I said this a few months ago and by looking at our current roster and how the season turned out, i think the mistake Coach Oats made was redshirting Kris Parker! This team has matchup problems with athletic big teams! Please tell me why a 6'9 guard who can shoot and dribble couldn't have helped this team win!? And mentioning that he wasn't strong enough at 6'9 190 punds is laughable! Every player on our team is physically weak lol! The days of being able to redshirt guys is gone because of the transfer portal and 1 and done nba rules. Coach Oats may have redshirted a guy that transfers and balls out somewhere else next year! I'm just saying this team with a 6'9 guard could have freed up the guards like sears!🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

The committee wouldn’t place #4 seed Alabama vs #13 seed UAB, would they?

It is on ESPN2. We’re off to a good start. However, Oklahoma is generally the best. We’ve been scoring great the last several weeks and hopefully we can put it all together in Oklahoma on their own floor. Roll tide.

Alabama and Charleston will tip off at 7:35 EST on Friday and will be aired on TruTv.

Alabama won game three 7-6 with a clutch strikeout with the bases loaded. Gave Miller has been on absolute fire hitting a game winning 3 run HR in the 8th with 2 outs.
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The placement of Alabama and Auburn in Spokane makes perfect sense.

Further information: NCAA basketball tournament selection process
The Selection Committee, which includes conference commissioners and university athletic directors appointed by the NCAA, determines the bracket during the week before the tournament. Since the results of several conference tournaments occurring during the same week can significantly impact the bracket, the Committee often makes several brackets for different results.

To make the bracket, the Committee ranks the whole field from 1 to 68; these are referred to as the true seed. The committee then divides the teams amongst the four regions, giving each a seed between No. 1 and No. 16. The same four seeds in all the regions are referred to as the seed line (i.e. the No. 6 seed line). Eight teams are doubled up and compete in the First Four. Two of the paired teams compete for No. 16 seeds, and the other two paired teams are the last at-large teams awarded bids to the tournament and compete for a seed line in the No. 11 to No. 14 range, which varies year to year based on the true seeds of the teams overall.[2]

Teams are placed in the closest geographical region to reduce travel time. However, teams are moved to other regions to follow several rules for ensuring competitive balance and avoiding rematches from the regular season in early rounds.[2]

The top four overall seeds are placed as No. 1 seeds in each region. The regions are paired so that if all the No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four true seed No. 1 would play No. 4 and No. 2 would play No. 3. The No. 2 teams are preferably placed so that the No. 5 true seed will not be paired with the No. 1 true seed. The committee ensures competitive balance among the top four seeds in each region by adding the true seed values up and comparing the values among the regions. If there is significant deviation, some teams will be moved among the regions to balance the true seed distribution.[2]

If a conference has two to four teams in the top four seeds, they will be placed in different regions. Otherwise, teams from the same conference are placed to avoid a rematch before the regional finals if they have played three or more times in the season, the regional semifinals if they have played twice, or the second round if they have played once. Additionally, the committee is advised to avoid rematches from the regular season and the previous years' tournament in the First Four. Finally, the committee will attempt to ensure that a team is not moved out of their preferred geographical region an inordinate number of times based on their placement in the previous two tournaments. To follow these rules and preferences, the committee may move a team off of their expected seed line. Thus, for example, the 40th overall ranked team, originally slated to be a No. 10 seed within a particular region, may instead be moved up to a No. 9 seed or moved down to a No. 11 seed.[2]

Basketball team laying a historical egg and getting blown out in SEC Tourney

Bama baseball is back to it’s no lottery reality- blown out at home 11-2 to Tennessee.

Softball team loses and is 1-3 in conference.

The Bama Standard. 🙄🙄

Both Men’s and Women’s teams are facing each other in first round of both NCAA Basketball Tournaments…somebody has got some pull with somebody? Nebraska is the better seeds in both.

Or do some of us want them to lose because of the ass-whipping they put on Bama the last two times? I only ask because I've heard this from some Bama fans at church this morning. I can't get behind pulling for Auburn.

some luck..some tenacity...but in. likely UK ( they always seem to play Uk in tourney) or Alabama. showed a hell.of a lot more.fight than Tide this week

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. – Caught up with Rivals250 outside linebacker Abduall Sanders last weekend in California during the first Rivals Camp Series stop. It meant a lot to be invited to a camp for Sanders who wanted to show what he could do in front of the people who analyze his game.

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“My goal is of course to just get better but I feel like people haven't seen everything I can do,” Sanders said. “So, I feel like I can showcase that and show people that I’m the guy.”

When asked who has been recruiting him hardest, there is a strong group. Alabama and Tennessee are among the schools after him the hardest. Ohio State has turned up heat after offering recently. But there is a previous connection with the Alabama staff.

“My first impression was great because I was getting recruited by them heavy at Washington. We already built that bond and relationship,” Sanders said.

“So once they went over there to Bama its just a bigger stage. But they are coming at me way harder now. I love the coaching staff. I love Coach DeBoer, Coach Kane Wommack and everyone over there. They are good people.”

The Tide figure to be a big part of Sanders’ recruitment moving forward. He’s got a strong sense of what he’s looking for in a future school.

“Other than a great football team, history and school? I’d say the staff on and off campus that can just build me as a man and as a better player. Everyone wants to play but if you can help build me to be a guy that can be a future NFL star that would be the best.”

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I’m certain Michigan will pursue Oates. I hope he chooses to stay at UA. This will be a big test for Byrne. What are you guys hearing?

Did Pearl just tie Oats with his 2nd SEC tournament championship?

Beaver got it done and some timely hits. RTR

to me he was one of the more underated players at bama. i`ll give you the years 1970 through 2000 to pick from that he played. i think he started as a freshmam. see if yawl agree with who i am thinking about?

Great comeback victory for us! Well played game by the TIDE!
ROLL TIDE ROLL!

After taking part in spring break, Alabama’s football team will resume camp this week. That’s just in time for Crimson Tide fans to turn their attention away from their basketball team, which took a break of its own during Friday’s SEC tournament quarterfinal — at least when Florida had the ball.

Nick Saban made headlines by stepping away from retirement to discuss NIL. Speaking of money, Alabama locked up Nate Oats on a hefty extension that should keep him courtside in Tuscaloosa for the foreseeable future.

There’s plenty to discuss from the past week, so pour yourself a drink and let’s dive in.

Drink of the week — Green beer

There are plenty of cool St. Patrick’s Day cocktails to choose from. I originally thought about going with a Gold Rush — one of my favorite drinks. Since this column is being published on a Sunday morning, a nice Irish Coffee might be a good start to the day. If you’re reading this in the afternoon, a Grasshopper made with Irish Creme might be more refreshing.

However, I’ve been using this space to think of a drink that defines Alabama at the moment. In honor of the basketball team’s defensive performance against Florida on Friday, I decided to ditch any form of effort and go with the trusty green beer.

This is as it sounds — beer, but green.

Start with a light beer. Remember, this is in honor of Alabama’s SEC tournament showing. Anything stout or hearty isn’t going to fit the theme.

From there, get a few drops of green food coloring. Don’t go overboard. Start with two in honor of the number of defensive stops Alabama had over the final six minutes of the first half against Florida. Then adjust depending on color preference. Have one or two or as many as it takes to trick yourself into buying into Alabama’s tournament chances this week.

Cheers!

Saban won’t be the last head coach chased off by NIL chaos

In his grittiest moments at Alabama, Saban had a signature phrase.

“They don’t make ‘em like they used to,” the former head coach used to say with a grin, “and there ain’t many of us left.”

That statement is beginning to ring true throughout college football — just not in the same manner Saban used to use it.

Coaching college football now seems to be a job for a younger man, or at least one with plenty of patience. That’s become even clearer following Saban’s statements on NIL during his trip to Capitol Hill this past week.

Spread and no-huddle offenses eventually proved no match for Saban. The College Football Playoff wasn’t a problem. For the most part, neither were earlier recruiting deadlines or the transfer portal. COVID-19 couldn’t even stop Saban from putting together one of college football’s all-time great teams in 2020.

So how did NIL become Saban’s eventual undoing?

“They don’t make ’em like they used to.”

It takes a different kind of coach to navigate the current landscape of college football. Some of that comes down to age and relatability with today’s youth. But it also requires a different approach and a new set of principles.

Ten years ago, Saban might have been more open to negotiating NIL payments with player handlers, but even then that practice would have eaten at his core. That’s why at 72, he felt this latest obstacle wasn’t worth adapting for.

“All the things that I’ve believed in for all these years, 50 years in coaching, no longer exist in college athletics,” Saban said while speaking to Congress last week. “It always was about developing players, it always was about helping people be more successful in life.”

Now, not so much.

While on Capitol Hill, Saban shared an anecdote about his wife, Terry, approaching him during a recruiting breakfast before his retirement.

“All they care about is how much you’re going to pay them,” Saban recalled Terry telling him. “They don’t care about how you’re going to develop them, which is what we’ve always done, so why are we doing this?”

Unsurprisingly, Saban’s remarks weren’t met with much sympathy. After all, a man with a net worth north of $90 million complaining about college kids pursuing their rightful piece in a multibillion-dollar industry doesn’t create the best optics.

Still, Saban isn’t the only head coach disappointed by players’ decreased interest in development. Kirby Smart echoed his former boss’ remarks when asked if he sells recruits on Georgia’s NFL success during the team’s pro day last week.

“It’s a great sell to the kids that will listen to it,” Smart said. “There’s a lot of them that want to ask about NIL. They don’t want to ask about what your NFL players have done. But I think it’s much more important how you develop players than how much NIL you’re getting.”

Neither Saban nor Smart is arguing against players getting paid. Not many coaches are — at least not publicly. However, NIL has created a power shift that threatens to significantly alter their roles as leaders.

Ultimately, that proved to be a tipping point in Saban’s decision to retire. Unless changes are made, he likely won’t be the only major head coach chased away by the chaos.

Why now is the right time for Oats’ contract extension

Greg Byrne’s ability to attract and retain the nation’s top coaching talents remains impeccable — even if the timing of his latest signing was less than ideal.

In a perfect world, Oats would have preferred to discuss his new extension with Alabama under different circumstances. Friday night’s 102-88 defeat to Florida in the SEC Tournament put a bit of a damper on news of a new deal that will see him become one of college basketball’s top five highest-paid coaches.

“Probably not great timing with this loss tonight, to be honest with you,” Oats said with a chuckle during Friday night’s postgame press conference.

Then again, Friday was arguably the perfect time to announce Oats’ extension. If anything, the Crimson Tide’s sobering defeat should serve as a reminder of the job the head coach has done this season.

As disappointing as Alabama’s quarterfinal exit was, it’s remarkable that Oats has the Crimson Tide on the verge of entering the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed.

This is a team that lost all but three players — a starter and two reserves — from last year’s SEC title-winning unit. Those departures included the SEC Player of the Year in Brandon Miller as well as a fellow first-round pick in Noah Clowney. Alabama’s roster plans were also turned upside down after starting center Charles Bediako unexpectedly entered the NBA draft and veteran point guard Jahvon Quinerly announced his transfer to Memphis in last July.

On top of all of that, Oats had to replace all three of the assistants who had coached alongside him since his first year at Alabama in 2019.

Oats came out of that chaos with a team that is currently second nationally in offensive efficiency and still sits at No. 9 in the NET rankings. Sure, Alabama has its flaws, but good luck finding anyone who could do a better job at compensating for them.

When it became obvious that none of the Crimson Tide’s post options would come close to replicating Bediako’s production down low, Oats pivoted to a small-ball approach, dropping Grant Nelson to the center position while deploying four athletic guards around him. That worked until injuries to Latrell Wrightsell and Rylan Griffen derailed Alabama’s momentum late in the year.

Under previous coaches, similar adversity would have found Alabama sweating out Selection Sunday on the bubble. Today the only drama the Tide will face centers around how far it will have to travel in what will be its fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance.

Oats’ new deal will also come with higher expectations. The head coach has yet to advance Alabama past the Sweet 16, and reaching that mark this season currently seems far-fetched.

Still, despite a bit of tough sledding lately, it’s hard not to get optimistic when looking at the Crimson Tide’s future with Oats at the helm.

***



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or i should say true bama fans. why throw off on our coaches and players when they lose. i don`t get it. most of this board have been giving our players hell. if we were to go on a run in the tournament they will be right back on the bandwagon. probably not going to happen but if we went to the final 8 fans would love it until we lost, and they had something to bitch about. if we were somehow to win it all in the next 5 years, I would like to read this board on how we didn`t win by enough. roll tide.

On a day where Kentucky and Tennessee both got destroyed in their first game of the SEC Tournament, Alabama followed suite by losing 102-88 to Florida. Florida is just a matchup nightmare for Alabama and a team that obviously gives them fits with their length around the rim and perimeter. It doesn't help that Alabama didn't hit hardly any of their open layups or open threes, but after the first 12 minutes, Alabama's defense fell off a cliff. Alabama started out on a 11-3 run, and led 31-27 with about 8 minutes left, then Alabama went to a zone (something people have been begging for and I have advocated against). Florida then hit a 3 and started a 21-2 run to end the half. At that point, the game was pretty much over. Mark Sears played incredibly bad the first half, and when your only great player on the team is struggling then the team will struggle.

I thought Alabama played pretty good defense the first 10 minutes of the game, but just couldn't get out of their own way offensively and that is what started the avalanche defensively. Nate Oats said it best in the postgame that the players focus too much on offense and let their struggles carry over to the defensive end. Just not tough mentally. Doesn't help going up against a team with 3 quality centers and Alabama doesn't have a single center on the team. You can guarantee that'll be on the transfer portal wish list. This team has not played well at all the final two weeks of the year and its a bad time for this to happen, but now it's a new season. Give credit to Florida. They're a great team and they had Alabama's number this year. Now it will depend on the draw Alabama gets in the tournament to determine how far they go. They're still solidly a 4 seed with everyone around them losing, but need to regroup and get healthy before next weekend.