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.