SEC B'Ball Tournament Grades

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From Our Correspondent at FM 90.7

            The theme for the 2010-2011 Alabama basketball team has been perseverance. Coming as far as this team has with as little talent as they have is certainly a tribute to Head Coach Anthony Grant and the determination he has instilled in the Crimson Tide from Day 1. While it was certainly disappointing and heartbreaking to see Alabama fall just short of making the tournament, taking a step back and looking at where this team was this time last year, ‘Bama fans should be proud of their basketball team. The 2011 SEC Tournament was no different. Alabama’s last stand was a valiant one, but in the end, they were simply out-played by a much more talented team. Here is a recap of the weekend’s action:

            Georgia

            Being #1 in the West guaranteed Alabama a first round bye in the SEC tournament, and when the standings worked themselves out, the Tide was poised to play the winner of Georgia and Auburn. In what came as a surprise to no one, Georgia won handily and advanced to the next round to face Alabama. I had the privilege of having tickets to this game and going with my dad; boy was the trip ever worth it!

            The first 33 minutes or so were all Georgia. With 6:01 left in the first half, and the game tied at 19, the ‘Dogs hit 3 straight three-pointers to go up 9 and they held that lead for most of the game. Alabama was showing no effort whatsoever on the offensive end, and were getting burned by Georgia’s second leading scorer, Travis Leslie, who finished the game with 24 points. The black and red clad fans were on their feet, howling like dogs when Leslie threw down a monster dunk with 7:33 left to put Georgia up by 14, 48-34. “Stick a fork in ‘em,” I said to my dad, “no way they can come back with the way they’ve been playing.” Fortunately for Alabama fans, this team woke up, and staged a comeback for the ages.

            Slowly, but surely, the Tide began to cut the deficit. Generating good chances in the half-court, making free throws, and playing sound defense, Alabama cut the lead to 2, and it was Georgia’s ball with 54 seconds to go. ‘Bama’s defense prevailed, and forced a turnover with 20 seconds left in the game. Coming out of a timeout, Trevor Releford made the play of the game, driving the lane and laying the ball in to tie it with 4 seconds on the clock. But this game wasn’t going to go into overtime just like that. They don’t call it March Madness for nothing. Georgia's Dustin Ware took the inbounds pass and banked in a 3 at the buzzer that sent the Bulldog faithful into a frenzy. However, coach Mark Fox had called a timeout with .8 seconds left and the basket was disallowed. Georgia missed the next shot and the game headed to overtime.

            In the overtime period, Alabama picked up right where they left off in regulation, getting quality shots on offense, and stops on the defensive end to wear out the Bulldogs. Tony Mitchell hit a 3 that put Alabama up for good at 62-59 with 1:35 to play. From there, the Tide iced the games with late free throws, something that has become a strength of this team. The sound of Rammer Jammer filled the Georgia Dome and the Bulldog nation left the building stunned at what they had just witnessed.

            Sure, it was an ugly game. But Alabama had shown the heart and determination necessary for any team that wants to make a run in the post season. But would it be enough to make it to the Big Dance? A game against Kentucky awaited, and, unfortunately for the Tide, it would answer a lot of questions; just not the answers this team wanted to give.

            Kentucky

            From the tip-off, it was clear this game was a mismatch. Sure, Alabama had beaten Kentucky two months earlier, but in January, Coach Cal’s second wave of Fab Freshmen were a young team, still learning how to play together. It was played at Coleman Coliseum, where the Tide did not lose a game this year.

            There really is no way to recap what went on in this game except to say it was total domination by the Big Blue. With 2 minutes gone in the game, Freshman Deron Lamb hit a 3 that put Kentucky up 7-4, and the Cats lead for the rest of the game. Any time Alabama even thought about a comeback, Kentucky nailed clutch shots taking all the air out of the Crimson Tide. Here are a few examples:

14:49 left in the first half- Trevor Releford steals the ball and converts on a layup in transition that puts Alabama within 3, 11-8. Kentucky takes the ball back down the court where Brandon Knight dishes to Deron Lamb who hits a 3. 14-8.

4:25 left in the first half- Chris Hines makes a layup to take the lead into single digits, 28-19. Once again, Brandon Knight dishes, this time to Darius Miller, for a made 3-pointer. 31-19.

16:34 left in the second half- Looking for any kind of a spark to start a run, Charvez Davis hits a 3 to make the game 41-28, one possession away from a 10-point game. The very next possession, Brandon Knight makes a 3 of his own, 44-28. Next Alabama possession, Davis commits a turnover, Knight hits another 3, and just like that, the Wildcat lead is 19.

            Kentucky showed Alabama exactly what an outside shooting game can do for a team. It was fitting that the one component this Crimson Tide team has lacked all season was eventually their downfall. It was disheartening to see Alabama go out the way they did. Many thought they would give Kentucky at least a fight, but in the end, Kentucky was just a better team, and a team that was getting hot at the right time; they would go on to win the SEC tournament. The fate of the Crimson Tide was now in he hands of the tournament selection committee.

            Selection Sunday

            Many experts saw the last 5 at large bids going to 5 of these twelve schools (in order of likelihood): Colorado, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia, St. Mary’s, Alabama, USC, VCU, Boston College, UAB, Harvard, or Missouri State. And in a decision that shocked many, the committee selected UAB, Georgia, Clemson, VCU, and USC. That’s right, a UAB team went 12-4 in Conference USA and lost to East Carolina in their first game of the C-USA tournament. Sure, they played the likes of Duke, Georgia, and Arizona State in non-conference. But they lost each of those games, showing that you don’t have to beat the good teams, just schedule them and it’ll help your RPI. The other shocker here is Georgia. It is not a shock that they got in, this was a tournament team in my eyes, but to leave out an Alabama team that beat Georgia twice in the last week is simply stunning.

            And not only did the committee leave out Alabama, they left out a very deserving Colorado team that beat Kansas State, a 5 seed in this year’s tournament, 3 times. They also left out Seth Greenberg’s Virginia Tech for the fourth straight year, causing the embattled coach to go so far as to say: “You almost wonder if someone in that room has their own agenda and that agenda doesn’t include Virginia Tech.”

            It would be easy to sit here and argue about who’s in, who’s out, who got snubbed, and who didn’t, the fact of the matter is this: Alabama had plenty of opportunities to prove themselves early in the season and simply couldn’t do it. Losing to teams like Iowa, Providence, St. Peters, and Oklahoma State is simply unacceptable for a team with post-season hopes. And, in a year, where the tournament bubble was historically weak, the fact that Alabama still couldn’t make it in only shows that this team has a lot more work to do. Hopefully this year will serve as a motivator for next year.

Side note: The head of the selection committee, Gene Smith, is also the athletic director at Ohio State. Is there a man who has made more bone-headed decisions in the span of a few weeks than Smith?

            Where do we go from here?

            There is still post-season basketball to be played. Alabama earned a #1 seed in the NIT and will play Coastal Carolina, coached by former Auburn boss Cliff Ellis, on Tuesday night in Coleman Coliseum. While the ultimate goal certainly was not the NIT, it will give the Tide a chance to play a few more basketball games and still be rewarded for a great season.

            I will have an NIT re-cap, a post-season wrap up, and a look ahead to next season, after Alabama either loses, or wins it all.

Marc Torrence, from Franklin, TN, is a freshman at The Capstone majoring in Telecommunication and Film. He is co-host of the sports-talk show "The Student Section" on Wednesday nights from 8-10 on 90.7 in Tuscaloosa, or online at thecapstone.ua.edu. He can be reached at mdtorrence@crimson.ua.edu.

Georgia B'ball Grades

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From Our Correspondent at FM 90.7

After the Florida game, I said that how Alabama responded to the humble pie they were served in Gainesville would go a long way in determining this team’s legacy. It would be up to second-year head coach Anthony Grant to make sure this team could put the loss in the rear view mirror and get ready for the final game of the regular season. It was clear even before the game started that the players had done just that. Here’s an example:

About an hour and a half before tip-off, as fans were starting to trickle into Coleman Coliseum, a few of the Crimson Tide players were out on the court for their usual shoot around. The atmosphere was very laid back. Players were joking with each other, talking to the fans, and there were smiles all around. A student yelled, “Tony!” put his hands up, and Tony Mitchell passed him a basketball. Mitchell started running toward the basket and the student threw the ball up. Mitchell caught the ball in mid-air, slammed it home, and the students gave him a rousing applause.

You would never have known that this was a team people were beginning to doubt. You would never have known that all around the country, people were crossing out the Crimson Tide from their NCAA tournament brackets. And you certainly wouldn’t have known that this team was coming off of their worst loss of the season. It was clear from the outset that Alabama had put Florida out of their collective minds and were focused on the task at hand: beating the Bulldogs.

Georgia jumped out to a 13-5 lead early in the game. But Alabama went on an 18-4 run and never looked back. Twice, the ‘Dogs cut the lead to one, but the Crimson Tide was simply too much. Alabama got back to shooting the ball effectively and playing the suffocating defense responsible for much of the Tide’s success this season. "We were out of rhythm as a team for the last two or three games. We needed to get that back,” Grant said after the game. “The focus needed to go from the offensive end to the defensive end. Today, our guys understood the game would be won on the defensive end.”

The sold-out crowd at Coleman Coliseum stuck around after the game as coach Grant thanked Tide fans for their support of Alabama basketball this season. Alabama went 16-0 at home this season and the fans were a big reason why. With five sell-outs, including four in a row to end the season, Coleman Coliseum became a place that opponents did not want to visit. And on a rainy Saturday afternoon, Georgia was the latest team to find this out, as the Crimson Tide taught the Bulldogs to behave.

Here are my grades for Saturday’s game:

Offense: B

Alabama’s offense did enough to win, and with the severe lack of talent on this end of the floor, that’s all you can ask for in big games.

On senior day, Charvez Davis gave the Crimson Tide something they aren’t used to having: a threat from the three-point line. The senior hit 5 of 10 shots from the arc, including 4/6 in the second half, putting up 17 points in the win.

JaMychal Green led all scorers with 19 points on 7/13 shooting in only 23 minutes of play. Tony Mitchell added 13 points and Trevor Releford had 8.

As a team, Alabama had the advantage in offensive rebounds, 8-3.

Defense: A

The Crimson Tide got back to flexing their defensive muscles on Saturday, forcing 16 Georgia turnovers, allowing only 8 assists, and 19 made field goals. They also held Georgia’s leading scorer, Trey Thompkins, to 15 points.

Trevor Releford once again showed why he is not only valuable on the offensive end of the court. The freshman phenom led the team with 3 steals, including an absolute gem on a Georgia fast break where he ran the length of the floor to knock the ball out of the hands of the Georgia player. This team goes as Releford goes, and he certainly put in an inspirational performance today.

Tony Mitchell had 3 steals and a blocked shot. JaMychal Green added two blocks, and Andrew Steele contributed with a block.

Coaching: A

Finishing the season undefeated at home is undeniably an incredible accomplishment, one that this team deserves to be proud of. But it all starts at the top. Anthony Grant is certainly ahead of schedule in his second year as the head coach of the Crimson Tide. In two years, he has taken this team from mediocrity, to division champions, and the win against Georgia was his latest accomplishment. Grant got this team refocused from a hard loss, and they finished the job at home.

Where do we go from here?

Beating Georgia vaulted Alabama back into the NCAA tournament discussion, as they now have another precious win over a top-100 RPI team. As of Saturday night, Joe Lunardi has Alabama as his last team out. However, Alabama has a final chance to improve its resume in the SEC tournament in Atlanta.

As of this writing, the middle 4 spots in the East are still up for grabs. Tennessee plays Kentucky on Sunday, which will sort everything out. Alabama’s first game in the SEC tournament will be against the winner of East #4 and West #5 (Auburn). Barring a monumental upset by the Tigers, Alabama will play Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, or Vanderbilt. The Tide unquestionably need to win this game if they want to have a chance at the tournament, while winning a second game and getting to the tournament finals would all but punch their ticket to the big dance. If they drop the first game, however, the NIT can go ahead and book rooms at the Hotel Capstone.

A quick note about the blog: Due to games being played in consecutive days, I will do one cumulative blog post after the weekend about Alabama’s SEC tournament performance. Thank you again to The Commissioner for allowing me to contribute to the blog, and to all of the readers for taking the time to read my analysis on this Crimson Tide team. If you thought this season has been crazy, it’s only just begun. We’re in for a wild week as the SEC postseason gets underway.

Marc Torrence, from Franklin, TN, is a freshman at The Capstone majoring in Telecommunication and Film. He is co-host of the sports-talk show "The Student Section" on Wednesday nights from 8-10 on 90.7 in Tuscaloosa, or online at thecapstone.ua.edu. He can be reached at mdtorrence@crimson.ua.edu.

Florida B'Ball Grades

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From Our Correspondent at FM 90.7

            There are good teams and there are great teams. As brilliant of a job that Anthony Grant has done, and as fun as this season has been, Alabama is still just a good team. And they ran into a great team Tuesday night.

            The Tide entered the game with a chance to clinch at least a share the SEC regular season championship, something they haven’t done since 2002. But more importantly, it was a chance to show how they matched up against tough competition. Sure, they could win in the SEC West, one of the weakest divisions in all of college basketball, but what could they do against a top-20 team in a hostile environment? Well, we got our answer.

Florida struggled mightily in the first half, missing their first ten three-point shots, and the Tide were lucky that the score was only 30-30 at half time. But the Gators hit their stride in the second half, going 26 of 37 from the field and ending the game on a 39-14 run. And how fitting that on senior night, it was Chandler Parsons leading the Gators to victory, scoring 19 points and 11 rebounds.

A win almost certainly would have put Alabama in the NCAA tournament, no matter what happened against Georgia. But instead, the Crimson Tide have left themselves no room for error.

Here are my grades for Tuesday night’s game:

            Offense: C

            Three-point shooting, once again, continued to haunt the Tide in Gainesville. The team went 1/8 from the arc with freshman Trevor Releford making the only three in the waning minutes of the game. Alabama’s best three-point shooter, Charvez Davis, went 0/4 in 28 minutes of action.

            As a team, Alabama shot 38.9%, going 21/54. JaMychal Green struggled shooting the ball, going 5/19 from the field, good for only 10 points, well below his season average of nearly 16. Tony Mitchell added 14 points and 8 rebounds.

            Three days after I had praised the improvement and maturity of senior Chris Hines, Hines had one of his worst games of the season. In 22 minutes of action, Hines scored 4 points, had two rebounds, and turned the ball over 3 times. Early in the first half, however, Hines committed a technical foul for jawing at another player that gave Florida two extra points. He fouled out with 1:23 remaining.

            One bright spot was freshman Trevor Releford. Releford played significantly better than the last two games scoring 17 points and adding 4 assists.

            Defense: D

            The second half was a complete annihilation and all Alabama could do is sit and watch as the Gators knocked down shot after shot. And it wasn’t just one player. Alex Tyus, 4/7, 12 points. Kenny Boynton, 4/9 (4/8 from three), 14 points. Chandler Parsons, 7/14, 19 points. Vernon Macklin, 9/12, 19 points. Whenever Alabama got one under control, another took over.

            This wasn’t a case of one guy getting hot and beating them, or the officials not giving them the right calls. This was a case of a superior offensive team handling the Crimson Tide defense and scoring at will. The scary thing is that if Alabama somehow makes the NCAA tournament, these are the type of offenses they will be facing in every game. Sure, the Crimson Tide’s defensive numbers are pretty, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

            Coaching: B-

            Some might say this grade is too high, but I think Grant did as much as he could with the talent he had on Tuesday night. In the middle of getting blown out like Alabama was, it would be easy for the team, or their coach to lose their cool, but Alabama stayed under control, and took the loss in stride.

            Perhaps we won’t really be able to adequately grade Anthony Grant and the job he did in this game until the Tide takes the court against Georgia. How this team responds after such a devastating loss remains to be seen, but it will go a long way to determining how this Crimson Tide team will be remembered, and even if they will be remembered.

            Where do we go from here?

            Alabama’s RPI actually rose with the loss to Florida, as they currently sit at 87. The strength of schedule boost that comes with playing Florida coupled with Kentucky beating Vanderbilt and they sit two spots higher than after the Ole Miss loss. Nevertheless, Alabama certainly faces a must-win against Georgia on Saturday afternoon in Coleman Coliseum if they want to have a shot at an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Assuming the Tide take down Georgia, most analysts believe that they must win at least two games in the SEC tournament, getting to the finals, to keep their dance hopes alive. Right now it looks like Alabama will play Kentucky, Vanderbilt, or Georgia, assuming they beat LSU or Auburn, in the first round of the tournament. A loss to the Bulldogs, however, makes this all a moot point, as Bama would have to win it all in Atlanta to make the tournament.

            The game in Coleman on Saturday should be an exciting one with two teams playing for their bubble lives, and I urge all of the readers near Tuscaloosa to make it out if you can. It will also be senior night, so it should be as loud as it has been all season.

            On another note, senior guard Charvez Davis was named to the SEC’s community service team for his work volunteering at three different local schools. Davis visited every Thursday of this semester working with the students. Great to see these guys make a difference on and off the basketball court.

            Marc Torrence, from Franklin, TN, is a freshman at The Capstone majoring in Telecommunication and Film. He is co-host of the sports-talk show "The Student Section" on Wednesday nights from 8-10 on 90.7 in Tuscaloosa, or online at thecapstone.ua.edu. He can be reached at mdtorrence@crimson.ua.edu