Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball

It’s good to be on top, isn’t it Alabama fans?

With 21-0 still fresh in the minds of the Crimson Tide faithful, football spilled into a different sport.

Round 3 of ‘Bama-LSU during the 2011-2012 college sports season was on the basketball court Wednesday night. Two teams vying for an NCAA bid in a conference game that means a lot.

When LSU took the ball up the floor and crossed midcourt on its opening possession, it was only the second time this week that a Tigers team crossed the halfway point against a Crimson Tide defense.

The Tuscaloosa faithful decided to applaud LSU for their efforts with a standing ovation.

Very nice.

Later in the game the crowd chanted “just like Monday” when ‘Bama jumped out to a 21-point lead.

‘Bama ended up winning the game 69-53, but that’s not the point here.

The fans in SEC country are absolutely obsessed with football and have no issues taking their passions to the hardwood.

In this specific scenario I get it.

Holding a team to one trip past the 50-yard-line in a BCS championship game is unheard of. That defense is going to be considered one of the greatest of all time. It may have five first-round picks in the NFL draft.

But c’mon ‘Bama, it's basketball season right now. You’ve been celebrating the football championship for three days. Time to start thinking about your basketball team that is quietly 13-3 and in second place in the SEC.

After all, the Tide are only 2-1 against the Tigers this season. 

Just two days after dismantling the LSU Tigers for the BCS National Championship, the Alabama basketball team followed suit.

Alabama rolled to a 69-53 win over LSU on Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa.  It was the Tide’s second win in two contests in SEC play, and their fifth straight win overall. 

While the current winning streak has not included wins over any great teams, Alabama has won quite convincingly against some decent competition.  Last week, the Tide won two games in the state of Georgia—over Georgia Tech, then Georgia—by 25 and 15 points, respectively.  Georgia Tech gave Duke a pretty good contest this past weekend, losing by just seven after being within one possession in the game’s final minute.  Tech’s effort against Duke makes Alabama’s blowout in Atlanta just four days prior to that all the more impressive.

Alabama’s run of quality play the past couple weeks has reminded us of the team that nearly cracked the Top 10 earlier this season, and was expected to challenge Florida, Vanderbilt and Kentucky at the top of the SEC this season.  After losing three games to Georgetown, Dayton and Kansas State, respectively, in a four-game stretch, the Tide has rebounded in impressive fashion, thanks to strong defense, the return of a couple key players and the outstanding play of a talented freshman.

After giving up 71 in a loss to Kansas State in mid-December, Alabama has allowed an average of just 53.4 points a game.  Alabama held Georgia Tech to a season-low 48 points in last week’s win, while forcing 22 turnovers.  The Tide held another Big 12 team, Oklahoma State, to just 32.7 percent shooting in a 69-52 win.  Perhaps more impressive was the fact that the Tide played that game without arguably their best player, forward JaMychal Green, who was out with a shoulder injury.    

After missing two games and seeing limited action in another, Green has since returned to the Alabama starting lineup and should be quite a force once again as Alabama moves deeper into SEC play.  Green’s return should take a little pressure off fellow forward Tony Mitchell, who has been the go-to guy without Green on the floor.

Mitchell has been excellent this season, averaging 15 points a game.  With Green back to control things inside, Mitchell can use his athleticism and versatility to make an impact from outside on both ends of the floor.  That should allow the defense to cause even more problems for opposing offenses around the SEC.

In addition to Green, Alabama also welcomed the recent return of guard Andrew Steele.  While Steele is not one of the top contributors statistically, he will provide additional depth and experience to the Tide backcourt.  A redshirt junior, Steele helps bring some meaningful experience to a backcourt that is still relatively young.  Steele’s return should help the talented freshman guards—Trevor Lacey, Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper—the opportunity to continue growing without being overburdened.

One of the aforementioned freshmen has cemented his role in the starting lineup with impressive play of late.  Lacey has averaged in double figures (10.1 PPG) over the Tide’s last five games.  He scored 19 in the win over Georgia, and pulled down 10 rebounds against LSU.  His emergence should take some pressure off Trevor Releford, who has been more of a scorer from the point guard position.

With the return of Green and the play of Lacey, head coach Anthony Grant should have four excellent players he can count on to lead his team through the remainder of the SEC season.  This team has a great chance to finish right behind Kentucky in the SEC, despite a few tough games coming up. 

Alabama will face Mississippi State and Kentucky on the road and Vanderbilt at home within the next 10 days.  However, they only have to face the latter two teams, along with Florida, once for the season since they are not part of the unofficial “Eastern Division” of the league.  That should help the Tide in much the same way it did last season, when they finished 12-4 in the SEC.  

However, unlike last year’s team, Alabama should have no serious questions about making the NCAA Tournament.  After an outstanding start to this season—when they beat Maryland, Wichita State and Purdue to win the Puerto Rico Tip-Off—the Tide are once again resembling the team that earned some quality early wins and some very high expectations.

With more experience, depth and another year of experience in Grant’s defense-first system, this year’s Alabama team could finish with an even more impressive mark in the SEC this season.    

Alabama ended a rocky non-conference season on a good note, beating Georgia Tech on the road by a final score of 73-48. If Alabama's entire non-conference season had been as dominant as the performance against the Yellow Jackets, well, it's safe to say the headline would be a little different.

But, just like every other basketball team in the country, Alabama has things that it did well that need to be carried on into the Southeastern Conference play, and some things that need to be improved on if the Crimson Tide wants to make the NCAA tournament this season.

The Good

Tony Mitchell

Mitchell has been a human highlight reel for the Crimson Tide all season long, even in the three losses the Tide accumulated in non-conference play. Mitchell is ranked second on the team in points per game, first in rebounds, tied for first in blocks, first in three-point shot percentage and first in minutes played.

The stats speak for themselves, but I'll go a little further to satisfy my inner writing nerd. Mitchell's contributions go much further than the stat sheet. His electrifying jumping ability can ignite Coleman Coliseum better than anything else. You can see the change in the attitudes of the players on the court and the eagerness of the players on the bench to get in the game with Mitchell.

The Freshmen

We all knew the class that Anthony Grant had recruited was one of the best Alabama basketball had seen since Mark Gottfried's Elite Eight season, but each freshman has stepped into an important role on the team and has delivered when called upon.

Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper are excellent on defense, making Anthony Grant's style of basketball even harder to beat. Trevor Lacey has shown some range shooting the basketball and the crucial ability to find a way to score without a pick or a set play, on things like a dribble-drive. Nick Jacobs has come up with some timely baskets in the lane, although he does have some developing to do.

**Note** Moussa Gueye and Retin Obasohan are not included with this recruiting class because Gueye is a sophomore in NCAA eligibility, not a freshman, and Obasohan appears to be on his way to a redshirt season.

The Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship

The confidence the team gained after putting together such a strong performance will do wonders for the team going forward. Sure, the team's swagger may have taken a hit with the losses to Georgetown, Dayton and Kansas State. But I still see members of the team wearing their championship t-shirts on campus, so clearly the team remembers just how good they can be.

The Element of Surprise Entering SEC Play

There are still two players on the roster that will be deployed in conference play that opposing coaches don't have much of a scouting report on: Andrew Steele and Moussa Gueye. Gueye was very limited in his one appearance of the season, since he is rehabbing a torn ACL. Steele played significant minutes in 2010-2011, but his role on a team with so many new pieces is unknown, so it's almost as if opposing teams have to scout a completely different player.

The Bad

The Freshmen 

I know, I know. I sound contradictory. Let me explain. While the freshmen have had their great spots and have shown their potential, there have been times at which they've looked like, well, a bunch of freshmen. In the loss at Dayton, the freshmen were nonexistent. The defensive effort was not up to par in the loss against Georgetown either.

Scoring Consistently

Alabama has what many ESPN analysts call "spurt-ablility". The Tide has a great ability to score in bunches, especially when the fast-break offense gets going. But, when the Tide goes cold, there are six minute or longer stretches without a made basket from the field.

JaMychal Green's Foul Trouble Problem

Green is...how do I put this nicely? Green is....an emotional basketball player. He lets his emotions get the best of him from time to time, so when he gets called for a foul early in the game that he does not agree with, he tends to lose his cool.

That makes him commit another foul, one probably more ill-advised than the first, causing him to sit out for the rest of the first half. At this point in time, Nick Jacobs is not able to shoulder the load as Green's replacement yet. Speaking of Jacobs...

What We Learned

Nick Jacobs Could Take JaMychal Green's place...Eventually

There were times in the non-conference season when Jacobs was a force in the post, making timely baskets in back-to-back possessions on reputable defenders. But there were times in the season, like in the early part of the first half against Georgia Tech, when Jacobs could not get out of a cold streak.

If Jacobs is able to find offensive consistency, facilitators like Trevor Releford could simply pass the ball down low to Jacobs just like they do to Green, with utmost confidence that there will be either a basket or a trip to the free-throw line four out of five times.

Trevor Releford Could Be the Best PG in the SEC

Now, this claim is dependent on what you want in a point guard. If you want a scorer, someone who can create for himself better than he can for others, it's hard not to go with Erving Walker at Florida. But if you want a facilitator, someone that makes his teammates better a la Jason Kidd, Releford is your guy.

Even looking past the lob-city type of routine with Tony Mitchell, Releford is a defensive leader on the team, bringing energy and teaching the freshmen the defense in the early going. His ability to hit open outside jump shots and finish on the dribble-drive make him all the more deadly, and he should see some votes for the All-SEC team at the PG position at the end of the year.

This Year's Team is Better Than Last Year's, Meaning a Tournament Bid

Last year's team had serious issues shooting the three-point shot and converting from the free-throw line consistently, and lacked depth in the backcourt. In the perimeter shooting game, Alabama traded Charvez Davis and a timid Trevor Releford for a more confident Releford, Trevor Lacey, Levi Randolph and Rodney Cooper. Advantage: 2011-2012.

The same players that have improved (but not fixed) the Tide's outside shooting problems have also created a deep backcourt that does not miss a beat when Releford is subbed out. At the free-throw line, Releford has upped his percentage from last season, but not as much as JaMychal Green has.

Green represented the USA in the World University Games, and that experience has made him a much better free-throw shooter. The backcourt freshmen are solid from the charity stripe as well, making the Tide a tough team to mount a comeback against.

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For more in-depth coverage of Alabama athletics from Brett, go to his blog at brettatbama.wordpress.com. You can also follow his work for The Crimson White at cw.ua.edu and his Twitter work at @Brett_Hudson and at @BrettAtBama.

While Alabama rebounded nicely from their two-game losing streak with a 62-54 victory over Detroit, the Tide have a chance to push those sour losses even further from view with their next four contests.

Saturday night, Anthony Grant's squad enters a stretch of games where they will face two teams from the Big 12 and one from the ACC along with Jacksonville out of the Atlantic Sun.

While that last game won't turn any heads, the matchups against Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech will.

It's one more chance for Alabama to make a statement before they start SEC play on January 7th at Georgia.

Kansas State comes into Saturday's contest at 6-1 with their only loss coming in double-overtime to West Virginia. The Wildcats are coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament seasons, even making an Elite Eight appearance in 2009-10.

With the game being played in Kansas City, it will be a nice homecoming for Tide point guard Trevor Releford who played for nearby Bishop Miege.

Alabama will return home, so to speak, to face Oklahoma State Wednesday night in Birmingham. 

While most would rather see the two schools face off on the gridiron, we'll have to settle for the hardwood version. Currently, the Cowboys sit at 6-3 with their most recent defeat coming at the hands of No. 14 Pitt.

After Christmas break, the Tide host Jacksonville, but then start the new year on January 3rd at Georgia Tech.

Yes, this is not a Yellow Jackets squad like the teams of old, but a win against an ACC team is still a good win and this a game Alabama should be able to take even if it is in Atlanta.

In fact, Alabama should have good shots to take all four of these games with the most difficult one being in Kansas City.

Look to see if this young team has learned anything since being manhandled on the road in Dayton.

At this point last season, Alabama sat at 5-5 and would drop their next game to Oklahoma State before winning 10 of their next 11.

Already at 8-2 the Tide would really put themselves in a great position if they can begin conference play with a nice five-game winning streak and a 12-2 start.

You never truly know where a college basketball season is made or broken until you can sit back and look at the resume as a whole, but performing well in this four-game stretch could go a long way to help make the Tide's 2011-12 campaign. 

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Alabama basketball fans were hoping for the Tide to bounce back.

Instead, as a followup to their worst home performance of the season, the Tide endured chants of "L-S-U" and "overrated" as they laid an egg at UD Arena against the Dayton Flyers.

If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Alabama coach Anthony Grant had suited up for his alma mater and was locking down his current team, but no, the credit all goes to the current crop of Flyer ballers.

For the first time this season, Alabama failed to show up defensively. Combine that with the Tide's inability to score consistently and you had a recipe for disaster on the road.

Oh, and one other thing, Dayton shot lights out from the behind the arc.

The Flyers were 10-19 from downtown led by by Chris Johnson's 20 points.

Any time Alabama pulled within serious striking distance of Dayton, they would drain another big three.

The Tide's best effort came when they went on a 13-1 run to close the gap to four points with 7:36 left in the game.

Instead of creating another stop to push the "Decibel Dungeon" to the brink, Dayton's Kevin Dillard drained back-to-back treys to push the Flyer lead out to 10 and they never looked back.

Alabama, after a 7-0 start and a rise to No. 12 in the rankings, has fallen prey to their first losing streak of the season.

The biggest lesson to learn from these two games is that Alabama can't survive a game without a strong defensive effort. In the case of the Georgetown loss, the Tide couldn't even overcome when they did play with great defensive intensity.

Against Dayton, Alabama's defense was non-existant until their second half run, and when a team is as erratic offensively as the Tide, the effects can be ugly.

To put this poor effort in perspective, Dayton had 38 points in the first half. Maryland only mustered 42 points the entire game against the Tide along with 44 for North Florida and 45 for Alabama A&M.

Granted the last two are not world-beaters, but the quality of the opponent should never effect the effort of a team.

Finally, Alabama was plagued once again by early foul trouble for JaMychal Green. Two quick fouls and Green sat, playing only four minutes the entire first half.

It was a bad night for the Tide in Ohio and an ugly two-game stretch. Alabama will have to wait until Sunday when they host Detroit to get back on track.

Follow @photogdamon

Alabama basketball fans were hoping for the Tide to bounce back.

Instead, as a followup to their worst home performance of the season, the Tide endured chants of "L-S-U" and "overrated" as they laid an egg at UD Arena against the Dayton Flyers.

If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Alabama coach Anthony Grant had suited up for his alma mater and was locking down his current team, but no, the credit all goes to the current crop of Flyer ballers.

For the first time this season, Alabama failed to show up defensively. Combine that with the Tide's inability to score consistently and you had a recipe for disaster on the road.

Oh, and one other thing, Dayton shot lights out from the behind the arc.

The Flyers were 10-19 from downtown led by by Chris Johnson's 20 points.

Any time Alabama pulled within serious striking distance of Dayton, they would drain another big three.

The Tide's best effort came when they went on a 13-1 run to close the gap to four points with 7:36 left in the game.

Instead of creating another stop to push the "Decibel Dungeon" to the brink, Dayton's Kevin Dillard drained back-to-back treys to push the Flyer lead out to 10 and they never looked back.

Alabama, after a 7-0 start and a rise to No. 12 in the rankings, has fallen prey to their first losing streak of the season.

The biggest lesson to learn from these two games is that Alabama can't survive a game without a strong defensive effort. In the case of the Georgetown loss, the Tide couldn't even overcome when they did play with great defensive intensity.

Against Dayton, Alabama's defense was non-existant until their second half run, and when a team is as erratic offensively as the Tide, the effects can be ugly.

To put this poor effort in perspective, Dayton had 38 points in the first half. Maryland only mustered 42 points the entire game against the Tide along with 44 for North Florida and 45 for Alabama A&M.

Granted the last two are not world-beaters, but the quality of the opponent should never effect the effort of a team.

Finally, Alabama was plagued once again by early foul trouble for JaMychal Green. Two quick fouls and Green sat, playing only four minutes the entire first half.

It was a bad night for the Tide in Ohio and an ugly two-game stretch. Alabama will have to wait until Sunday when they host Detroit to get back on track.

Follow @photogdamon