I do have a worry with these hires…that is we don’t get too lost in the yesteryear of the Tides “murder ball” (over compensate)that we lose the ability to apply UGA’s Kryptonite: downfield passing. We beat them handily with it. Both Tide and Buckeyes were beating them with it until untimely injuries to the damage doers. Just interested in thoughts on this.

We had an appt in NC and we went to the Duke campus , North Carolina campus and Clemson campus today on our way home. My kid loves this kind of stuff. Any of y’all ever been on the Duke campus? Those buildings are unreal. We obviously didn’t go in Cameron Indoor but it looks so cool from the outside.

Interesting

Full article

There is certainly a trend in coaching and staff hires to go younger, to get people who connect with recruits, who are trusted by them and understand their interests.
Western Kentucky hired Ben Arbuckle to be QB coach and co-offensive coordinator and he’s 27. Notre Dame’s director of recruiting Chad Bowden is 28. Buffalo defensive coordinator Brandon Bailey is the same age. All across college football, at every level, people in their 20s are getting high-profile jobs and it’s helping with recruiting.
So it’s interesting that when 71-year-old Nick Saban needed a new defensive coordinator he reached out to an old hand, 64-year-old Kevin Steele, who is coming up on another birthday, to run that side of the ball for the Crimson Tide.
When Jimbo Fisher needed an offensive coordinator after finally relenting and giving up play-calling duties, he didn’t turn to a malleable young up-and-comer, he chose 61-year-old Bobby Petrino, who’s been around the block a time or two.
In a world where recruiting is more non-stop than ever, where social media edits are more important to some than meeting with the dean of the business school, Alabama and Texas A&M seem to be leaning on experience and knowledge, and away from what seems to be cool this moment.
There might be no right way to do it and no wrong way, just different ways. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds in Tuscaloosa, College Station and elsewhere.

*****​

I know its early, but lets all start it now. Run his happy ass off! RTR

We lost him to the Falcons. I’m not sure where we hid him bc I’ve never seen him. He was an analyst I think. I don’t want to only post one picture. Do yourself a favor and google him….
Also added Max Bullough as an analyst.

Opening Statement…

“That’s a big win. They played hard. They were ready to go. Coach Pearl had them ready to go. I thought their game plan was good early. They did a great job on Brandon. But I thought we had some different guys step up. Jaden Bradley played well tonight. Rylan Griffen was huge, hit some big shots, hit some free throws when we needed him to. I thought our guys showed some resilience to weather a bad shooting game from Brandon and have some other guys step up. I thought the timeout they called with six whatever it was to go in the game when we started to make a run, they came out of the timeout and Nimari took that charge, that was one of the biggest plays of the game. We’ve been on our guys about making tough plays. We’re gonna have to make them on the road. I thought our guys stepped up and made some tough plays there in the second half when we needed them. We knew this was gonna be a tough game. They’re not an easy team to play. They play hard. Our guys have been through some tough games. We’ve played Houston on the road. We’ve played Arkansas on the road. Different types of a team. Missouri on the road is a really good offensive team. This is a big rivalry game, and our guys stepped up and played well for us.”

Benny’s Breakdown: I know we shouldn’t be surprised anymore about how resilient this Alabama team is, but I keep finding myself a bit awestruck every time the Crimson Tide displays it. Alabama led the game for 10:11 compared to Auburn’s 24:56. The Tigers outrebounded, caused more turnovers and shot a better percentage at the free-throw line. All statistics which should indicate a victory were just footnotes as Alabama roared back to win a crucial game on the road in a place it had only won once in three trips during the Nate Oats era. It’s a win that great teams do throughout the year and repeat in March.

On having the bench step up with Brandon Miller having an off shooting night…

“Rylan led us in scoring. I thought Nimari played well. Nimari didn’t shoot it particularly well either, but he ended up leading up in blue-collar points and he made some effort plays. Not necessarily even just the bench, but Jaden Bradley was big there when we made a run late. To get the scoring out of him that we got was good. And then Brandon found other ways to impact the game. He’s still in double figures with 13. He got to the O boards. He got that tip-in that was big late after he got burned on the backdoor. But Rylan was huge. We don’t win this game without Rylan. And I really felt like he did the best job defensively on Wendell Green. I mean, Wendell Green can go get buckets as good as anyone in the country can, and I thought he was hurting Sears and Jaden Bradley a little bit, so we went with some more size and put Rylan on him. He had that one block and we tried to send him downhill to our bigs a little more. But he’s good. He may be the best guard we’ve seen all year. He’s really good.”

Benny’s Breakdown: Part of that resilience Nate Oats talked about in his opening statement is finding ways to win when things aren’t going to plan. Brandon Miller going 0-for-7 from 3-point range wasn’t in the game plan for Auburn, but it’s how the game shook out. Give credit to the Tigers for executing a great gameplan for stopping Miller. They knew they couldn’t keep him off the scoresheet, making Alabama beat them with someone else. The Crimson Tide did just that with Rylan Griffen and Jaden Bradley. Saturday’s classic chess match showcased the best of the in-state rivalry and left fans salivating for round two in a few weeks.

On the difference in handling the intensity, noise at Auburn compared to Oklahoma…

“I don’t know if noise was the issue at Oklahoma as much as it was the mindset going in. We played at Houston, and the noise didn’t rattle us. I don’t feel like the noise is gonna rattle any of our guys. I feel like it’s what’s our mindset going into the game. I feel like we didn’t take Oklahoma as seriously as we needed to for whatever reason. That’s why we didn’t play as hard as we needed to. There was no way we weren’t taking Auburn seriously. They’re a really good team, the biggest rivalry game and they’re competing for an SEC Championship. I know they’ve lost five of their last six, but they were right there, a couple weeks ago, at the top of this league. Our guys came ready to go. We didn’t do a great job in the first half with some stuff. I felt like some guys weren’t as locked in on the defensive end. Maybe not the effort but it was more executing the game plan as much as we needed to. I thought we did a lot better job there, especially in the last 10 minutes of the game.”

Benny’s Breakdown: It’s clear Alabama’s mulligan against Oklahoma served as the perfect wake-up call for the team. Since that blowout loss, Alabama has not only taken care of the teams it should beat, but show more fight when trailing or when a team takes it out of its rhythm. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide shot 29% from behind the arc, a major component of its offense. Instead of chucking up more ill-advised 3-pointers or playing isolation basketball, Alabama took what Auburn gave to them and made it work. The team became more aggressive in its pursuit of paint touches which wound up opening up perimeter shots late in the game.

On the maturity the team showed in being able to handle halfcourt late and get a win…

“Yeah, I think that was big that we were able to execute some sets late when it turns into a little bit more of a halfcourt game. And I did feel like we didn’t get out in the break – now, they did a great job not letting us out in the break. You’ve gotta give them tons of credit. But I felt like when we did get out in the break, we were able to kind of close the lead that they had, and then in the second half, when we opened it up, we were able to get some fastbreak points. But again, in the first half, we just fouled so much, and they were living at the free-throw line. It’s hard to play fast when the other team’s at the free-throw line all game, so we have to do a better job not fouling.”

Benny’s Breakdown: While there are many positives to take away from Saturday, there are still a few glaring issues. Alabama coughed the ball up 14 times, the most since the team’s road trip to Vanderbilt on Jan. 17, which allowed Auburn to outscore the Crimson Tide in points of turnovers, 17-9. Those turnovers also helped the Tigers get into their half-court sets easier as guards such as Wendell Green Jr. weaved through the Alabama defense en route to the basket. Those trips resulted in 26 free-throw attempts which allowed Auburn to keep a slight edge throughout the first half.

On his pride in the team’s response in a hostile environment; talk of Iron Bowl in recruiting…

“We talk about our schedule in general. We play in one of the best conferences in the country. We’re playing, what we feel like is, the toughest non-conference schedule in the country. So I feel like those other guys prepared for this, but yeah, this is the big rivalry game. Brandon came to a lot of Alabama football games. He understands the Iron Bowl rivalry in football. This is the equivalent to the Iron Bowl rivalry, it’s just in basketball. I think Brandon understood it. The guys hadn’t been involved in it yet, they should understand it after playing in the environment they played in today. It’s great. It’s what makes college basketball different than the NBA. You’re not gonna get this passion out of the fan base in an NBA game. I love the passion that their fans bring. Hopefully, our fans pack our arena out. Hopefully, there’s not one empty seat when they come back to Coleman and we have to play them at our place because I think that’s what makes college basketball so great.”

Benny’s Breakdown: During his Friday press conference, Nate Oats said the hype surrounding the game between Auburn and Alabama is “great for basketball in the state of Alabama.” The entire country got a good look at what he was talking about on Saturday as round one of the rivalry lived up to every expectation imaginable. Star players made big plays when they were called upon, there was physicality and animosity shown and even an unsung hero made an appearance or two in Alabama’s victory. The game showcased how great the rivalry is, but how its now must-see television when the two teams square off in whatever sport.

Here's a look back at the 'huge' performances by Jaden Bradley and Rylan Griffen during Alabama's 77-69 win over Auburn.

"Everybody can go on this team. It doesn't matter if you're a starter or not, everybody is as good as a starter on this team."

FUTURECAST: Aiden Sherrell to Alabama​

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From Travis Graf

After speaking to some sources on Tuesday afternoon, I entered a FutureCast for 2024 four-star forward
Aiden Sherrell
to commit to the Crimson Tide. Sherrell told Rivals on Tuesday evening that he isn’t exactly sure on a commitment timeframe, but that it would come sometime after the season.

If I had to guess, I’d say that a commitment would come this spring or summer, but the timeline isn’t set in stone, regardless. Other schools looking to make a push for Sherrell include Michigan State, Michigan, USC, and others.

read the whole article

I thought Burnett played well. He missed that wide open 3 that would have put it at 7 late. He made a great defensive play on tie tying up a shooter around the basket. He grabbed it from the guy with two hands. Bilas loved it but they cut away to gymnastics or something and never came back to it.

l hope all you guys that made the trip over there got out of that God forsaken rat hole in one piece.

ROLL DAMN TIDE and thanks for bringing us home a win.

Who: No. 3 Alabama (21-3, 11-0 in the SEC) at Auburn (17-7, 7-4)

When: 1 p.m. CT, Saturday, Feb. 11

Where: Neville Arena, Auburn, Ala.

Watch: ESPN (play-by-play: Dan Shulman; analyst: Jay Bilas; sideline: Holly Rowe)

Listen: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink; engineer Tom Stipe)

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Against my better judgment, heading down to Auburn tomorrow for the game. Anyone been before? Any tips on parking?

Alabama offered Theodore (Ala.) HS Cameron Pruitt tonight.

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Afterwhich, current Alabama commit Sterling Dixon chimed in.

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Young, energetic and a Great recruiter! I applaud Coach Saban for going outside the box for this hire! Rees likes to run the ball with a physical line! Uses the tight end and will throw down field more than BOB did! This could prove to be one of Coach Saban’s best hires!
ROLL TIDE ROLL!

72-65 : Alabama overcame a 13 point deficit and a ten minute scoring drought to cruise to a win at Kentucky. Alabama started the third quarter down 2 and stretched out a 15 point lead in the second half. Kentucky hit four threes in the final 90 seconds to make the score closer than it appears but the game was put away early in the fourth quarter.

Bama improves to 7-4 in conference play..

From Will

My 4 favorite sports days each year are opening days for Alabama football, basketball, and softball, as well as the season opener for my Houston Astros.


We have a doubleheader at the Rhoads House, opening with Lehigh at 3:30 and then playing Georgia Southern at 6:00. We'll follow that up by playing the same 2 teams tomorrow, facing Georgia Southern at 1:30 and Lehigh at 4:00. I wish the daily times were reversed, as our first softball game tomorrow falls right in the middle of our basketball game at that tiny little cracker box in Lee County. I'll be watching both, but will just need to have one of the broadcasts muted.

Murph has said that he plans on using this weekend to give all of our pitchers and position players an opportunity to play, so we'll probably see several different starting lineups in our 4 games. With that said, I'll give my best guess on a starting lineup if we were playing a conference opponent or in a post season game.

Our outfield seems pretty set with (from left to right) Jenna Johnson, Larissa Preuitt, and Faith Hensley. Johnson is a proven veteran, Preuitt is a highly touted freshman with great speed and range, while Hensley is a great transfer portal addition from Ball State. She was the MAC player of the year last season, batting over .400 and blasting 17 home runs. Jordan Stephens and Kat Grill will add quality depth to our outfield rotation.

The infield, with a few exceptions, is a little more uncertain. That's not for lack of talent, though. Ally Shipman at catcher, Ashley Prange at 3rd base, and freshman sensation Kenleigh Cahalan at 2nd base appear to have their positions locked down. Bailey Dowling will probably get the nod at shortstop, but Kali Heivilin has been playing very well there in off season scrimmages. I could see a little bit of a rotation between those two. Whichever one isn't starting in the field on a particular night will probably be the DP. Emma Broadfoot has come on strong in the last couple of weeks, and may have moved ahead in the 1st base competition. She hit 2 home runs in one of our final scrimmages. She is being pushed by Aubrey Barnhart. Freshman Abby Duchscherer is a player that could fill in at any of the infield positions. Freshman Marlie Giles will probably serve as the backup catcher, but Barnhart and Heivilin can also fill in behind the plate.

The face of college softball, Montana Fouts, returns for her final season at the Capstone. She is the unquestioned leader of this team, and we all know what she is capable of in the circle. She is simply one of the greatest pitchers in NCAA history. Jaala Torrence and Alex Salter are our other 2 returning pitchers, and by all accounts both have looked good in off season workouts. Lefty Michigan transfer Lauren Essman is the wild card in our pitching rotation. Murph has been very high on her. Our pitching staff can be very formidable if she can carry that over into the season. New pitching coach Lance McMahon has received high praise from Murph and the pitchers. While he's no Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro, he is an outstanding coach in his own right.

The players and coaches appear motivated by the disappointing end to last season, and are eager to wash that bitter taste out of their mouths. There is only one place for that to happen - on the softball diamond. This team has the potential to make a deep run in May and June. That talent, coupled with the determination to avenge last season's finish, should make for another great softball season. Good luck and go get 'em Team 27!

Since there is expected to be major change in Tuscaloosa regarding scheme, at least on the offensive end.

The Tide Illustrated staff wanted to bring to life some names to watch that the coordinators were already involved with.

I wrote about the newest menu item from Chuck's Fish in Tuscaloosa. Here's a look at the "Angry Chuck Roll," a massive fried sushi roll named after Alabama basketball center Charles Bediako.

With no roll call, does anybody know what Ducky is doing with all his free time

Reported by Barrett Sallee

Will this have implications on the bama staff?

I know @Kelly Quinlan reported health issues …

The staff hit the road this week, here are a few prospects that stood out along the way with stops in Alabama and Georgia.