Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball

Alabama Basketball is Making Great Strides in Recruiting

Can you say 6'8" 230 lb power forward. Alabama Head Coach Anthony Grant can, and he can say that mammoth recruit Jason Carter out of Humble, Texas Christian Life Center Academy is headed to his school.

The verbal commitment and signed national letter of intent were all completed within 48 hours after visiting the Alabama campus. "The comfort of home" was what it felt like for Jason Carter. "It felt like home. The coaches and players really embraced me".

Assistant Coach Antoine Pettway gets full credit for this recruit. He worked hard to know this kid and keep him abreast of the Alabama needs and how Carter would fit into Coach Grant's system. He was intimate with the family and answered all questions to their satisfaction.

The big man has made his name as a forward, but is willing to do what Grant wants him to do at Alabama. Jason Carter went on to say in an interview with rivals.com's Tim Watts, "Coach Grant is a great teacher and he demands the best of his players."

"I think my biggest strengths are my shooting and my ability to run the floor. I'm a physical player but I feel like I'm very versatile. I can play a fast pace or slow it down. I pride myself on defense and rebounding. Whatever the team is needing, I feel like I can fill that role. I want to be a part of the program and contribute so whatever it is that the team is lacking, I feel like I can probably help."

He is a big man who plays with a wound up motor. He can dominate in the lane and shoot the outside shot when open. He is a scorer from anywhere on the floor. He has a complete offensive package. Yet what is most impressive, is his desire to become a great defensive player.

Grant has made a point of gathering out of state talent for the 2010 class.

Carter compliments the two other out of state signers for the 2010 class, Trevor Releford (Kansas) and Charles Hankerson (Florida). Releford is a 5'11" point guard and Hankerson a 6'5" 210 lb shooting guard.

Verbal commit Kendall Durant (Weatherford College, TX) has yet to sign his letter of intent.

When the Mark Gottfried era finally ended in March of last year, Anthony Grant was the first on the list of possible replacements.

Soon after Grant's VCU team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, Alabama formally offered Grant the coaching job.

Grant agreed in principle to become the coach of the Crimson Tide, beginning the hopeful rebuilding process of Alabama basketball. Grant's rebuilding process began with the first regular season game against Cornell.

Alabama disappointed in their opener falling to The Big Red, 71-67 in Grant's first game coaching the Tide. After the loss in the season opener, Alabama rallied to three consecutive victories including an upset win over Baylor in the Old Spice Classic.

Albeit the Crimson Tide lost their next game to Florida State, they responded well with a shocking 68-66 thrilling victory over then No. 15 Michigan. Following the win over the Wolverines, Alabama dismantled North Florida and UL Monroe, setting the stage for the match up against Purdue, who was ranked fifth in the country.

The Tide came out of the tunnel upset-minded leading to a ten point halftime lead. The lead that got as high as 16 points in the second half. But the Crimson Tide some how found a way to blow the huge lead and an opportunity for key non-conference win.

The game against Purdue ended up being a preview of what Tide fans would be tasting all year. The Tide finished off non-conference by winning four out of five, with the only loss coming in a neutral court game against a Top 10 Kansas State team.

Alabama began conference play with a game at LSU. Before the arrival of Grant, the Crimson Tide somehow managed to win only three SEC road games in 3 years.

Led by 14 points from Jamychal Green the Tide earned their first conference win of the season, as well as the ever so rare SEC road win.

The Tide followed the big road win by losing three straight conference games, in two of these game(Vanderbilt, and Tennessee) Alabama had the lead in the last five minutes of the game just to blow it.

After the heartbreaking loss to Tennessee, Alabama rebounded by finally winning a close conference game, beating Mississippi State 62-57 in a huge conference win. The Crimson Tide added another conference win to the resume by demolishing LSU at home 57-38, improving Bama's SEC record to 3-3.

The next two games were once again games that could not be finished.

In the first game at Auburn, Alabama took the lead into the final minutes of the game, found a way to blow it, then Justin Knox missed a shot at the buzzer to win. The second game at home against Florida was almost the same story.

Alabama came out ready to play storming out to a 37-33 halftime lead, thanks to the driving ability of Mikahl Torrance and post play of Jamychal Green.

The second half was back and forth throughout, each team answering each other with buckets. Alabama took the lead on a Torrance floater with less then a minute, just to have Florida hit a game winning jump shot with less than ten seconds left to lose another one pont game 66-65.

Following the two disappointing one point losses Alabama traveled to Oxford to battle Colonel Reb. By halftime the game looked presumably over with Alabama holding a 40-20 against the Rebels heading into the break.

Alabama started the second half by draining a three to stretch the lead to 43-20, but that's when it all started going terribly wrong.

Slowly, but surely, Ole Miss chipped its way back in to the game, until Terico White's tip in with six minutes remaining gave the Rebels 58-56 lead that they would never look back, ultimately winning the game 74-67.

After the game many disconcerted Alabama fans began to question Anthony Grant's conservative play calling,or lack there of, in the second half. Grant did nothing to help himself by choosing to send an assistant to answer the questions of the media.

Following the collapse at Mississippi, the Tide traveled to Lexington to face the Number two ranked kentucky Wildcats. Alabama suprised most of the world by staying tight with Kentucky throughout, cutting the Wildcats lead to as few as five with less than two minues to play.

After many John Wall free throws in final moments of the game Kentucky ended up winning 66-55, but the way the Tide rebounded from their frustrating loss to Ole Miss was better than most people,including myself,expected

Before the game against Arkansas most people had never even heard the words Alabama and comeback used in the same sentence. Three days after the loss to Kentucky the Tide played home against Arkansas.In this game Alabama did something unheard of by normal Alabama basketball standards, comeback.

Down by as many 14 in the first half, Alabama scrapped itself back into the game finally taking the lead on a Torrance three with twelve minutes remaining. Alabama never trailed again in a sweet 73-68 victory, ending the Tide's four game losing streak.

After the emotional comeback win against the Hogs, Alabama took a gigantic step back in the next three games. The three game stretch started with a game at Georgia. The Crimson Tide held as much as a eleven point lead in the second half, but even after the big win against Arkansas, Alabama couldn't put together enough offense to hold it, ultimately losing 76-70.

The next contest was on the road against Jarvis Varnardo and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Alabama fought hard throughout the game, but the point guard play of Dee Boss and the defensive prowess of Jarvis "Swat" Varnardo was too much for the Tide to handle, losing 74-66.

Varnardo stole the show the show by throwing an unannounced block party on the Alabama offense, blocking eight shots on his way to setting the NCAA record for blocked shots with 536 career blocked shots.

After the lost to the 'Dawgs, Alabama hosted a rematch with Ole Miss after the devastating loss to the Rebels in the teams previous match up. Alabama lead through most of the game,but once again, were not able to hold on, losing their third straight conference game 76-73.

Heading in to the month of March, Alabama looked as if they had already started preparing for the 2010-2011 season. But they were just beginning.

The Crimson Tide started the new month with a surprising 79-70 road win against South Carolina. The momentum from the big road win carried over to senior day against Auburn.

In front of a sold out crowd, mainly due to the showing of the ODK Trophy, Alabama dominated the Tigers 73-61, moving the Tide up to the number four seed in the SEC West.

After the two big wins to finish the season Alabama started their SEC Tournament with a game against the number five seed in the east, South Carolina. 

Alabama came out against the Gamecocks uninspired, looking nothing like the team that had finished out the season on fire. Down by as many as 18 points in the second half Alabama came back to win 68-63, advancing to the Quarter Finals against Kentucky.

The next day against Kentucky, Alabama came out hot, maybe even spicy, against the Wildcats hitting four of their first five threes, while Kentucky missed their first eight shot attempts, leading to 35-30 lead at the break.

But as most people expected the Wildcats came back with a vengeance. Kentucky's comeback came mostly off the back of "Do It All" John Wall who scored 23 points, including seven straight in the second half in the Wildcats 73-67 win.

With the Tide's season over, after declining an invite to the CBI, it is time for my opinion on Grant's first season as coach. The main positive I saw from Grant was the competitiveness his team showed in every game they played in.

I feel that when Grant starts recruiting the state of Alabama the way he should, he will get enough players to have Alabama competing for the SEC West title year in and year out.

The only real problem I had with Grant's first season was the Crimson Tide's inability to finish close games. Alabama was a dismal 2-4 in games decided by three points or less.

I think that if Grant can start consistently recruiting the state of Alabama, and can get his teams to execute down the stretch, the Crimson Tide will soon be a force to be reckoned with.

With 11:36 to go in the second half, Alabama led by 13 points. First year Alabama head coach Anthony Grant called a timeout to give the team their instructions for the remainder of the game.

Coming out of the timeout, Georgia went on an 11-2 run, closing in on the Tide and shrinking the lead to four points. With the score 54-50, Grant called timeout again. Alabama was losing grip on a victory, a game in which they had been in charge most of the second half. Grant put his finger in the dike.

Right out of the timeout, Torrence nailed a three-pointer from the highest point of the arc. Georgia then took a high percentage shot, missed, and Alabama grabbed the defensive rebound, not allowing a second chance point. 

It seemed at that point, the resurgence of the Tide's confidence would be enough to hold off the Dogs.

With seven minutes left in the game, Bama held onto a seven point lead. JaMychal Green lost his orientation and stepped out of bounds, turning the ball over on the offensive court. Georgia scored quickly with an uncontested layup.

Following a quick foul by Georgia, Anthony Brock, a reliable free throw shooter, missed the back end of a one and one. A chink in the armor. Control of the game slipping away from Alabama, once again.

Then another Alabama mistake. With UGA at the line, following a missed free throw, JUCO transfer Chris Hines commits his fifth foul, giving the ball back to Georgia. The next two free throws are made by Georgia's Chris Barnes, leaving the lead at four.

The second chance points at the charity stripe ignited the UGA crowd and re-energized the feisty Bulldogs on the court.

The Georgia players and fans could see the fear and unease on the face of the Tide players. Everyone in Stegman Coliseum knew the history; just two weeks ago, Alabama had let a 23 point lead slip away on the home court of the Ole Miss Rebels.

In the twenty seconds that followed, Bama missed on the offensive glass and Georgia nailed a three-point basket. Oh my.

With 4:40 left, Bama held a one point lead.

JaMychal Green missed an uncontested layup, Hillman missed a wide-open three-pointer, Green fouled Trey Tompkins out of frustration.

Tompkins hit the front end of a one and one. Bama got the rebound and Hillman turned the ball over to Georgia on a travel. The fifth travel of the second half by Alabama.

Mistake after mistake by Alabama. Unforced errors. Who could survive such a travesty?

Georgia took advantage of the turnover, retaking the lead with a fifteen footer nailed by Trey Tompkins. It was the first lead of the game for Georgia in the second half.

Then Bama went to work, showing toughness offensively and defensively. Georgia fought hard against the resurgent Tide, a team coming off a full week of rest.

Georgia took the lead to four and Bama brought it back down to two with 1:42 remaining. The Tide stayed aggressive and fought hard on the road. But the Tide would never again lead in the game.

For UGA, Travis Leslie and Trey Tompkins kept the Bulldogs snapping at the onslaught of Crimson waves. Brock, Torrence, and Green kept it close for Alabama.

Then out of nowhere, Dustin Ware hits a three. His first points of the game. For more than 30 minutes of playing time, Ware had been held scoreless. Anthony Brock had defended him brilliantly the entire game. But now it was the final hour; the moment of truth.

With a 68-63 lead, Green received a pass on the post and Tompkins blocked his shot. Not once, but twice. The look on Green's face after that encounter said it all, "I can't do it myself, guys, I need help. Somebody please step up."

Georgia would not let the Crimson Tide overtake them in their house, on their court. In desperation, Mikhail Torrence fouled Dustin Ware, one of the best shooters in the conference. The one player held at bay until the last two minutes of the game. The great one's will not be denied.

Two free throws by Ware gave the Bulldogs a seven point lead. Brock hit two from the field to keep Alabama within five but fouled Ware on the inbound pass to send him back to the line. Ware hit both free throws igniting the crowd and staving off the Tide.

A series of turnovers by both teams left the ball in Torrence's hands at the three-point line and he drained the three with 19 seconds left. The Tide was then turned away on their last attempts to score a meaningful basket.

They ended up with another devastating loss on the road. Down by six at the end, UGA outscored the Tide by 19 in the last 11:36.

On the season, Alabama is 14-12, 4-8 in the SEC. Each game has been a great contest, yet they finish repeatedly as the loser. This is the kind of season that can build a champion. But will it happen?

No doubt, this Crimson Tide team is made up of proud young men. They will work hard until this season ends and hopefully have a few more victories to share with each other and the Alabama fans.

But they are not mature and are not deep enough to win in this tough league. Grant will need to use the rest of this season to build up character and fortitude in the team for next years run. It's time to work on the future.

In fact, there is no team in the West Division that has the stuff of champions this year. Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Auburn are pretenders as much as Alabama. Maybe next year, or the year after but not here and now.

The SEC East is dominant and Kentucky is without question the Beast in the East.

What do you know! Alabama Men's Basketball got themselves a victory against a quality team and finished strong. The Razorbacks were in sole possession of first place in the West Division of the SEC until the road trip to Tuscaloosa.

In the first half of play, it seemed the four-game skid had taken the fighting spirit out of the Crimson Tide, and they were ready to lay down their armor and surrender to the first place Arkansas team.

Alabama suffered losses on the road at Auburn, Mississippi, and Kentucky, along with a home loss to Florida. Two of the losses were by one point (AU, UF), and the loss at Mississippi was an abysmal collapse after leading by 23 points in the second half.

But it wasn't going to happen again. Not in our house! The coaches woke up and then woke up the sleeping giant that collectively crouches inside the Alabama Team. That's right, Team with a capital "T". Anthony Grant has his first signature win.

No one single player made this win happen; it was a team effort that turned a close game into a comfortable win. The giant awoke after a spirited talk by head coach Anthony Grant. His theme was about a "defining moment." I hope it was recorded, and I hope even more that it gets replayed over and over. It worked like a charm!

Down 38-29 at halftime, Alabama came out of the half and dominated on the boards, out-rebounding the Hogs 23-12 (38-24 for the game); 10 of those second-half rebounds were on the offensive glass, resulting in 15 second-chance points.

The rebounding was spread across the Crimson-and-White team. JaMychal Green (9) led the attack on the boards with help from Chris Hines (7), Senario Hillman (4), and Justin Knox (4). Torrance and Mitchell had three each and Charvez Davis had two.

The only Alabama player not credited with a rebound was the shortest man on the team, Anthony Brock. Yet he did play a role in helping the Tide gather in six team rebounds, rounding out the game total. In addition, Mr. Brock played relentless defense on the Hogs guard, Courtney Fortson.

The Arkansas starting point guard was 4-10 from the field, nailing three three-point baskets and scoring a total of 12 points in the first half. In the second half, Brock's aggressive defensive effort held the guard to 1-7 from the field and 0-2 from three-point range. Fortson finished with 18 points, scoring 5-8 from the charity stripe.

The Tide also improved their collective free-throw shooting. As a Team, they nailed 22-29 (75.9 percent) while the Hogs shot 50 percent from the line (6-12). Despite the unbalanced number of shots from the line, it seemed that the Crimson Tide could not get a break from the officials.

Several close blocking and charging fouls continued to go the way of the Hogs in the first and second halves. The Tide fought their way through the melee and won the battle as well as the war on the court.

It was a great victory for the Tide. A redemption of sorts. The crowd was electric and showed their support for the team despite the four game losing streak. More than 13,000 showed up in Coleman Coliseum for the game. 

When Senario Hillman's nemesis, Rotnei Clark, got the ball in his hands, the crowd booed until he passed it away. It was Clark's academy award performance in Fayetteville that resulted in Hillman's ejection for two flagrant fouls.

Every shot by Clark was contested by Hillman with help from the crowd. The "Chaos" helped in keeping Clark at bay, ending with a season-low eight points and one rebound. Clark was not fouled in this game. Hillman came to play, his defense was timely and he contributed greatly on offense to help with this team win.

The Tide victory doesn't do much for the standings at this point, but as Grant suggested in the locker room, it just may be a defining moment in the season. Next, the Tide goes on the road to Athens and then to Starkville to stave off the bite of the bulldogs in Georgia and Mississippi.

They will finish out the season with two of the last three contests at home in Coleman Coliseum. If somehow they can return from the two-game stint with two road victories, they just may have a chance to land a spot in one of the postseason tournaments.

Let's go Bama, get your game on!

First off, I would just like to mention how refreshing it is to not have to write about a one point loss, a 30 point loss, or a loss at all when it comes to the Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball Team.

Tonight, I get to write about a win as the Crimson Tide defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks this afternoon 73-68.

It was a win that most didn’t see coming. It was a win that I hope will be the first of many. It was a win that was of the utmost importance to the Tide for several reasons.

There was no doubt that the confidence in this team was falling and had been for some time. From the players to the coaches, it was evident the disappointing losses to teams such as Vandy, Florida, Tennessee, and most definitely Ole Miss were taking a toll on Alabama and what they set out to accomplish.

The will to win was slipping. Old mentalities from former coaches were slipping through. Faith in this new coach was starting to fade.

It seemed that after loss after loss after loss, and at Coach Grant’s own confession that he didn’t really have answers either, that this team might just need time. Or they might need a new plan.

A new play book was exactly what they got.

Throughout this season, we have seen the Tide start out strong, leading by as much as 23 points at the half, only to end up losing a game in the last ten minutes of the second half.

In today’s game against the Razorbacks, the Tide was down at the half by nine. With eleven turnovers, just one attempted three pointer, and Arkansas scoring the second most points against Alabama in the first half with 38, it seemed that the Tide was going to have a heck of a time defeating the Razorbacks.

Then came the second half, which proved to be the yang of this yin and yang team. With a 49% performance from the field (second highest in SEC play this season), putting up a 70-point game for only the second time in the season (the first was against Tennessee State), coming back from a loss, and finally keeping a lead—this team had improved.

Rather, Coach Grant realized that his team could get by in the first half. Just keep it close enough to be able to come back, and then come out on fire the second half. He realized he had talent, but he had no depth and these guys couldn’t play a 40 minute game the way it needed to be played. He stopped making excuses, and figured out a new plan. He overcame defeat, as did the players.

This team won 73-68 against the leader in the Western Division.

At asking several people what sports has taught them throughout life, Leroy Watson Jr . said, “Sometimes, you have to get that first victory, that first triumph, that first reason to feel good about yourself—and then, the sky is the limit.”

Alabama Basketball received that light in my opinion tonight with this win. For themselves, for the 13,151 fans in Coleman Coliseum, and for everyone else that dares to notice.

Now, it’s what they do with this new found light against Georgia next week in Athens that will determine if it’s an actual light, or just the glow from the arrow Cupid stuck the team with this afternoon, to get them to win for my Valentine’s Day present since I don't have a man to get me anything. :)

Happy Valentine’s Day Bleacher Creatures and Roll Tide!

Why is it that a lot of Division I schools who use to play a pretty good quality of basketball, are suffering these days? All conferences have off years, but this is ridiculous.

The Pac-10 is looking at ONE school making the NCAA tournament. The SEC might have four or five teams in it if they are lucky, the Big 12 will probably have three or four and even the ACC is having a tough go of it.

I have to ask why these teams seem to be struggling?

Why is it a team like Florida who just won back to back titles a few years ago, is not making the field regularly? What about a team like Texas that was in the national title game this year in football and the No. 1 team in the country not being able to do a whole lot in basketball either? 

Could it be that it’s because the focus is more on football then basketball at these universities?

Look at how much money these schools spend on football. Football for most Division I schools, is a cash cow. Millions of fans flock to stadiums every year that are being expanded. 

What about what we are paying the coaches?

Texas alone is paying Mack Brown $5 million dollars per year and assistant Will Muschamp is getting paid almost a million a year. Could some of that money not be used by Rick Barnes to get better assistants and more money to get better recruits into their basketball program? 

USC is another school about to pay out a chunk of money to a coach who basically is an unproven winner, throwing their basketball program under the bus while doing so. All to save NCAA sanctions.

The SEC has no room to talk though. Although Alabama brought in Anthony Grant and is paying him a million plus a year, assistant football coach Kirby Smart will make almost equal to what Grant’s salary is.

I know Grant wishes some of that money that was given to Smart, could be thrown at his basketball program so he could attract better recruits and have a better facility for his team to play in.

Basketball at most Division I schools is like the red-headed step child. Unless you are at a basketball school like Kansas, Michigan State, or a North Carolina, most people don’t pay attention to it until tournament season starts.

As an Alabama fan, I want my basketball team to do good just like the football team mainly because it’s exciting and gives us fans something to look forward to after football season is over.

I bet if Nick Saban said we need to have a better basketball program because it helps our football program, most Bama fans would be screaming at the AD to make the facilities better and to throw more money at the basketball program not to mention, more fans would show up.

As much as I love football, especially college football, it would be nice to see some of the bigger programs like Alabama, USC, or Georgia, be able to find success and balance in their basketball programs as well.

It stinks to lose. Period.

There is no sugarcoating it, and there is no making it seem less bad than it really is, because in whatever situation, losing stinks.   

It stinks to lose a game that you knew you were going to lose, it stinks to lose a game that goes back and forth, but it really stinks to lose a game in the last few seconds that you could have won at several different times throughout the event if not during most of the game.

It’s heartbreaking to see the scoreboard at the very end of a game that could have been won when you come up short by a point. Heck, it could be three points. Heartbreak is still the same.

It’s that one free throw someone missed. It’s that one dunk that someone missed when they were trying to get style points instead of just taking it up the lane and making it into the net for a simple layup. It’s that three pointer that went around the ring three times and hopped back out, as if someone had pulled the magnet in their pocket out to will it out of there.

It’s that feeling that you came so close, but it just wasn’t enough.

Alabama Basketball has had this happen several times recently. For whatever reason, we have had games against good teams such as Purdue, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, and now Ole Miss that we have come so close to winning, but in the end just couldn’t didn’t pull through. 

After the game against Florida, during his post game show, Chris Stewart said it best in my opinion. He said, “This loss stings, but it can’t sting for long as the Tide plays 25th ranked Ole Miss in two days.”

Ok, so for whatever reason, whether it be the refs, bad shot choices, free throws missed...we lost the games, but we can't let those losses keep us down for the rest of the season. 

My hopes were that the loss to Florida, Vandy, Tennessee, Purdue, and Auburn would boost this team up. My hope was that Coach Anthony Grant could take these guys and say, “You’ve come this close so many times. When are you going to go all the way?”

My hope was that one of the guys we hear so much about such as Senario Hillman, Chris Hines, or JaMychal Green would decide that losing wasn’t an option anymore and lead this team to play a 40-minute game. 

As the Tide came out Saturday against Ole Miss, I was optimistic. I have faith in Grant’s ability to change this team around and make them into what they can become, and I hoped that their close losses to the previously mentioned teams would help boost the team.

Apparently, someone left the stinger in.

The Tide came out seemingly ready to play, taking a quick lead and keeping that lead all the way to the half, as the score was 40-20 in Alabama's favor. The offense was looking good, the defense was looking good, shots were being made, and the guys were playing smart. The guys looked as if they might pull this one out.

They had a 23-point lead with 19:23 to go, after all.

However, having been at all of the previously mentioned games, I knew what could happen, and it turns out Mama didn’t raise no fool.

After Alabama made the lead 23 points with 19:23 left, they apparently decided that was good enough…and the lead slowly started to chip away, ending in the Tide losing by seven, 74-67, to 25th-ranked Ole Miss.

Yes, you read that right. Alabama lead most of the game, even as by much as 23 points, and ended up losing the game by seven.

Grant didn’t even show up for his post-game show. In fact, he didn’t show up until 40 minutes after the game. And when he did show up, he commented on the team’s loss by saying, “"I wish I had the answers. I don't have the answers. I experienced and saw what you guys saw. As a coach, sometimes you feel helpless. I wish there was more I could do to help when they're going through it. But maybe it's just what we've got to go through."

He went on to say, "Today had nothing to do with talent," and went on to question his team's "character, substance, toughness, will and passion."

So what does this mean?

Is Grant just waiting for new players to come into the program? Is he tired of the ones he has? Has he lost faith in this team’s ability to win?

If so, what happens when a coach loses faith in a team?

Maybe Grant has a plan. I hope he has a plan. More than that, I hope these players get a plan…or better yet, I hope they get with the program.

It is a tough night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, following a home loss to the Florida Gators. In a heart-fought battle to the buzzer, Bama would fall by a lone point, again. 

Now, any honest Bama fan will tell you we hate losing. What we hate worse than that, is not winning. Especially when victory is so close that it can be felt on the tips of ones fingers.

However for the second week in a row, Bama had that victory snatched from her in the final seconds. This can be disheartening for anyone, let alone a team struggling to get back on top in the collegiate basketball world.

Less than a week ago Bama road-tripped to "that cattle college on the other end of the state" and suffered a 58-57 loss to the Eagles/Tigers/whatever they are. 

Then tonight, Florida pulled a 66-65 upset to hand Bama a 13-9 record. 

It was a fun game, watching the players improve dramatically on their scoring ability. Mikhail Torrence placed an impressive 22 points on the board. This while JaMychal Green boasted 14 for himself.

Also, the free-throw woes seem to have subsided, allowing the Tide to have a 66.7 percent free-throw completion rate. 

All of this seems to point to one thing: wins. When the Tide play this well, they should win. So, what's the problem? Glad you asked!

I am not one to point fingers and pass blame, so I will not. If there is anything negative I am saying about the team, it is that they are not as deep on the bench as Bama needs. 

I am a firm believer in the Crimson Tide, and for that reason I am excited about that which is to come. I believe Coach Grant has a system and a method that will raise the Tide to prominence once again. 

So, Bama fans, look forward with anticipation. Support our boys and remember, they will be champions long before they start winning on the court.

The University of Alabama Men's Basketball Team has shown improvement in their defensive skills under new head coach Anthony Grant, but the offensive production has been erratic. On the season, they stand at 13-8, 3-4 in SEC competition, and are on the verge of elimination from postseason NCAA tournament consideration.

The Alabama-Florida match-up in Tuscaloosa, Thursday is a must win for the Crimson Tide if the preseason goal was to reach the NCAA Tournament. In fact, they must win every remaining home game (Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn) and pick up at least two wins on the road, and either end up in the semifinals or finals of the SEC Tournament to fulfill that goal.

They will be on the road to Oxford, Feb. 6, Lexington Feb. 9, Athens Feb. 20 and then to Starkville, Miss on Feb. 24. The Last chance for a road win will be March 3 in Columbia, SC. The schedule is very tough, the odds are not good for achieving the goal.

Is it possible? Without question. Probable? I haven't a clue.

The Alabama starting five have competed well in the first half of the game with every team on the schedule this season. They have stayed close through three quarters of the second half, for most games, including Top 20 competition.

Yet they have found a way to hand a victory to teams of better quality, and in my estimation, teams of similar or lesser quality in the last five to six minutes of the game. It does not have to do with endurance, competitiveness or desire. It primarily has to do with confidence.

They have put themselves in the position to win in nearly every game. The one game that they really did not threaten to win, yet kept close, was against Kansas State. Every other contest has been winnable for the Tide.

Coleman Coliseum has been great for the confidence of the Alabama basketball team. They are 11-4 at home this season. Since SEC play began, they have only lost to Vanderbilt and UT, both quality teams, and close games. The loss to UT was likely to happen, not unexpected. Alabama should have defeated Vanderbilt.

I hope the fans will give all they have on Wednesday night. The Coliseum should be full and the energy level high. The first match-up of Anthony Grant and Billy Donovan coached teams should be fun to watch. Lets hope the Crimson Tide comes out with a mission to keep their dream alive.

Maybe the chant from the Crimson Chaos should be: "Keep Hope Alive, Bama, Keep Hope Alive."

With 12 seconds left on the game clock, DeWayne Reed stepped to the line with his Auburn team trailing the Crimson Tide 57-56. After hitting the front end of the one-and-one and knotting the score at 57, Reed's second shot spun around the rim and rolled out into the awaiting hands of Justin Knox.

Knox gave up the ball to point guard Mikhail Torrence, the Tide's best ball handler and leading scorer. With the score tied, Alabama could do no worse than take the game into overtime. They had a definite chance to win the game as time began to drain the last 10 seconds from the clock.

That is when the one thing that could not happen happened. Despite the reliable ball handling skills of Torrence, DeWayne Reed reached in and hit the ball away. It was a surreal moment for Torrence, Anthony Grant, and any Alabama fan watching the game.

Reed took control of the ball and hit a streaking Lucas Hargrove, who immediately took the ball straight to the basket. Hargrove picked the ball up just in front of the foul line and took three steps before launching into the air for an attempted dunk. Justin Knox fouled hard to prevent the easy basket.

Controversy came at the first point of attack. After the steal, Torrence grabbed at Reed, tugging the jersey in an attempt to stop the clock with a quick foul. No call. Then the walk. No call, again. That's not the end of it, either.

Hargrove hit the front end of the one-and-one, missing the second. The rebound was grabbed, and time out was quickly called by Tide forward Tony Mitchell. On the ensuing inbound play from the end line, the ball was thrown down court to an awaiting Justin Knox.

Though Knox caught the ball, it was immediately hit by Auburn defender Frankie Sullivan. The ball rolled out of bounds with .02 seconds left on the clock. The clock actually stopped, showing .02 seconds, and then the time keeper drained the remaining time from the clock.

The referee never review the inbounds play. The game was over. The game was handed to the home team without question by the opposing coach! Anthony Grant walked to the Auburn bench and simply congratulated Jeff Lebo for a hard fought victory.

As a Bama fan, I am livid. Grant has to stand up to the referees and let them know that he is watching the game just as closely and wants the game called fairly and without error. To simply walk away when this game meant so much to the overall standings of the Crimson Tide in the West Division race is ludicrous.

The Crimson Tide now stands at 3-4 in the West. The Mississippi schools are tied at 4-2 and lead the West Division. A win would have kept the Tide within a half game of both schools. This debacle may come back to haunt Alabama and Anthony Grant by season end.

When the race is so close, every victory is critical. Alabama will not win the SEC tournament. They have a chance to win the West Division. I hope when Grant reviews the film, he apologizes to his player and lets them know that he will step up his game as coach, as they have done with theirs on the hardwood.

Alabama will face Florida on Thursday at 6PM. I hope the players and coach come prepared to defend the home court against the Gators.