also sat Hillman for a substantial stretch in the middle of the second half, apparently knowing that his defensive intensity would be crucial down the stretch. There may have been much more to the bench's thinking than my untrained I could notice, but at least that much of it makes sense to me and that seldom was the case during the previous three or four years.

Two other points that merit notice are Hillman's play after TSU cut the Tide lead to two in the sceond half. His defensive pressure, along with Brock's, generated three or four turnovers that led to quick Bama baskets. Hillman's feeds to Green under the basket were the finishing touches that made all of those points possible. It also looked like Bama finally hit two three point shots, again one of them by Hillman, that opened things up underneath the basket for the post players down the stretch.

One of the officials looked like a smaller version of Tim Tebow and his blocking calls against the home team baffled me on two separate plays. How the ball handler can be fading away from the basket while tossing the ball into the basket while the defender falls away in the opposite direction could constitute a contact foul makes no sense to me. If that guy becomes a regular at SEC games I'm sure crowds everywhere will chide him as "Tebow" every time he makes an unpopular call. Other than those two and a couple of others, I thought the guy did a pretty decent job, but that did not stop me from voicing my displeasure.

Like DJC says, a win is a win. Alabama rose to the occasion when it needed to, thanks to focused effort and very good direction from the bench. For those of you who have not yet done so, you should take a look at what the schedule and results have done to Alabama's RPI over the last four weeks. Kudos to Coach Grant, the staff and the team.

Tide topples TSU Tigers

A win is a win, but this one wasn't pretty. We've played a number of subpar non-conference teams at this point, and I think everybody is looking ahead a bit to SEC play. Combine that with the fact that Tony Mitchell and Greg Cage were out with the flu reducing our number of scholarship players available to 8, and all the recipes for disaster were present against a bad but scrappy TSU team.

As I mentioned, Tony Mitchell was out with the flu, but I'm not convinced he's the only one on this team who was feeling a little under the weather last night. Torrance did not look like his usual self, and overall the energy level just was not there. We gave up way too many wide open 3's, and the Tigers were knocking them down. When we switched to a 2-3 zone later in the game, we did a better job of closing out and actually defended the perimeter a little better.

In the first half our offense looked horrible. We had several turnovers trying to get the ball into the post. TSU did not have the size down low, but they were more physical than Green, Knox, and Hines in the early going. The refs were letting them play, and TSU was taking advantage by holding and pushing to keep the ball out of there. We were slow to adjust, and that cost us in the first half. Green's frustration showed when he got a technical foul, apparently for saying something to one of the TSU players. In the second half, they started calling it a little bit tighter and we also made the necessary adjustments to allow Green to have another huge day, as he finished with 19 points. He also had an amazing one handed alley-oop that should have been on Sportscenter's top plays.

Senario Hillman was the key to the game. He played consistent and under control, with 15 points and 6 assists to only 1 turnover. As usual, he was a force on defense and got some steals that led to quick, easy baskets.

TSU was able to make enough shots to keep the game close, and it was a 2 point game with only 7 minutes left. Thankfully, Torrance and Brock stepped up with a pair of threes to stretch the lead back out to a comfortable margin. Free throw shooting continues to be an issue, as we went 20 of 29. Honestly, I am surprised we made that many, at one point we missed 4 in a row. Green and Torrance are typically 2 of our better FT shooters, but Green was only 3 for 7 and Torrance was 7 for 10.

Under normal circumstances this is a team that we should have blown out. However, dealing with sickness and injuries, the uptempo style of both teams is certainly not conducive to playing with 8 players, particularly when only 7 of which are legitimate scoring options. Despite another poor start, we still got away with a double-digit win.

The crowd was surprisingly strong, I would say about 7,000 or so. A lot of people came out for the double-header, as the women beat USM before the start of the men's game. Up next, our last non-conference game of the year and first true road game, Monday, Jan. 4, at Toledo. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Central time. Originally, I had considered making this trip, but since I'm going to Pasadena later in the week to watch football, I'm going to have to sit this one out. Happy New Year to all, and may this next decade be a prosperous one for Bama Hoops!

Torrance tames Tigers 77-65

Actually he had a unusually crappy game, but the title sounded nice so I went with it.

Box score

Hillman and Green had solid games...

The good:
- held TSU to 33.3% FG
- blocked 10 shots (how that happened is a mystery)
- Hillman stepped up his play. 6 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.

The bad:
- Torrance didn't have his best game (turf toe reported in comments)
- outrebounded (by 1)
- TSU got too many open looks beyond the arc.
- FT shooting (20-29)

Overall it's what to be expected of a game against a foe like this. We were sloppy, but turned it on and pulled away in the last 5 minutes of the game.

Tennessee St stats pack

Here

They're 3-9 which sounds awful, but they've been competitive against most of their competition.

I'll give you the basic stats as I haven't seen them play

- 40.2% FG
- 35.1% 3pt FG
- 72.3% FT
- 66.8 PPG
- 17.3 turnovers per game

Prediction: They'll stick around like they have in most games, but in the end it's too much Green, too much Torrance, and too many turnovers as Bama wins by 16.

Tipoff is 7:30PM CST.

Merry Christmas To Bama Basketball Fans Everywhere

I hope you all enjoy a safe and happy holiday season. I know Alabama fans everywhere are hoping to get the biggest Christmas present of all January 7th. Please remember there are two more hoops contest before then, including a home game on December 30th, and the SEC opener in Baton Rouge on January 9th. If anyone knows how to get tickets I think I would like to ride over for that one. Please let me know.

Finally, please remember the reason for the season and spend as much time as you can with those you love.

Bama bashes Bears 90-71

A ho-hum game which we dominated. I was impressed with the crowd... more than I thought would be there for a game 2 days before Christmas.

Box score

JaMychal Green led the team with 27 points. He was unstoppable inside. 3 others hit double digit points.

Good to see the team rebound from a tail kicking.

Mercer stats pack

Here you go

Long story short, Mercer is horrific. They're perfect on the road (0-3) and have lost 4 of their last 5 with their most recent loss to Vanderbilt by 40. James Florence (seems like he's been there 10 years) is the guy to stop offensively with Daniel Emerson doing the dirty work on the boards.

Stats:
- 41.7% FG
- 31.5% 3pt FG
- 68.2% FT
- +5 rebound margin
- 14 turnovers a game

Prediction: I expect a bounce back game from the mauling by Kansas State (the best team we've played all season). All wrongs will be righted tomorrow as the far end of the bench should get some junk minutes. Bama by 18.

Game time is 8PM EST 12/23 and viewable on Tide TV

If you are in Bham or Tuscaloosa make your way down there... tickets start at $5.

Auburn attendance vs Sam Houston St

I get on to our local Tuscaloosa inhabitants from time to time (especially the students) for not going out to see Bama basketball, but after seeing this I guess I have no reason to criticize them anymore. Say what you will about this... make fun of it if you like, but this apathy regarding basketball in the state is sad. I can't imagine how disheartening it must be for Auburn basketball players to see a gathering at their game.

I'll say it... I like Jeff Lebo the basketball coach. I hate he's coaching Auburn, but suspect he'll be gone at seasons end. He's a decent coach stuck in a dreadful job. I suspect he'll be an assistant at a major school next year.

Wildcats impose will on Bama, 87-74

We were simply overmatched tonight. Much like Purdue, although maybe not quite to the same extent, K-State was as big and quicker than us at nearly every position. Unlike Purdue, they didn't play like crap for a half and let us hang around. Once again, we got off to a horrible start, and K-State had us doubled up in the first half at 40-20. Torrance seemed to be pressing a bit in front of his hometown crowd. K-State was more physical than us and simply outworked us. They pretty much shut down our inside game, but we were able to get open looks from the perimeter.

Unfortunately, our 3 point shooting was very poor, and that was the difference in the game. Our press was actually pretty effective, causing 22 turnovers, but we couldn't run it as much as we would like due to our offensive difficulties. Torrance rebounded from a slow start to have a pretty solid game, despite playing with 4 fouls. Green fouling out really hurt us down the stretch. The positive from this game is that we never gave up, despite the fact that the game appeared to be a woefully lost cause at times. There were a couple of possessions where I felt we didn't give the best effort after getting beat on defense, but for the most, our guys kept fighting. We cut the lead to 8 with about 7 minutes left after a rare 5 point play, and got a stop at the other end but turned the ball over immediately when we overthrew the outlet pass. K-State capitalized and went on a 8-0 run to stretch the lead back to 16 and put the game away.

I was disappointed with the crowd. K-State brought a lot of fans and probably had close to 25%. Plus, USA's band for some reason felt the need to support to Kansas State and taunt our players throughout the game. It made me proud that my boy Mike Davis and his squad from the 'ham was able to stick it to them in the first game. Also of note, Gene Bartow sat right beside me between the games. He was surprisingly very nice, and while I was polite and courteous, I also made sure he knows that I did not appreciate his antics with regards to Wimp Sanderson and the NCAA.

Up next, we got our chance for revenge on Mercer Wednesday night at 7pm in Tuscaloosa. Tickets are only 5 bucks, so no reason not to come out.

Quick Kansas St stats pack

I've been sleep deprived for about 4 days so forgive me.
Stats

#17 in the country with a VERY impressive win at UNLV and wins against Washington State and Xavier... this is one of the surprise teams in the country. I thought they'd drop quickly when Huggins left them for West Virginia, but Frank Martin has done a nice job there.

From the KSU website if you want to read their preview.

Stats:
- 81.6 PPG
- 47.2% FG
- 37% 3pt FG
- +4.3 rebound margin
- 14.8 turnovers per game

Prediction: neutral site game that should be mostly Alabama fans... but I don't think we have an answer for Jacob Pullen. We match up size wise with them nicely (they have a 7 footer, but he sees limited action), but something about this game doesn't sit right with me. Kansas State by 8 in Mobile.

Game time is around 8PM CST on CSS. 7:30PM is the official tipoff, but I suspect it'll be closer to 8. I'll probably follow it on the net.

Ain't That A Kick In The Teeth?

Most other bloggers would substitute a harsher word beginning with the letter "b" for the last four letters in the title line, but we're trying to run a clean shop here.

For every other game I have to drive seven hours round trip to sit in Coleman Coliseum for 2 1/2 hours to watch Alabama play basketball. They are playing Kansas State not ten minutes from my house Saturday and I have to be in Montgomery to fulfill a family obligation. I've already given away my tickets and won't even be able to listen to the game on the radio.

If you are an Alabama Basketball fan, please drive to Mobile Saturday to support your team. Ticket information, such as it is, is available at this site. The Coors Classic supports a worthy cause and the games promise to be exciting. Coach Grant told the Mobile Tip Off Club that he and KSU Coach Frank Martin have been friends since they played against one another in high school and that he was excited about playing this game in Mobile. The Wildcats are 9-1 on the season with wins over Washington State, UNLV and Xavier. Hopefully I can post a link to their stats page.

I hope to read all about the game Sunday afternoon. (DJC, do you need to use my computer at my house to post your plagiarism?)

Roll Tide!

Bama Blasts Bulldogs from Birmingham, 60-45

Alabama used it's depth, athleticism, and size to gradually pull away from an overmatched Samford team tonight. The first 10 minutes or so of the game were not pretty. Samford controlled the tempo, running a 2-3 zone on defense to go with their methodical Princeton offense. Green got off to a slow start as he seemed to be annoyed by Samford's success in denying him the ball. He was getting outworked on the boards, and Torrance made several bad decisions leading to turnovers. On the other end, we played a tight man to man defense to take away the perimeter but gave up some easy baskets on back door cuts. We gave up a couple of easy baskets against our 2-2-1 press because the man at the back (Green and Knox) was slow to getting down to the lane.

Fortunately, Torrance and Brock were able to knock down some perimeter shots, which opened up some lanes to work the ball to Green in the post. Despite the slow start, Green finished with 14 points. Torrance also turned around his slow start to finish with 15 points, but he also had 8 turnovers which is way too many. Once the offense started making some shots, the defense was able to take over the game. Samford was not able to get into their offense against our press, and we forced 20 turnovers.

Chris Hines had a very good game defensively. When I saw him matched up against a smaller player in Samford's 4 guard lineup, I was afraid they would run him through screens and get open 3's. Hines showed a lot of quickness and actually did a great job of playing defense away from the basket. He even ended up with 3 steals. Hillman and Tony Mitchell also had nice games defensively and on the boards.

We had an 11 point lead at the halftime, but we weren't able to build upon it until we went on another run around the 9 minute mark. We had a 20 point lead with 4 minutes to go, at which point Greg Cage came into the game and we pretty much called off the dogs. It was a very quick game, in part because the refs only called one foul against Samford in the second half.

With the students gone for Christmas break, it was a very small crowd, probably around 5,000 or so. The cheap admission brought out all kinds. My girlfriend had to explain to a grown man behind us (who apparently is a youth basketball coach, nonetheless) who Coach Anthony Grant is. I missed a few plays during the game because of kids and inconsiderate adults walking down the row while the ball was in play. Of course, the more people we have at the games the better, so I guess I shouldn't complain about those who actually come out, but it would be nice if they would actually watch the game; or at the very least try not to disturb those of us who are watching the game. Anyway, it was a solid win against an inferior opponent, as expected. We will need to play better this weekend, and I think we will.

Alias makes many trips per year to Central Alabama for basketball, but Saturday it will be my turn to travel south as we go to Mobile to play another top 25 team in Kansas State. The Wildcats are ranked #17 and have beaten UNLV on the road, Xavier, and Washington State all by 15 points or more. I watched them against Xavier, and they are very good. This will be a very tough game, so hopefully we can get a lot of Mobile area Bama fans to come out and help cheer on the Tide to another upset win. Tip off is tentatively scheduled for 8 p.m. It will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the South Alabama/UAB game, which starts at 5:30 pm CST at the Mitchell Center on the campus of South Alabama.

Samford game tonight

The Samford Bulldogs will make a short trip down I59 for a 7pm tipoff tonight. They come in with a record of 3-6, but they've played a fairly difficult schedule. The were competitive in the first half of games against Texas Tech and Texas A&M before losing by 20 or so. It will be interesting to see how their Princeton offense matches up with our aggressive defense. Their system is very similar to what Cornell runs, but thankfully they aren't nearly as good as Cornell, and we have improved since then. Still, this could be a dangerous game for us, in that it is the "sandwich" game against a fired up in-state opponent scheduled between 2 top 25 games. I suspect it will be a close game at halftime, but we should pull away and win easily in the 2nd half.

Bama Bungles Boilermaker Blowout!

Edit (bobbyjack)- added Box score

I'm not kidding myself. The better, deeper team won tonight. The home team wilted down the stretch. Purdue is the number 5 team in the nation and their performance tonight demonstrated why.

Alabama's pressure defense and hot shooting helped them build a 16 point lead while the Boilermaker's second leading scorer and rebounder sat on the bench after picking up his third foul with more than ten minutes to go in the first half. Purdue used its depth and constant pressure on Alabama's point men to keep Bama from scoring a single bucket in the last 8 1/2 minutes of the game. When the Tide defense did force missed shots in the second half, the Boilermakers always seemed to be in position to grab the rebound and make a put-back shot.

Two crucial calls took some wind out of Alabama's sails while Purdue was making its run. Green picked up a blocking foul on what looked like a clear charge. Perhaps Green was set up too close to the basket under the new rule, but he clearly was set for more than the required length of time. The second was a "no call" when defensive specialist Chris Kramer fouled Torrance on a steal. Instead of Torrance shooting free throws, Kramer's layup padded Purdue's then slim lead.

The officials did not make the difference in this game. Several other close calls went Alabama's way earlier in the game, and the Tide probably could not have scored toward the end if LeBron James had been on the court with them. Purdue's experience and depth were the difference and Alabama did well to have stayed in front of them for as long as they did. Still, the loss must be a bitter pill for the team to have to swallow.

I'd estimate the crowd to have been well in excess of 12,000, including perhaps 1,000 Purdue fans. The visitors, a mixture of both traveling students and adults, encouraged their team enthusiastically throughout the game. I applaud them for that and enjoyed chatting with several of them before the game started, including Chris Kramer's parents.

It was really good to see so large a crowd show up for this important game on a cold rainy night when when most of the students already had headed home to enjoy their Christmas break. I hope this means Coach Grant will continue to schedule big name teams and that the fans will continue to support his efforts.

I'd say Alabama's performance tonight was similar to what we saw api do on the football field late last month. They showed up strong, spirited and well prepared. They gave a valiant effort against a better team and came very close to winning the game. Superior depth and talent won out in the end. I'm sure Coach Grant will use this to help the team continue to improve, as they have done throughout the season.

Congratulations, Purdue. You earned it. I hope your team enjoys tremendous success this season and plays it's way to the Final Four.

Roll Tide!

Purdue pressure D, rebounding, and bad Bama 2nd half shooting,

Allows Purdue to come back from 16 down to beat Bama. Disappointing loss considering how well we played the first 30 minutes or so. I'll break down stats tomorrow...
3 point shooting and free throws killed us. The team will be better down the road... Hard lesson to learn, but probably a good one for the long term health of the program.

Final score 73-65 Purdue. Damn.

Purdue stats pack

Stats

They have nice wins over Tennessee and Wake Forest, but this is easily their toughest road game to date. They have 3 legitimate scoring threats in E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Humel... all averaging double digits scoring. Collectively, they're not a good 3 pt FG shooting team so lets somehow clog the middle and take our chance with them outside. On paper we match up well with them... if Green can contain Johnson.

Stats:
- 45% FG
- 33% 3PT FG
- +2.5 rebound margin
- 75.6% FT
- 80.1 PPG

Prediction: UPSET ALERT! Yes I realize they're #5 in the country, but I saw we find a way to win. Maybe I'm still in euphoria about playing for the national championship next month in Pasadena. Who knows. Anyways, Bama by 3. Green has a monster day.

Game is on ESPN2 at 9PM EST.

Bama drills LA-Monroe 74-46

Box score

I didn't watch much of it to be honest, but what I did see was one team clearly on another level than its opponent. I'm guessing the crowd of about 1000 were treated to a glorified scrimmage. Let me be honest... there is no reason to schedule this game on the same day as the SECCG. Even an avid hoops fans like me can't get into this the day of probably the biggest football game in SEC history.

Anyways, I'll do better going forward.

Coach Grant Should Make The Team Watch The FSS SEC Hoops Preview

I watched it last night and it seemed like two-thirds of the other teams' offensive hi-lites clips were played against Alabama. We could not keep big men from forcing their way underneath the hoop and left way too many good shooters wide open behind the three point stripe. Bama is playing much better already this year, but he could hold that clip to show them later if they ever start to get over confident.

I guess there's no tv or radio coverage of today's game. If anyone has a link to an Internet audio I'd like to listen in.

Roll Tide. Let's win the basketball game and then take care of business this afternoon against the Gators.

LA-Monroe stats pack

Here you go.

They lost by 20 at LSU and 11 at Oklahoma... two teams that aren't supposed to be any good. Take that for what it's worth.

Anyways, Tony Hooper is the guy to watch on their team. He's led them in scoring 4 of 7 games. Lawrence Gilbert is their only other scorer putting up double digits.

They have one seven footer, but he doesn't see the court much.

Stats:
- 44.7% FG
- 40% 3pt FG
- 72% FT
- rebound margin of -1.3
- 18.7 turnover per game

Prediction: We should force them into 20+ turnovers and coast along. Another scrimmage game of sorts with about 1000 or so at the game. Bama by 19.

Like last Saturday, there is another huge sporting event so it'll be hard to pay attention. Game is on tide TV... same link as other games. Noon tip off.

Bama beats awful Ospreys, 73-51

First of all, Andrew Steele did not play as he was on crutches and wearing a boot. I did not even know he was injured, and I am still unaware of the nature of the injury or how long he will be out. If anybody has any information, please post it or let me know. I did not see the trainers looking at him during the Michigan game, so I assume it happened during practice.

Once again, we had a poor first half. Things started out good as our press forced a number of UNF turnovers and we were able to knock down some open outside shots to build a 16-8 lead. Unfortunately, we looked very lethargic and unmotivated the last 10 minutes of the first half. Eblen, Torrance, and Hillman all made some poor passes that resulted in turnovers. Justin Knox got into foul trouble once again. While we did a decent job of getting the ball into the post in the first half, Knox, Green, and Hines all missed a ridiculous number of close shots in the paint. With Andrew Steele out, we were forced to play Eblen a little more in the first half, and Greg Cage even got into the game. UNF was able to take advantage of our mistakes and a take a 1 point lead into the halftime. They had a 4 point lead until Tony Mitchell banked in a 3 at the buzzer.

Coach Grant was visibly upset with the lack of effort in the first half. He spent a lot of time speaking to the guys on the bench and seemed more vocal than usual. At one point I could hear him say, "Consistency every night...THAT is the difference." When the team came out of the tunnel to start the second half, Coach Grant did not look happy, and was shaking his head in disgust as he walked back to the bench.

The team responded in the second half. Tony Mitchell had a great all around performance. I had criticized him for shooting 3's earlier this season, but he went 3 for 3 tonight and scored 17 points. He also played good defense and pulled down several rebounds. Unfortunately, his night was cut short when he left the game at about the 9:30 mark with an injury. After going up for a shot near the basket he was under cut and landed hard. After remaining on the floor several minutes, he was helped to the locker room without putting any weight on his leg. He did come back out a few minutes later and appeared to be walking fine, but he did not re enter the game. Let's hope his injury is not serious, as we cannot afford to lose any more guys.

Frankly, I thought Mitchell's injury was the result of dirty play on the part of UNF. That was the 3rd or 4th time in a short span, in the midst of our run to put the game away, where they undercut us. I understand that will happen sometimes near the basket, especially when trying to get position for a rebound, but when it happens 3 or 4 times in a row, in particular when our players are already on their way back down, I have to question their intent.

Our game plan was to try to get the ball into the post, which makes sense considering the Osprey's are terribly undersized. However, they double and triple teamed Green, and got him frustrated by hacking away at him all night, and none of our other bigs could make a point blank shot. Thankfully our guards stepped up. I've already mentioned Mitchell's three point shots, but Charvez Davis and Anthony Brock also contributed from behind the arc. Torrance contributed with 15 points and was able to get to the line and knock down some free throws.

Overall, a good second half and a solid win against a team we were expected to beat. A number of factors could have contributed to the poor first half. It's dead week on campus and final exams are lurking in the near future. We had a short turnaround after a long road trip featuring 3 games in 4 days, which will take a toll on teams without a lot of depth. Finally, I think the initial 8 point lead came so easy, we relaxed thinking that merely going through the motions would be sufficient. Credit Coach Grant and the players for turning it back on and taking care of business.

The crowd was very small tonight, I would estimate around 2,000 or so and very quiet. It was a dead atmosphere, which was kind of disappointing considering the great showing we had in Orlando.

Up next, the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks will come to Tuscaloosa for a noon tipoff Saturday. They return all 5 starters and are coached by former Gottfried assistant Orlando Early. He's done a decent job with them, and they will be much tougher than UNF. Like many fans, I won't be able to make it to this game, as I will be on my way to Atlanta for the SEC Championship football game. Hopefully I will be able to listen to Chris Stewart on XM radio.

UNF (North Florida) stats pack

The Ospreys come in at an intimidating 1-4 with that only victory coming over Savannah St. I had no idea what an Osprey was until I googled it. Funny, I never saw this bird of prey in the 4+ years I lived in Orlando.

Anyways, UNF stats

Here's a quick synopsis of them:
- They don't score a lot (58.2 PPG)
- When they do score they're efficient (48.6% FG and 48.4% 3pt FG)
- They turn the ball over a bunch (almost 20 per game)
- 10 of 15 on the roster are sophomores or younger
- no one taller than 6'7"

Prediction: Pain and lots of it. We should absolutely maul them. East Tenn State did and I expect us to do the same. Alabama by 31.