Men's Basketball Falls To Florida, 61-52 - rolltide.com

"In my opinion, we've got to play with more self-confidence and more team pride in terms of the way we approach every single game, no matter what goes into the game," UA head coach Anthony Grant said. "We've got to compete every single time we step out there. We've got some young guys right now that need to learn that, in terms of the consistency of what it takes to compete at this level and be the type of players we are capable of being."

ALABAMA vs. FLORIDA POSTGAME QUOTES - rolltide.com

What he was pleased with during the game:
"I have to go back and watch the film, but it's hard to say if there was anything I did like. Obviously we shot 28 percent from the field and had 18 turnovers for the game. It's hard to find something positive in that. Obviously, we have to get a lot better as a team and understand that we've got Tennessee coming in here on Saturday. It will be another tough, challenging SEC game. Tennessee isn't walking in here saying `we don't have to give as good of an effort now' because of this. We have to understand that it's night after night after night here in the SEC. If we don't come mentally and physically ready for that, then it is going to be tough for us to get wins."

Young’s 19 points leads No. 14 Florida past Alabama, 61-52 - The Washington Post

Patric Young took advantage of the Tide’s suspension-depleted frontcourt with 19 points. However, Florida coach Billy Donovan could only give his team so much credit for surviving without the injured Will Yeguete (concussion) and Mike Rosario (bruised hip) when the Tide didn’t have its top two scorers and rebounders for the second straight games, both hard-fought losses. "It was an ugly game in a lot of respects, but let’s also realize, too, that Alabama was playing without their two leading scorers," Donovan said. "We had two guys out, they had two guys out." The impacts clearly weren’t equal.

Tide can’t stop Gators - TimesDaily.com

Florida (20-6, 8-3) made things difficult by switching to a 2-3 zone in the second half after center Patric Young picked up two first-half fouls. "I basically told them, if we get a stop in the zone in the first possession, stay zone," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "If we don’t we’re going to switch back to man." Alabama, it turns out, went five full minutes before Charles Hankerson’s two free throws ended the slide. Momentum was fleeting after that.

#12 Florida vs. Alabama - Men's College Basketball - Watch Basketball

Florida, coming off losses to Kentucky and Tennessee, heated up for the final 20 minutes by making half its shots. Alabama finished just 4 of 16 from 3-point range and 12 of 24 from the free throw line. Yet another teaching point for Grant. "That's just a lesson that you get in the SEC, that you cannot rely on how your offense is going to provide your energy," he said.

TideSports.com - Tide caught in Gators' trap

"Our emphasis at halftime was to come out with energy and effort," UA coach Anthony Grant said. "But they made some shots, we missed some shots and we've got to learn the lesson at you can't let your offense influence your energy." Alabama played without its two top scorers, Tony Mitchell and JaMychal Green, who are suspended indefinitely. "We've got some young guys that are getting indoctrinated into the SEC, and we've just got to get better," Grant said. "When adversity hit, we didn't respond the way you have to respond against a team like Florida, or to win in this league. (Our players) have to look in the mirror and say, 'I've got to get better.'"

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TideSports.com - Releford, Steele return; Tide set to face Gators

UA coach Anthony Grant said at his Monday press conference that junior Andrew Steele and sophomore Trevor Releford would "most likely" be available for tonight's nationally televised game after serving a one-game suspension that caused them to miss last Saturday's loss at LSU. But senior JaMychal Green remains suspended for a second game, and junior Tony Mitchell's indefinite suspension has now stretched to a third contest. Grant said the situation was "different" for Green than for Releford and Steele, without elaborating. "When you look at Andrew Steele - he's been probably the finest student-athlete that I've coached - he made a mistake," Grant said. "His body of work speaks for itself in terms of who he is as a person and what he's been all about. I was a former student-athlete. You are faced with a lot of different things and you have to make decisions. Sometimes you make the wrong one. I don't think that's any indication of who he is as a person. Same thing with Trevor Releford. He's a young man that's in his sophomore year in college and made a bad choice. I think his teammates understand that. Certainly as a coach, I don't condone it, but I'm not going to condemn him as a human being for making a bad decision. We will move on and get ready to play."

Alabama coach Anthony Grant gets understanding and support from ex-boss Billy Donovan | al.com

"I really believe that in order to win big, you've got to be prepared to lose big," Donovan said. "I think Anthony's attitude is, he's not going to be the kind of guy that's just going to plug holes in a leaking ship ... because eventually that stuff at some point is going to rear its head and it's going to bite you at some point."

No. 14 Florida without Yeguete, Rosario at Alabama - NCAA - SI.com

Since forward Patric Young is dealing with an ankle injury and forward Cody Larson is coming off a stomach virus, losing Yeguete is a huge blow for a team trying to avoid a three-game losing streak. "Dire is probably a pretty good word,'' Donovan said about his frontcourt situation. "We're going to have to do some different things both offensively and defensively. There is a tremendous void for us defensively at the basket. ... We're going to have to do things about our energy, our passion, that kind of mentality like collectively getting it done together and not leaving somebody on an island in the low post by themselves.''

Florida F Will Yeguete could be out more than a week with concussion – Orlando Sentinel

Yeguete’s absence leaves Florida lacking depth in the frontcourt, meaning it will likely need more minutes from guard Casey Prather. The 6-foot-6 sophomore is one of the most athletic players on the team, but Donovan said he’s had trouble translating his play in practice in games. Donovan met with Prather on Sunday to discuss an increased role. He’s averaging 9.8 minutes per game but is expected to get more playing time this week. With Yeguete out and Cody Larson still recovering from a stomach virus, that could include some time at power forward. "I think one of the things with Casey is if there’s anybody on our team that deserves to play well in games, it’s him," said Donovan. "His minutes have been very, very inconsistent. He’s not necessarily in a steady rotation all the time, and he has never, ever once – and I’ve got unbelievable respect for him – he’s never had a bad attitude."

NCAA College Basketball Preview - Florida Gators at Alabama Crimson Tide - CBSSports.com

Coming off back-to-back defeats for the first time in almost two years, Florida could find getting back on track in Tuscaloosa all the more difficult with its top two reserves sidelined. While Alabama will again be without its top two leading scorers, it should be getting a couple of key pieces back for Tuesday night's SEC showdown against the 14th-ranked Gators. After getting blown out 78-58 at No. 1 Kentucky last Tuesday, Florida (19-6, 7-3) saw its 19-game home winning streak end with Saturday's 75-70 loss to Tennessee. "I think these are the experiences where you get kind of hardened a little bit and our team needs to be hardened a little bit," coach Billy Donovan said. "We need to be more battle-tested, battle-weary, so to speak."

Donovan says Florida depth situation ‘dire' heading into Alabama | Gainesville.com

Florida will be short-handed heading into its matchup tonight at Alabama. But the Crimson Tide also are depleted. Alabama coach Anthony Grant has decided center JaMychal Green and forward Tony Mitchell will remain suspended for tonight's game against Florida. Guards Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele have been re-instated from a one-game suspension against LSU. The Gators will be without their two top scorers off the bench as forward Will Yeguete (concussion) and guard Mike Rosario (hip pointer) are out for the game. Florida coach Billy Donovan said reserve forward Cody Larson (flu) practiced Sunday and will make the trip, but isn't 100 percent.

Men's Basketball Set to Host No. 14 Florida - rolltide.com

Florida travels to Tuscaloosa with a 19-6 overall record and a 7-3 record in SEC play. After rattling off seven straight wins in conference play, the Gators have dropped their last two games to Kentucky and Tennessee. Florida features the SEC's most potent offense at 78.8 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting and more than 10 three-pointers per game. "I think Florida hits you with skill at four or five positions that puts different guys on the floor and creates matchup problems," Grant said of Tuesday's opponent. "With the way they run their offense, it makes it difficult for you to make sure you cover all the territory that needs to be covered. We will have to use as much time as we can to make sure our guys understand personnel and understand the adjustments we will need to make."

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SEC postseason position rankings: ST - SEC Blog - ESPN

7. Alabama: Before the national championship game, Alabama's field-goal kicking game received a ton of criticism, especially for the four misses in the 9-6 loss to LSU. But Jeremy Shelley redeemed the unit by hitting 5-of-7 in the rematch. Alabama's kickers missed 13 kicks. Marquis Maze only had 12 kickoff returns, but averaged 28.5 yards per return, was third in the SEC in punt return average (13.2) and had that nifty touchdown against Arkansas. However, Alabama was 11th in the league in kickoff coverage and 10th in punt average.

Saturday stock watch: Who’s rising and falling? | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Stock down: Alabama Suspended forward Tony Mitchell wasn't the only key player Alabama was missing during Saturday's 67-58 loss at LSU. Hours before tipoff, coach Anthony Grant also suspended leading scorer and rebounder JaMychal Green and guards Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele for an undisclosed violation of team rules. The quartet's absence cost Alabama (16-8, 5-5) a winnable road game and dropped the enigmatic Tide closer to the bubble. Their NCAA tourney hopes likely depend on when Grant decides to lift their suspensions, especially considering three of Alabama's next four games are against NCAA tournament contenders beginning with Tuesday's matchup with Florida.

Traina Mows Down Gamecocks, Tide Wins 3-0 - CBS 42 Birmingham, AL News Weather Sports

Alabama sophomore pitcher Jackie Traina allowed just one hit and struck out a career-high 15 batters as the Crimson Tide finished the Mardi Gras Invitational with a 3-0 win over Jacksonville State, Sunday afternoon at Jaguar Field. After the weekend UA starts the season 4-0. Traina baffled the Gamecock (0-4) hitters all game long and had a no-hitter intact until a leadoff single in the seventh inning broke the no-hit bid. The All-American finished the tournament 3-0 with an unblemished 0.00 ERA. She allowed just four hits in 16 innings and struck out 30.

Batting Around: GABA's Weekly SEC Baseball Ranking - Garnet And Black Attack

8.) Alabama Crimson Tide - Honestly, I don't know enough about this team to have a feeling one way or another about them. They've been decidedly mediocre in the past, and with the 8th best recruiting class in the SEC last year, I would expect that trend to continue.

Four-team playoff preferable to BCS majority of seasons - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

But how frequently would a four-team field leave out a truly worthy title contender? Would there be years where four would be far messier than two? If so, is that a small price to pay for avoiding indisputable injustices like 13-0 Auburn not getting a shot at the championship in 2004? In an effort to find out, let's revisit every year's title matchup and accompanying controversy and compare it with the likely reaction to a four-team field.

Urban Meyer, Jim Mora top new coach recruiting report card - Ben Glicksman - SI.com

Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin: A-. If Sumlin does intend to bring his pass-first attack to the traditionally ground-and-pound SEC, he now has the weapons to do so. Wide receivers Thomas Johnson (a former Texas pledge), Edward Pope, Sabian Holmes and Derel Walker all committed after Sumlin was hired, and quarterback Matt Davis, a four-star dual-threat out of Houston, stuck with the Aggies. Then there's Trey Williams, the 5-foot-8, 175-pound running back who rushed for 3,890 yards and 48 touchdowns as a senior, posting even better numbers than fellow Texas phenom Johnathan Gray. Williams should be the centerpiece of Sumlin's offense of the future.

Breaking down junior days - ESPN

What happens at a junior day? Prospects, often encouraged to bring parents or high school coaches, meet with the head coach -- significant because he's not allowed to visit recruits off campus in the spring evaluation period or talk to them during school visits in December and January of their junior years. Additionally, junior days typically include meetings with position coaches, coordinators, strength coaches, nutrition staff and academic advisers. The visitors take campus tours and/or attend a basketball game -- and might even participate in some serious football discussion. "We do like to sit down and talk football to see if this is a guy who can pay attention and understand what we're going to teach," Arkansas recruiting coordinator Tim Horton said.

NCAA takes a crack at slimmer, more efficient rulebook | al.com

Bring back athlete-only dorms with unlimited food. Let coaches talk publicly about their recruits. Allow transfers in all sports to immediately play. Those are among the ideas being discussed as the NCAA tries to produce a slimmer and more efficient rulebook, according to documents obtained by The Birmingham News. An NCAA working group that's studying current rules released concepts to schools last week for discussion. The goal is to crack down on what the NCAA perceives as major threats to its principle of amateurism while legalizing smaller issues, some of which are currently unenforceable. "It's very complicated to take a 400-plus-page rule book and shrink it down to something sensible," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in The Indianapolis Star last month. "But we're going to do it."

The SEC's top 25 players: No. 21 - SEC Blog - ESPN

He didn't have eye-popping numbers in 2011, but that didn't mean that Kirkpatrick didn't have a solid final year in Tuscaloosa. He failed to record an interception, but the number of interceptions does not always tell the whole story of a corner's season. Throwing Kirkpatrick's way was usually a no-no for quarterbacks. With his 6-foot-3, 192-pound frame, he made it nearly impossible for quarterbacks to consistently throw toward his side. His aggressive style got the best of him sometimes, but Kirkpatrick had a very short memory on the field and never had an issue bouncing back.

McElwain brings Billy Napier with him to Fort Collins - The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Former Alabama Offensive Coordinator brings the Crimson Tide's head of Offensive quality control, Billy Napier, with him to Fort Collins as assistant head coach/quarterbacks. Napier was Clemson’s youngest ever coordinator in 2009 at age 29.

Alabama Crimson Tide vs Jacksonville State
Time	2:30 pm CST
Location	Mobile, Ala. | Jaguar Field (892)
Listen Online	WVUA 90.7 FM
GameTracker	vs Jacksonville State
Game Notes	Alabama Notes | SEC Notes

Our beloved Crimson Tide are off to a 3-0 start after downing Memphis (8-0), Lipscomb (15-4), and South Alabama (12-1), with all being run rule victories. Alabama will finish up their trip to the Mardi Gras Invitational this afternoon against Jacksonville State at 2:30.

The Gamecocks are winless in Mobile, falling to Lipscomb (0-2), Mississippi State (1-8), and Memphis (5-10). Knocking off the Tide is the only positive they could take from this trip, so we need to be on our guard against a let down.

via RollTide.com

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
Jacksonville State is coming off of its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the second straight season. The Gamecocks advanced to the Louisville Regional, where they were eliminated by the host Louisville Cardinals. They finished the 2011 season with a 40-21 record.

Series History: This will be the 15^th meeting between the two schools, with Alabama having won the previous 14 meetings. The Crimson Tide won last year 6-0, on the strength of Kelsi Dunne’s third career no hitter against the Gamecocks. Senior Jazlyn Lunceford paces UA against JSU with a .667 lifetime average (2-for-3), adding two runs, two stolen bases and two RBI. Jennifer Fenton bats .500 against the Gamecocks with three runs scored, a triple and two RBI. Cassie Reilly-Boccia has accumulated the most at-bats, posting a .444 average (4-for-9) with two doubles and two RBI.

TideSports.com - Bama's basketball season hanging in the balance

Grant said he "wanted to think more" before deciding whether any of the four suspended players - including Mitchell, previously suspended for what Grant said was an unrelated matter - would be back for Tuesday's critical game against Florida, or at some other unspecified point in the future. The door does appear open, but what level of trust will there be if and when reinstatement occurs? How will the disappointed ones Grant alluded to - the teammates, the loved ones, the fans - view the players upon their return, when and if there is one? At this point, there is still a season for Alabama. Saturday's loss didn't help things, but it was not an NCAA elimination game for the Crimson Tide, as some breathless hyperbole on the Internet surmised. But it is a season hanging in the balance, depending not on some buzzer-beating 3-pointer or defensive stand, but on choices - bad ones already made, some yet to come and the choices a head coach quietly pondered in an empty locker room in Baton Rouge.

Anthony Grant discusses the latest suspensions of Alabama basketball players | al.com

"I'm very disappointed in terms of some of the choices that we as individuals made," Grant said after the game. "But you're dealing with young men. I was a college student at one point. Can't say that I did all the things right all the time. "Unfortunately, the thing that's most disappointing is how it affects so many other people, from loved ones and teammates, the program, the goals of the program and those that care deeply about this university." Grant said he takes responsibility for the players "in terms of decisions and the values that they learn or get built upon from their families when they come to me. We've just got to continue to try to make sure we do as best a job as we can in terms of giving them opportunities to learn and continue to grow as young men."

3 points the morning after Alabama's 67-58 loss at LSU | al.com

3. Veterans. Shame on them if this team fails in its bid to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006 because of what probably were some knucklehead decisions. The young players on this team should be ticked at their teammates, but if most or all of the veterans eventually are reinstated, it will be interesting to measure the team chemistry that already seemed to be lacking.

A Win For The Good Guys; LSU Defeats Alabama 67-58 - And The Valley Shook

It took a while, it took some suspensions, and it took a really ugly game, but LSU finally put away the Alabama Crimson Tide with a 67-58 win in the PMAC. I don't think anyone will say it was a well played game with numerous turnovers, poor outside shooting, and some defensive lapses. By both teams.

Lacey, Randolph learning together at Alabama | al.com

For two years, they were inexorably linked together. For at least one of those years, they supposedly disliked each other. This year, Trevor Lacey and Levi Randolph are together, and around each other, almost 24/7. That's because now, after all of the Mr. Basketball ceremonies, state tournaments and the drawn-out recruiting process that Lacey took to the eleventh hour last spring, two of the Huntsville area's finest prep basketball players of all-time finally are on the same team - and living under the same roof - at the University of Alabama. "Me playing with Trevor, I think that's what everybody's been wanting to see," Randolph said.

Shorthanded Crimson Tide fights, then fades and falls at LSU | al.com

"I felt we were capable coming into the game," Grant said. "We left a lot of things out there in the first half that we needed to be able to convert on. Anytime you go on the road, you've got to be able to finish plays." Cooper did not describe the team's pregame mood as gloomy. "We were excited to play," he said. "Coach Grant emphasized to go out and play real hard. We know we had to come together as a team so we could get this win." And what was the mood at halftime? "We came together as a team," Cooper said. "We said, 'The game is not over.' We wanted to go out and play hard."

Nick Saban gets Alabama players ready for NFL | al.com

The spoils of Alabama's football success these days go well beyond the trophies and rings accumulating on the second floor of the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility. Arguably more significant is coach Nick Saban's development of the players that helped haul in the hardware. Saban begins what he calls "the process" by selling recruits on an opportunity to grow in Alabama's pro-style program, everything from the way they are coached to the way they are treated. Those that blossom could compete for national championships using a blueprint he offers, which also happens to detail the path for the elite to reach the NFL. Last week, the NFL announced the names of more than 300 prospects invited to the NFL Scouting Combine Feb. 22-28 in Indianapolis. Nine Alabama players were invited, the most this year from any school.

Alabama’s football recruiting budget nearly triples in four years | The Daily Bama Blog

As the Alabama’s athletic department sustains solid profitability, it’s driving force doles out more every year to insure success. Recruiting expenses for the Crimson Tide football program jumped again in 2011 to total $980,882, according to documents the school filed with the NCAA. That wasn’t a major bump from the $870,438 it spent in 2010, but it’s 2.7 times higher than the $360,327 it spent in 2008. The expense represents only 3 percent of the total spent by the program, but its increase offers insight into the importance placed on drawing top athletes.

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Alabama Crimson Tide vs Lipscomb Lady Bison/South Alabama Jaguars
Time	vs Lipscomb | 3:00 p.m. CST vs South Alabama | 5:30 pm CST
Location	Mobile, Ala. | Jaguar Field (892)
Listen Online	WVUA 90.7 FM
GameTracker	vs Lipscomb | vs South Alabama
Game Notes	Alabama Notes | SEC Notes

Our beloved Crimson Tide got the Mardi Gras Invitational started with an 8-0 run rule decision against Memphis yesterday and hope to build off that momentum this afternoon against the Lipscomb Lady Bison and South Alabama.

Lipscomb split their doubleheader yesterday, knocking off Jacksonville State in the opener, 2-0, before falling to Mississippi State 3-1. Senior Whitney Kiihnl was the hero in the win over Jacksonville State, going the distance for the shut out, scattering five hits and striking out nine for her 72nd career victory.

"Whitney threw very well for us today," said Lipscomb head coach Kristin Ryman. "We were happy to see her get off to a good start. She knows she’s going to get everyone’s best efforts this year, so it was big for her and the team to have a good outing today."

They couldn't keep the momentum going into the second half, though, with their only score coming on a solo homer in the sixth after already giving up three runs to the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, South Alabama's date with Memphis was cancelled due to rain.

via RollTide.com

SCOUTING LIPSCOMB
Lipscomb comes into the 2012 season coming off of a 2011 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament runner-up finish. The Lady Bison finished the 2011 season with a 30-20 record and went 15-5 in conference play. Individually Lipscomb returns its top hitter in Caroline Mason. She paced the team in average (.307), hits (43), doubles (10), home runs (9) and total bases (82). In the circle Whitney Kiihnl returns after posting one of the top seasons by a pitcher in 2010 followed by another solid campaign in 2011. Last season she went 20-11 with a 1.69 ERA, striking out 328 in 211 1/3 innings pitched. Head coach Kristin Ryman returns for her seventh season, leading the Bison to a 183-133-1 record over that span. In 2010 she paced Lipscomb to a Tuscaloosa Regional runner-up finish.

Series History
The Tide and Bison have faced off five times previously, with Alabama holding a 4-1 series lead. The two teams last faced off in 2010 at the Tuscaloosa Regional, with Alabama winning 5-2 in their first meeting, then defeating the Lady Bison 6-0 to win the regional. Lipscomb defeated the Tide in 2005, 4-2, for their only win in the series. Kayla Braud leads the team against the Bison with a .500 (3-for-6) lifetime average, adding a stolen base. Courtney Conley has added the punch with two career home runs and a .400 average (2-for-5).

SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA
The Jaguars of South Alabama recorded a school record 37 wins in 2011, going 37-17 overall and 15-10 in conference play. They return seven letterwinners off of last season’s team, including starting pitcher and Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Hannah Campbell, who went 19-7 a year ago. Junior Brittany Fowler, a second team all-conference selection, led the team in hits (53), triples (3), and runs batted in (52). Becky Clark enters her sixth season as head coach, and has compiled a 299-156-2 record in nine seasons in Mobile.

Series History
The Tide and Jaguars have faced off four previous times, with Alabama winning all four games. Last season, Alabama knocked off South Alabama, 6-0, with freshman pitcher Jackie Traina pitching a six inning two-hitter at the All-Alabama Classic. Cassie Reilly-Boccia has nine career at-bats against USA, posting a .444 average with three runs and a RBI. Jennifer Fenton has blasted a home run, scored three runs and swiped three bases while Jazlyn Lunceford has stolen four bases, scored four runs and hit .375 in eight lifetime at-bats.

Mitchell remains suspended; Tide to rely heavily on Hankerson at LSU | The Montgomery Advertiser

Tony Mitchell will be out of Alabama's plans at least one more game. Crimson Tide coach Anthony Grant said Friday the suspension of the team's second-leading scorer -- which he called "indefinite" when it was announced Monday -- remains in place. Grant said Mitchell would not make the trip with the team to Baton Rouge, La., for today's game at LSU. So Alabama (16-7, 5-4 SEC) will again look to the player who filled the scoring gap in Tuesday's 68-50 win at Auburn. Sophomore guard Charles Hankerson came off the bench to score 14 points, more than Mitchell's 13.1-per-game average.

Tide goes for fourth straight win | Dothan Eagle

Ten Alabama players played at least seven minutes against Auburn. And the bench outscored the Tigers 28-9 to continue its recent improved play. Alabama has averaged more than 28 points from its reserves in the last four games. Charles Hankerson came off the bench and scored 14 points. Freshman Rodney Cooper was 3-for-3 with two 3-pointers. But senior forward JaMychal Green credited 7-footer Carl Engstrom with setting the tone early for Alabama (16-7, 5-4 SEC). "I think he is the one that brought the energy to the team," Green said. "He came out there and did a great job. He was on the boards and he scored four points and that was huge for us."

Alabama Basketball: Tide Looks for Season Sweep of LSU | isportsweb

Alabama head coach Anthony Grant announced earlier today that junior forward Tony Mitchell is still suspended, and will not play tomorrow night against LSU. There still has been no timetable for his return, but I projected that he would miss these two road games against Auburn and LSU, and would return for Alabama’s home date with Florida on Tuesday. In the first meeting, Mitchell didn’t have a great game, but he did make an impact with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. With Mitchell out once again, Alabama will need other guys to step up in his absence.

Men's Basketball to Face LSU on the Road - rolltide.com

The Tide's defense remains one of the top in the nation by allowing a scant 57.9 points per game this season, the 12th best average in the nation and the second best in the SEC while forcing its last three opponents into 17.7 turnovers per game. Offensively, the Tide's bench has provided a spark with the reserves averaging 28.2 points per game over the last four games. Charles Hankerson, Jr. has helped generate that average of late with with a 10-point performance against Mississippi and a 14-point outing with a career-high three three-pointers against Auburn, all less than 10 days after undergoing knee surgery.

Basketball Looks for Fourth SEC Home Win Saturday - LSUsports.net

LSU is 13-10 overall and 3-6 in the SEC, while Alabama comes in at 16-7 and 5-4 in the league. LSU has home wins over Ole Miss and Auburn and evened the season series with Arkansas with a 71-65 win in the team's last home game on Feb. 4 and the Tigers would like to turn the tables again after the Tide won the opening game between the two schools on Jan. 11, 69-53. But Coach Trent Johnson knows that this is a different situation meeting Alabama the second time than the second meeting with Arkansas. "This team, Alabama, is a lot different than Arkansas," said Johnson at his Thursday media session. "Alabama, I really feel, doesn't matter on the road or at home, they're the same because their mental and physical toughness is very impressive. What we take from the first time, and what we take from even this group last year, you're going to have to be physical and be smart, and you're going to have to beat this basketball team. They are not going to beat themselves."

TideSports.com - Tide needs another big win against LSU

The Crimson Tide has quietly fashioned a three-game winning streak in SEC play and positioned itself into a potential NCAA Tournament bid. Alabama was solidly in the field in Friday projections by CBS (as a No. 7 seed) and ESPN (as a No. 8 seed), but UA needs to keep winning games like tonight's 6 p.m. contest with the Tigers, now 3-6 in the SEC. Alabama handled the Tigers easily in Tuscaloosa last month, winning 69-53 behind a 20-point performance from Trevor Releford. "LSU will be a different team at home," Alabama coach Anthony Grant said on Friday. "They beat Marquette at home. They are 3-1 in the SEC at home and the only loss is to Kentucky. "The last time we played them we had some success and I think that we shot 50 percent from the field," Grant said. "So we will have to be ready for some defensive adjustments that they will make, and make sure that we do a better job of taking care of the basketball because we had 15 turnovers in that game.

Softball Blanks Memphis in Season Opener, 8-0 - rolltide.com

Senior Amanda Locke collected three hits and sophomore pitcher Jackie Traina allowed just one as the Alabama softball team downed Memphis, 8-0, in five innings Friday afternoon at Jaguar Field. With the win the Crimson Tide improves to 11-5 in opening day games and has now won seven of its last eight openers. Traina allowed just a single hit in the second inning and shut down the Tigers the rest of the way as the sophomore fanned seven and walked two in an 87-pitch effort to open the Mardi Gras Invitational.

Tide gymnasts win at Kentucky with a 'blue-collar' performance | al.com

After putting together its highest score in almost eight seasons last week in a victory over No. 3 Florida, the second-ranked Alabama gymnastics team recorded a season-low score Friday night. But that score of 196.000 still was more than enough to defeat No. 28 Kentucky. The Wildcats finished with a score of 194.700. The Crimson Tide's lowest score previously was 196.175 in its second meet of the season at Penn State. "This was one of those blue-collar nights," Alabama coach Sarah Patterson said. "The ladies weren't perfect, but we made some adjustments that will help us step forward."

No. 2 Gymnastics Beats Kentucky, 196.000-194.700 - rolltide.com

"This was one of those nights that we worked really, really hard to get the score we had," Patterson said. "This is one of the times that I don't want the ladies to focus on the score, but just focus on our performance." Leading by more than a point going into the final rotation, Alabama scored a 48.850 on the balance beam led by sophomore Kim Jacob's meet-high 9.85 to close out the win. Alabama started the night off with a 49.000 on the uneven bars led by senior Geralen Stack-Eaton's meet-best 9.85.

Mark Barron to miss NFL Scouting Combine due to injury | al.com

Former Alabama safety Mark Barron will miss the NFL Scouting Combine while recovering from double hernia surgery, according to a sourced report. NFLDraftScout.com reported Friday that Barron's recovery could last as long as eight weeks. The report said Barron's surgery was due to a pre-existing condition. Barron has coped with various injuries the past two seasons.

Alabama Crimson Tide vs Memphis Tigers (Mardi Gras Invitational)
Time	Friday, 2/10/12 | 3 p.m. CST
Location	Mobile, Ala. | Jaguar Field (892)
Listen Online	WVUA 90.7 FM
GameTracker	Game One
Game Notes	Alabama Notes | SEC Notes

Crimson Tide Softball is back in action today after ending last season with a 53-11 (19-6 SEC) record and another trip to the Women's College World Series. That last bit sounds great, but the memories of it are far from pleasant.

After cruising through regionals, Alabama faced a 2nd consecutive super regional exit at home before freshman Jackie Traina's late game heroics. In a scoreless 3rd game against Stanford, Traina relieved Kelsi Dunne in the 4th inning, and eventually singled to set up the game's only run. The momentum ended there, however. Needing only one win to reach Oklahoma City the Tide was thoroughly embarrassed by Florida, giving up 25 runs in 12 innings to end what many believed would finally be the breakthrough year for Patrick Murphy's program.

The Crimson Tide only lost two players to graduation last year, but they were arguably the two hardest to replace. Pitcher Kelsi Dunne went 29-5 as a senior, finishing her career with a 113-22 record and winning at least 26 games in each of her four seasons. Further, Whitney Larsen made 243 starts in four seasons, slugging better than .500 each season.

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Can a rocky offseason result in smooth sailing for Alabama softball in 2012? | al.com

"It was different for a lot of people," Alabama outfielder Kayla Braud said. "...(The healing) was that first meeting when (Murphy) laid everything out on the table. That's when it was just over with, put in the past and we have big things to do this year." Alabama's season begins today at the Mardi Gras Invitational in Mobile, where it will play four games, including today's opener against Memphis at 3 p.m. and against host South Alabama Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Alabama defeated Memphis 7-1 last season in an NCAA regional in Tuscaloosa.

Softball Heads to Mardi Gras Invitational to Start 2012 Season - rolltide.com

SCOUTING MEMPHIS Memphis enters the 2012 campaign coming off of its best season in school history. In only their sixth season of existence, the Tigers went 36-14, posting a school record .720 winning percentage and finished fourth in Conference USA. Memphis was selected for its first ever NCAA tournament appearance, where they were sent to the Tuscaloosa Regional. The Tigers return 14 letterwinners from last season’s squad, including five of 10 starters and three pitchers. Senior first baseman Jessica Phillips returns after her record setting junior year, where she set school records with 15 home runs and 44 RBI. In the circle, Carly Hummel returns. She was a big reason for their success last season, posting a 21-8 record with a 1.46 ERA. The right-hander struck out 196 in 168 1/3 innings pitched. Opponents hit a paltry .140 against the sophomore a year ago. The Tigers are led by first-year head coach Natalie Poole, who enters Memphis with a record of 312-299 in 10 seasons of coaching, previously coaching at McNeese State.

Softball season starts - Sports - The Daily Helmsman

The era of new head coach Natalie Poole begins today as the University of Memphis softball team opens up their season on the road with a doubleheader against No. 2/3 Alabama and South Alabama in the Mardi Gras Invitational in Mobile, Ala. For Poole, opening the season against a team as highly ranked as the Crimson Tide can set the tone and establish expectations for the rest of the season. "You're facing a team (Alabama) that you're going to see in the postseason," Poole said. "You're facing a team that's basically going to create every scenario that you need to be in before you get into conference play"

Alabama Softball to be Televised Nine Times in 2012 - rolltide.com

The Alabama softball team will be featured nine times to a television audience, the Southeastern Conference announced Thursday. A total of 30 SEC softball games will air in accordance with the agreement with the ESPN networks and regional partners FOX Sports South/SportSouth and CSS. The Crimson Tide will play in front of a national audience six times on the ESPN family of networks. The nine total television dates are the most of any team in the conference.

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Mike Slive says changes to BCS still couple years away - ESPN

Mike Slive helped propose the plus-one plan to find a national champion in football and says actual change remains a couple years away even if everyone can agree on changes to the Bowl Championship Series. The Southeastern Conference commissioner said Wednesday a decision could be made later this year but cautioned it's premature to speculate on what changes might be made. He says they need time to sit down and analyze plans with discussions needed among the conferences. "Really a lot of this discussion is premature, and I want to respect the process that we're in," Slive told members of the Nashville Sports Council during a question-and-answer session. "We've had four-year formats since we started. We've done it on the basis of four years, so each four-year period you have to sit down and decide what format is going to be going forward. So we have decided to sit down and talk about this from every different side."

The Big Ten's Cold-Hearted College Football Playoff Plan Is Actually Good For Everybody - SBNation.com

The Big Ten's plan calls for semifinalists to get home field advantage and for the championship game to tour the country instead of just rotating between four Sun Belt cities -- fine ideas all around. Just getting to play against the No. 4 team instead of the No. 3 team is no real reward for being ranked No. 1, and college towns instead of tourist towns should get playoff game revenue. And of course it's the Big Ten that's recommended this, since the usual postseason destinations (I see you, Ford Field!) give warm-weather teams an advantage. The thinking is those SEC teams that have dominated the sport wouldn't be so great if they had to play semifinal games in Michigan instead of Florida and California. The Big Ten's record in BCS title games since 2002 is 0-2, with losses to SEC teams in Louisiana (indoors!) and Arizona. Ohio State's lone bowl win over a SEC team was later redacted. SEC teams get to play bowl games in Southern cities, and they don't travel to play the Big Ten. They don't really travel to play anybody. To the Big Ten fan, this appears to be a great shame on the SEC, while the SEC fan regards this fact with the same level of interest as Hussite War tactics in 1426.

Brice Ramsey: Alabama’s Nick Saban has eyes on UGA’s prized QB recruit | AJC College Sports Recruiting

Alabama’s Nick Saban has his eyes on UGA’s top football recruit for 2013. The coach of the BCS champions recently made a personal appearance to let QB Brice Ramsey of Camden County High School know that he’s a priority for the Crimson Tide. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Ramsey has been committed to UGA since last summer, since before the start of his junior year. Alabama, along with UGA, Florida, Florida State, Clemson and Notre Dame, had actually offered Ramsey as a sophomore. Saban is aware that Ramsey is pledged to UGA but isn’t fazed. (ed.- how evil. sounds like someth...nevermind.)

Can Alabama be trusted? (Josh Bean) | al.com

Will Alabama's botched courtship of Philon cause the Crimson Tide to lose its foothold in Mobile's fertile recruiting ground? "I don't think it will have a big effect, not in Mobile," said St. Paul's coach Steve Mask, a 30-year coaching veteran whose team includes at least three Division I prospects. "The bottom line is they're still Alabama. ... You have to look at how they've done in the past. Maybe this is an isolated incident, but historically they've lived up to doing what they said they'd do."

Four Alabama commitments, two Auburn commits in Rivals' 2013 rankings | al.com

Four players already committed to Alabama, two Auburn commits and four in-state players are on the 2013 Rivals 100 list of top college prospects released Wednesday. Alabama commitment Reuben Foster, a linebacker from LaGrange (Ga.) Troup, was No. 2 on the list, just behind top-rated Robert Nkemdiche, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson. The 6-2, 228-pound Foster had 185 tackles and 14 sacks as a junior in 2011. Other Alabama commitments on the list included Rivals' top-rated in-state player, Autauga Academy tight end O.J. Howard (No. 35), North Little Rock (Ark.) running back Altee Tenpenny (No. 20) and Fultondale athlete ArDarius Stewart (No. 75).

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Men's Basketball Beats Auburn on the Road, 68-50 - rolltide.com

The Alabama men's basketball team moved to 16-7 on the season and 5-4 in Southeastern Conference play with a decisive 68-50 victory over Auburn inside Auburn Arena Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide has now won three consecutive conference games and four in a row over the Tigers. Auburn falls to 13-11 overall and 3-7 in the SEC. "Obviously any time you put these two teams together there's going to be a lot of excitement," UA head coach Anthony Grant said. "Our guys understood the challenge that we had. I thought we were able to create some transition opportunities. We handled the changing defenses well and everyone that stepped on the floor for UA gave a great effort."

Green, Releford lead Bama past Auburn | TuscaloosaNews.com

Crimson Tide coach Anthony Grant did not mention Mitchell specifically, saying only that "the guys who played tonight did a great job." "Our guys understood the challenge, weathered the storm early and handled the atmosphere well. They executed our plan. We wanted to get the game going up-and-down, and we did that. "The energy, emotion and passion our guys played with was great to see."

Auburn basketball: Tigers stumble, fail to recover | The Montgomery Advertiser

The Tigers spent the past two weeks sparking a renaissance of sorts with aggressive de­ fense and improved play from point guard Varez Ward. Consider that run fin­ ished. Auburn regressed spec­ tacularly against Alabama on Tuesday night, losing sight of the behaviors that recently made it more suc­ cessful. Ward finished with just three points while a meltdown late in the first half allowed Alabama to build a double-digit margin it never relinquished. That's how Alabama rolled into Auburn Arena and earned a 68-50 win. "At the end of the day, it came down to toughness. We got out-toughed," Auburn coach Tony Barbee said. "It was disappointing."

Bench helps Crimson Tide rout Tigers 68-50 | al.com

Tony Mitchell didn't play at all, and Andrew Steele started because Trevor Lacey began a game on the bench for the first time in 12 games. Imagine how thin Alabama's bench was Tuesday night in a key Southeastern Conference road game at Auburn Arena. Was this the depths of despair? No, it was a display of depth. The bench made a big difference as the Crimson Tide (16-8, 5-4 in the SEC) defeated Auburn 68-50, handing the Tigers their worst home loss in series history and their worst loss in two-year-old Auburn Arena. Previously the Tigers' worst home loss in 52 home games against Alabama was 80-65 in 1990

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Previous Entires: Tauren Poole (Tennessee) | Isaiah Crowell (Georgia) | Vick Ballard (Mississippi St.)

Today we have another (sorta) boom or bust back in South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore. I say sorta for two reasons. First, Lattimore's season was cut short due to injury after only seven games. We're going to look at him anyway since he was well on pace to repeat/top his stellar 1197 yard performance in 2010, and who knows how the numbers would have averaged out had he played the rest of the season under the heavy load he was already carrying. Second, "boom" doesn't really describe Lattimore's running style. He's a power back built to grind out yardage, and expecting him to put up big yardage and ypc numbers on a limited amount of carries isn't very realistic. To put it another way, he's a great example of a workhorse back in a league that doesn't really use them anymore.

For those of you who are new to this, the Running Back Success Rate is a measure of how "successful" each of a running back's rushing attempts are. A "successful" run is one that :

Gains at least 40% of the yardage needed to move the chains on 1st down
Gains at least 60% of the yardage needed to move the chains on 2nd down
Gains at least 100% of the yardage needed to move the chains on 3rd and 4th down

With that in mind, here are Lattimore's numbers over the course of the season.

For the sake of comparison among the SEC backs we will only be looking at their performance against conference opponents to eliminate stat skewing performances against OOC cupcakes. Lattimore is an interesting case. Though his total numbers look pretty impressive, when you factor out the OOC games his success rate (56% / 48%), yards per carry (5.0 / 3.9), and yards per game (116.9 / 92.0) all take pretty significant drops. It's no surprise that two of his best performances (and two of his three most "successful" perfomances) came against the only two OOC teams he faced, noted defensive powerhouses East Carolina (#81 in the nation against the run) and Navy (#92). His 358 yards in those two games accounted for 44% of his total rushing yardage, accounting for the big drop in ypc average when only looking at the SEC. So let's look at his in conference performance:

Other than the big bump in both yardage and success against Kentucky (87th in the nation against the run), the way the success rate and yardage lines mostly mirror each other is a pretty good visual view of Lattimore, i.e. what you see is what you get with the stat line. I do want to talk about the Georgia game, though, and kind of point to it as the model game you would really want from a back like Lattimore. His 27 carries in that game were his second highest carry load of the season, with a very solid 176 yards (6.5 ypc) to show for it in a 45-42 shootout win for the Gamecocks. Lattimore either moved the chains or helped put the offense in a good position to do so 48% of the time (which is a good number) while also breaking off four rushes of 10+ yards (two of which were 20+). That's pretty much the ideal performance for a true power back in a high scoring game.

Overall, Lattimore's numbers are pretty much on target with what you would expect from a back of his skill set. He's not typically going to explode in any given game, but roughly half the touches he gets end up well for the offense and he does have enough big play capability to be a real every down back. It's a shame his season was cut short and that the portion of the season he did play in was mostly defined by the erratic play of Stephen Garcia. If he returns to form after his injury he'll once again be one of the best, if not the most spectacular, backs in the SEC in 2012.

Men's Basketball and Auburn Set For First of Two Annual Meetings - rolltide.com

The Crimson Tide visits the Plains with a 15-7 overall record and a 4-4 record in SEC play after a thrilling, 69-67, double-overtime win against Mississippi on Saturday. Auburn returns home, where it is 12-1 this season, after playing three of its last four games on the road to amass a 13-10 overall mark and a 3-6 record in the SEC. "They're doing a really good job defensively and mixing up their defenses," UA head coach Anthony Grant said of Auburn. "Their defense has been able to create offense for them and they have a variety of guys that can really score the basketball. They've only lost one game at home so, it will be a challenge to go in there and come out with a win."

Alabama visits Auburn minus Mitchell - TimesDaily.com

This was the first suspension Grant handed down this season after sitting several starters in his first two seasons at Alabama. Senior JaMychal Green was one who missed action last year for disciplinary reasons. Green spoke with Mitchell after the suspension and urged him not to do "anything dumb and stupid." Mitchell’s 13.1-point scoring average trails only Green’s 13.8 a game. "That was the main point of going to talk to him because I’ve been through it," Green said. "I told him you can’t come back with a bad attitude. You have to come back with a new state of mind and just get better from it."

TideSports.com - Mitchell suspended

Alabama has won two games in a row, home victories against Arkansas and Ole Miss, to pull back to .500 in SEC play, but Grant was continuing to look at various lineups even before the Mitchell suspension. UA used 11 different players in the overtime win against Ole Miss, getting solid bench production from Mitchell and Charles Hankerson in particular. "Right now, for our team, I think it's a positive," Grant said. "The thing that we've got to get is consistency from our guys on the floor. If it means that we've got to look at different combinations on the floor, we have to be able to do that. I was proud of the effort the other day. We had guys that really stepped up when the opportunity presented itself. That's what we preach all the time. With this (Auburn) game, I don't have any preconceived notions of whether we are playing eight, 10 or whatever we're playing. I think our guys all have to be ready, if the opportunity presents itself to make contributions to our team, in order to be successful."

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Previous Entires: Tauren Poole (Tennessee) | Isaiah Crowell (Georgia)

With National Signing Day and a little real life out of the way, we can get back to the task of breaking down the SEC's top running backs and seeing which ones truly performed at a high level and which one's simply looked good on the stat sheets. This time we have Mississippi State's Vick Ballard under the microscope and, despite being the #4 rusher in the conference, we definitely have our first case of boom or bust performances really skewing the stat sheet and perception of his performance.

For those of you who are new to this, the Running Back Success Rate is a measure of how "successful" each of a running back's rushing attempts are. A "successful" run is one that :

Gains at least 40% of the yardage needed to move the chains on 1st down
Gains at least 60% of the yardage needed to move the chains on 2nd down
Gains at least 100% of the yardage needed to move the chains on 3rd and 4th down

With that in mind, here are Ballard's numbers over the course of the season.

For the sake of comparison among the SEC backs we will only be looking at their performance against conference opponents to eliminate stat skewing performances against OOC cupcakes, something that doesn't do Ballard many favors. Though his total numbers look good, when you factor out the OOC games his success rate (51% / 43%), yards per carry (6.2 / 4.7), and yards per game (84.1 / 71.5) all take pretty significant drops. Of his five most successful performances, four came against the OOC regular season slate, with only Auburn (the SEC's #11 rush defense) and Kentucky (#10) allowing him a 50% or greater performance. Even Ole Miss, who finished dead last in the SEC against the run, held him to 48% despite giving up several stat skewing big plays.

So let's look at his in conference performance:

Again, against the three worst run defenses in the conference Ballard put up some reasonably strong numbers, but against everyone else he was effectively a non-factor. And even against non-conference opponents Ballard generally did pretty well, though I do want to point out one thing that perfectly sums up why this metric is useful in evaluating performances. In the Music City Bowl against Wake Forest, Ballard ran 14 times for 180 yards and two TDs. That's a jaw dropping 12.9 ypc average, but he came out with only a 43% success rate. You know why? 86% of his yardage came on three runs of 60 (TD), 22, and 72 (TD) yards. While you certainly want your backs breaking off big game changing runs like that, not every defense is going to give them an opportunity to do it once, much less three times in a game. So even though Ballard has big play capability, against the SEC less than half of his carries helped put his offense in a position to move the chains.

Overall, looking at his performance against the stronger defenses he faced, and considering Mississippi State just wasn't that good of a team this season, I have to give Ballard credit for grinding out a 1000+ yard season. He reminds me of Tauren Poole a little; he'd never be a Heisman contender, but he's at least a capable enough running back that if he played on a team with a more balanced offense that didn't almost completely rely on him he would have had a greater chance at a very special year.

SEC postseason position rankings: WR/TE - SEC Blog - ESPN

3. Alabama: The Alabama pass-catchers didn’t rack up a bunch of touchdown catches, but they made plays when they had to. It was a deeper unit than given credit for as evidenced by the play of Kevin Norwood and Kenny Bell in the BCS National Championship Game. Marquis Maze was Alabama’s top playmaker at receiver and one of the more underrated players in the league, and the Tide had two good tight ends in Brad Smelley and Michael Williams.

Lee says he could have helped LSU in BCS title game | Home | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA

But after throwing two interceptions in the then No. 1-ranked Tigers’ Nov. 5 showdown at Alabama, Lee was relegated to a backup role behind fellow senior Jordan Jefferson in LSU’s final five games. He threw just five passes total in those games, getting on the field only to take a knee in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game against Georgia. Most galling to a strong and vocal contingent of LSU fans is that Lee didn’t get on the field at all in the Tigers’ 21-0 loss to Alabama in the BCS championship game. Jefferson went the whole way and struggled, as LSU managed just 92 yards total offense and crossed midfield just once. Lee repeated quotes he gave while participating in an all-star game in California that he was frustrated by not getting in the BCS title game. "I felt, if I was given the opportunity, I could have come in and done things to help," Lee said. " "I don’t know what happened. Obviously, the coaches had a reason for doing what they did. As a player, you have to respect that. But there were some players and plays that could have helped us win."

Delusional Optimism Is Mad We Haven't Celebrated - And The Valley Shook

The title game sucked, and it was okay to take an appropriate mourning period for the ruination of what was only the greatest regular season in the history of college football. Stuff like that takes time to get over. Well, we've had a month. It's over. Time to get back on that horse and move on. It's time to stop apologizing for our season. LSU finished #2 in the nation and BEAT three of the four other teams in the top five. Acting like we're some mediocre team that just got lucky all year is a tremendous disservice to this team. This team was awesome. Hell, the team still is awesome, as a lot of the key components are coming back and we should expect radically improved QB play. Unless you went to Alabama, you could only hope your team had as good of a season as we had. And even Alabama needed a successful public relations campaign to get a second chance to salvage their season. Was it fair? Who cares? My momma told me that fair is just a weather condition. And while LSU fans may have gotten the short end of the BCS stick this year, we also rooted for a two-loss national champion in 2007. The BCS giveth, the BCS taketh away.

Colleges already line up for 2013's top football prospect - ESPN

Even though NCAA rules permit only minimal contact with high school juniors, Alabama's Nick Saban, Georgia's Mark Richt, Florida's Will Muschamp, Clemson's Dabo Swinney and Tennessee's Derek Dooley each visited Grayson High School during the past two weeks. Assistant coaches from Florida State, Miami, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Vanderbilt -- and assistants from at least a dozen other schools -- also stopped by to see the country's most highly sought high school football player. "The only thing that concerns me with all the recruiters and media and everyone always wanting his time are the distractions," said Conn, who played for Alabama and was a member of the 1992 national championship team. "I've never seen a player as good as him in high school. The comparisons don't bother me. He knows college is going to be a different animal.

TideSports.com - Saban's recruiting classes among the best

Last Wednesday, on National Signing Day, Alabama collected 26 signatures comprising the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class - Alabama's fourth No. 1 finish in recruiting in the last five years, according to Rivals.com. A number of factors other than winning, however, contributed to that success. "If I had to pick a recruiter to just go into a living room and close a deal, it would be Urban Meyer," Rivals.com national analyst Mike Farrell said. "But if I had to pick a head coach that represented everything a kid wants - winning a championship, discipline, hard work, getting to the NFL - then it's Nick Saban."

TideSports.com - Cecil Hurt: Tide short on Super Bowl QBs

Statistically speaking, Super Bowl quarterbacks are a small sample that doesn't really reflect the stature of a college football program. Plenty of schools, including some in the Southeastern Conference, have never had a Super Bowl quarterback. It's a different column for a different day, but SEC quarterbacks in the NFL have been a mixed bag for quite some time now, excluding guys named Manning. The fact Drew Brees led the Saints to a Super Bowl win a couple of years ago hasn't put Purdue in any Rose Bowls, and Alabama has managed to win five national titles since its last NFL first-rounder, Richard Todd.

Tide Holds Off Rebs in Double OT - CBS 42 Birmingham, AL

"I could not be prouder of the effort our guys gave today," Grant said. "In the first half we really struggled. Give Ole Miss credit, I feel like they shot the ball extremely well and they were tough defensively. At halftime we talked about what we needed to do from a defensive standpoint and I thought from that point forward the defense just continued to get better and better and better over the course of the rest of the game."

ALABAMA vs. MISSISSIPPI POSTGAME QUOTES - rolltide.com

On JaMychal Green and Tony Mitchell in this game: "Tonight they played with great heart and great passion. One of the assistants mentioned probably three times tonight, JaMychal had to ask to come out of the game because he was playing with so much heart and so much passion. Tony stepped up and was terrific down the stretch. He took a blow to the head in the first half and had to sit for a while in the second half, but he was dying to get back in there and he really made some plays for us there in the end. If you look at the box score we had 10 guys in double figures for minutes, and everybody, every last one of them made a play at some point. That was pivotal to the win."

Men's Basketball Defeats Mississippi, 69-67 - rolltide.com

The Alabama men's basketball team improved to 15-7 and 4-4 in Southeastern Conference play with a heart-pounding 69-67 double-overtime victory over the Mississippi Rebels before a boisterous Coleman Coliseum crowd of 12,711 Saturday night. With the win the Crimson Tide improves to 10-2 all-time in double-overtime games while Alabama head coach Anthony Grant improves to 3-0 in overtime games during his UA tenure. With the loss, Mississippi falls to 14-8 and 4-4 in the SEC.

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'Bracketologists' still high on Crimson Tide's NCAA tournament stock | al.com

The march toward March is three-fourths complete. Where does the Alabama basketball team stand going into its first of eight games in February? The Crimson Tide is 14-7 overall but only 3-4 in the Southeastern Conference. Will it reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006? Two so-called "bracketologists" still like Alabama's chances despite a recent four-game losing streak. "They're closer to in than out," said ESPN's Joe Lunardi, whose latest bracket shows Alabama as a No. 7 seed in the West Region. Jerry Palm of CBS projects the Crimson Tide as a No. 8 seed in the West Region. "They're definitely on the better side of it at the moment," Palm said.

All about the SEC: It's Kentucky and everyone else - College Basketball - Rivals.com

In the postseason hunt Alabama: The Tide is 3-4 in the league and the conference’s most disappointing team. The outside shooting has been atrocious. Of the seven losses, only one (at South Carolina) is a "bad" one. But there are just two top-50 wins, meaning upcoming games against Florida, Mississippi State and Ole Miss (home) and Arkansas (road) are extremely important.

Tide hosts talent-laden Florida team | TuscaloosaNews.com

Last season, when the then-No. 6 Crimson Tide traveled to Gainesville, Fla., to face the then-No. 1 Gators, Alabama lost its first meet of 2011, 197.55 to 195.45. Patterson said that was a turning point for a UA team that went on to win the national championship, but coaches wouldn't be bringing it up this week in practice. "I think we just use what we're doing this year, and (the gymnasts) may talk about it, but from a coaching standpoint we don't really talk about it because it's a different group of people," Patterson said. Senior Ashley Priess said the gymnasts won't be talking about it much, either. "I feel like our Penn State meet (this season) was a point for us where we had to come together and change some things in our minds and focus more on the team instead of ourselves individually," Priess said. "We kind of look at that meet as our ‘Florida meet.' "

With Stack-Eaton out of the lineup, Tide aims to get Gators back | The Crimson White

It doesn’t get any easier for the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team. After facing the current No. 4, No. 10 and No. 13 teams nationally in a row to start the season, the Tide returns home to face the No. 3 Florida Gators on Friday in arguably its toughest meet of the season so far. The Gators come in to Tuscaloosa boasting the third-best average score in the country at 196.563. They also posted the highest score in the country so far this season at home on Friday: 197.775 in a quad meet win. "Based on talent, on their roster, I think they are the most talented team in the country. I’d put them at number one," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "For me, to see what they did last week, 197.775, that’s exactly what I expected from them. They’re that talented."

Another year, another mile between Alabama and everyone else on the trail | Dr. Saturday

Fundamentally, though, recruiting is a perpetual construction project, and Alabama's latest crop is even more impressive when taken as the latest expansion of an already formidable skyscraper. By Rivals' count, it's 'Bama's fourth No. 1 class in five years under Saban, a spree that's now stacked the roster with an incredible 99 four- or five-star prospects since 2008 — 54 of whom, including the incoming class, remain on the prospective 2012 roster. The starting lineup this fall will be composed almost entirely of that number, replacing a dozen outgoing starters from last year's BCS championship team with an even more hyped wave coming right behind them. Saban's success is in the macro. No other team in the country has put together five straight top-five classes since '08. Only USC and Florida State have put together five straight in the top 10. Based on the point totals Rivals assigns to each class, Alabama is a good 10 percent ahead of its closest competition in the SEC, Florida and LSU, in the race for essentially the same talent. Even if you think recruiting rankings are disposable hype, those remain championship odds.

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Nick Saban, Alabama rule Signing Day; 2012 recruiting awards - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

Lose Trent Richardson, Dont'a Hightower, Dre Kirkpatrick and Mark Barron to the NFL? No worries. In come the reinforcements. While lofty recruiting rankings don't guarantee future success, they're a pretty good indicator when it comes to Saban's teams. All four aforementioned Alabama players were four- or five-star prospects in Saban's top-rated 2008 and '09 classes. So, too, were 2011 NFL rookies Julio Jones and Mark Ingram, and returning stalwarts Barrett Jones and Robert Lester. So sit back and watch over the next two to three years as several of Saban's 2012 crown jewels -- defensive back Landon Collins, running back T.J. Yeldon, athlete Eddie Williams and others -- work their way into the rotation, gain the necessary experience and eventually become the cornerstones of another title contender, just like their predecessors. Detractors can't even break out the oversigning complaint this year because new SEC rules reigned in Saban. "Alabama has become the gold standard in terms of dream schools for kids," said Rivals.com National Analyst Mike Farrell. "It used to be Florida, or USC before that. But when we ask [class of] 2013 kids what's your dream offer, the answer is usually Alabama."

TideSports.com - Alabama claims another national recruiting title

"Alabama wins with defense and a strong running game, so it's no surprise the Tide has beefed up on the defensive side and added two excellent tailbacks," Rivals.com Southeast analyst Keith Niebuhr said. "Alabama did particularly well at linebacker, where all five commits are four-star players, and each will bring a unique skill set to Tuscaloosa. "Up front, the Tide added to a solid group by landing two four-star defensive tackles. The offense scored big with five-star tailback T.J. Yeldon, one of the most athletic players in the class, and Kenyan Drake, a true speedster. "The Tide also did extremely well at receiver and defensive back. Collins is the headliner. All in all, this is another stellar Tide class, which is what we've come to expect."

No surprises for Nick Saban; Alabama recruiting class widely regarded as nation's best | al.com

Saban said there were virtually no surprises, unlike a year ago. He admitted there were challenges with the SEC's new 25-man cap on signees; Saban said 26 players signed with one back-counted toward the 2011 class. "We couldn't send out a lot of scholarships on a maybe because if too many guys decided to come here we would have gotten penalized," Saban said. "It worked out well from that standpoint the fact we had a lot of guys commit to us a long time ago. To stick with those commitments was also a positive thing for us in terms of our management in recruiting this year."

Alabama Crimson Tide land No. 1 recruiting class - ESPN

Before the ink could dry on the University of Alabama's 2012 signing class, coach Nick Saban already was thinking about the future. Thursday, the hunt begins for the class of 2013, but Wednesday was all about welcoming a new group of players into the Alabama program. By the time the sun rose on signing day, Saban had his entire commitment board filled out. The rest of the day was spent watching the plan unfold. "We knew exactly pretty much what we were going to get," Saban said when he addressed the media Wednesday afternoon. "We didn't have any surprises. All of those things shook out in the last 24 hours."

Forget suspense and excitement, it's just another 'Bama Signing Day - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com

On Feb. 1, this recruiting class resembles Alabama's star-studded class in 2008 -- Saban's first at Alabama -- that brought the likes of Mark Ingram, Don't'a Hightower, Julio Jones, Marcel Dareus and Mark Barron to Tuscaloosa. That group was the foundation that led to two national titles in the past three seasons. Can this group have as much success? "I say this every year, recruiting is not an exact science," Saban said. "No one knows how these players will develop in the future." True, but this year's class still will be expected to produce similar results. Taylor said that's not added pressure, it's just the reality of playing at Alabama. "We expect to come in and work hard," Taylor said. "We expect to go in compete and play harder and out-physical anyone. We expect to play Alabama football. It's up to us to live up to those expectations.

FSU, 'Bama sign top classes - Stats & Info Blog - ESPN

The Crimson Tide addressed their greatest needs, filling holes at defensive back and wide receiver. Alabama struggled to replace Julio Jones in 2011, with no player catching more than 56 passes or four touchdowns last season. Next year, they'll face a similar problem when they have to again replace their top receiver, Marquis Maze. But this year they signed four 4-star or 5-star athlete/wide receivers, the most of any school in the nation, adding options for AJ McCarron on offense. McCarron improved throwing downfield last year, completing nearly 56 percent of his attempts of more than 15 yards in Alabama’s final six games (nearly 41 percent in team’s first seven games), and should have more chances to go vertical in 2012 with a deeper receiving corps. Alabama also signed the top safety and No. 2 cornerback of the 2012 class to help replace three secondary starters in Dre Kirkpatrick, Mark Barron and DeQuan Menzie. Alabama had a historically stingy secondary in 2011, allowing the same number of completions (seven) as they made interceptions on passes of 20 or more yards. Recruits Landon Collins and Geno Smith should fill in nicely for the Alabama backs that graduate or enter the draft.

Tide assistant Jeremy Pruitt named Recruiter of the Year | al.com

After helping the Crimson Tide land yet another highly-touted recruiting class, Alabama assistant coach Jeremy Pruitt has been named the Recruiter of the Year by recruiting service 247Sports, al.com has learned. In a statement to 247Sports, Pruitt thanked his fellow coaches at Alabama for helping him pull in a number of the Tide's top signees in 2012. "This recognition should really go to our entire staff and to the University of Alabama," Pruitt said. "I appreciate it, but I think you can look back at the last four or five classes here to know that I just have a small part in the recruiting process. When you are at a place like Alabama with our history and tradition, and you combine the fact that your head coach is the best in the country, high school players are excited to have a chance to play for the Crimson Tide."

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Another year, another top rated recruiting class. The Tide finished the day ranked #1 by Rivals, ESPN, MaxPreps, and 247sports.com, while Scouts has us at #2 behind Texas (quick, someone hurt Colt McCoy's shoulder!). OTS and I will break down this year's class, who we got, who we didn't, depth, the lack of drama, and etc. starting at 7:30 CST. You can join us in the chat or listen with the widget below, or if you miss it you can direct download here or download via iTunes shortly after the recording has stopped. Roll Tide.

Scot Loeffler And SEC Football's Creeping Sabanization - FairWeather Report - SB Nation Atlanta

Auburn's transition from the run-based spread to a pro-style attack* brings up a somewhat disturbing trend in the SEC: Creeping Sabanization. When Saban joined the conference, the mix of offenses was fairly diverse. Florida was running the spread. LSU was running something with spread elements. Arkansas was relying healvily on the Wildcat. Within two years, Auburn and Mississippi state were also running the spread. Two national titles for Saban later, everyone is trying to copy him, but not necessarily in good ways. Florida is running a pro-style offense under a Saban disciple. Ditto for Tennessee. LSU is attempting a modern-day imitation of the Bo Schembechler offense. Now, Auburn is eschewing the offense that was a significant factor in the Tigers winning their first national title in 53 years.** Mississippi State is left as the only run-based spread team in the league (and no one is running the Air Raid that played a role in Clemson, West Virginia, and Oklahoma State all making BCS bowls). Chris Brown asks whether the age of the spread is in decline. The answer is clearly "yes" in the SEC.

Top-ranked kicking recruit knows pressure moments | The Daily Bama Blog

From his seat in Bryant-Denny Stadium on an early November night, Adam Griffith saw the perils of college football kicking. He was on a visit the day Crimson Tide specialists missed four of six kicks in the 9-6 overtime loss to LSU. It made an impact. "I think for the first time there, he felt the pressure of being a college kicker," said Hal Lamb, Griffith’s high school coach. As the nation’s No. 1 high school place-kicker, according to two recruiting services, the Calhoun (Ga.) High School senior faced his share of tense moments. That, and his character, Lamb said, should help his transition to college.

Morris enters Tide’s quarterback picture - TimesDaily.com

Something about this recruiting process didn’t add up for Allen (Texas) High School coach Tom Westerberg. His 6-3, strong-armed quarterback named Alec Morris has all the tools. Why isn’t he ranked among the nation’s elite? Morris was rated a 3-star prospect on the 5-star scale used by the major recruiting services. Rivals.com ranked him the 30th-best quarterback in the country while Scout said he was No. 37. Only a few schools offered scholarships. After he first committed to Wake Forest, Alabama entered the picture. Morris changed his pledge to the Tide in August and will sign as the only quarterback in Alabama’s class Wednesday. "Once he gets there and people see him, they’ll figure out why we couldn’t figure out why he didn’t have more offers," Westerberg said.

Brandon Greene: UGA makes last-ditch effort for top Alabama recruit | AJC College Sports Recruiting

Brandon Greene told the AJC on Monday afternoon that he still plans to sign a football scholarship with Alabama. However, UGA still hasn’t given up hopes of changing his mind before Wednesday’s signing day. The 6-foot-6, 295-pound offensive lineman from Cedar Grove High School confirmed that UGA has sent him a letter-of-intent. Greene said he also got one from Alabama, and that’s where he plans to sign. There’s a lot of speculation surrounding Greene, who is ranked the state’s No. 1 prospect at OL by some, and with good reason: Greene made a surprise visit to UGA last month, reportedly angering Alabama coach Nick Saban. Alabama's Nick Saban has enjoyed a banner year of recruiting Georgia's elite prospects (AP) Even to add more suspense to the recruiting drama, Mark Richt and his entourage of three UGA assistants went to Cedar Grove to see Greene last Thursday. That’s awful late in the recruiting process to make such a concentrated and orchestrated effort if UGA didn’t think it had a chance, don’t you think? (ed.- how evil. sounds like something nick saban would do.)

Top JUCO cornerback, Tide commit ‘a model citizen’ | The Daily Bama Blog

"Not everybody can call on a junior college kid and say hey, this is a guy that’s just a great citizen," O’Mera said. "We’ve never had any trouble with him. He’s a student that works real hard in the classroom and we never had any type of legal trouble or anything like that. He’s just been a model citizen and a model kid."

5 Reasons Nick Saban Will Continue To Dominate The College Football Landscape | Saturday Down South

2. Player Development: Okay, after Saban shows he has the ability to get top talent on campus in the recruiting season, he has proven the ability to develop that talent. And here’s where Saban differs from a lot of other coaches (i.e. Mark Richt) in the country. It’s all about a coach having the ability to develop those players, and Saban has shown he can do that time after time.

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How nation's top teams fared in recruiting - College Football - Rivals.com

1. Alabama: Average ranking past five classes: 4th Buzz: Alabama has finished in the top 10 in each of the past five recruiting cycles and in the top five in each of the past four, including three No. 1 rankings. The "worst" class in that stretch came in 2007, when the Tide finished 10th. That class provided four key three-star recruits on this season’s title team: DL Josh Chapman and Nick Gentry, C William Vlachos and WR Marquis Maze. The top-ranked 2008 class included Marcel Dareus and Julio Jones, and also had these four-star guys who played big roles this season: SS Mark Barron, FS Robert Lester, LBs Dont’a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw and OT Barrett Jones. The 2009 class was ranked No. 1 and had three five-star recruits who started this season: TB Trent Richardson, OT D.J. Fluker and CB Dre Kirkpatrick. Five-star LB Nico Johnson was a backup.

ACC teams may benefit from SEC's oversigning rule | The Post and Courier - Charleston, South Carolina

Atlantic Coast Conference football teams could benefit on National Signing Day next week and in the future because of a recruiting rule adopted by the Southeastern Conference. Last summer, SEC presidents and chancellors unanimously passed legislation prohibiting their programs from signing more than 25 players per recruiting cycle in an attempt to curb the practice of oversigning. ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said several SEC coaches predict as many as 30 players per year that would have signed with SEC schools will now sign elsewhere. And where will those 30 decorated prep stars sign? Luginbill believes most will turn to the SEC's neighbor, the ACC, which has no oversigning rule. "This new SEC oversigning rule could create a real shift in power when you consider the caliber of player that may normally sign in the SEC," Luginbill said. "If they no longer have room to be signed, that player is going to go somewhere. Where do you think he's going to go? If he's in the South, he's going to go to the ACC. That could really aid and enhance a lot of teams that are considered to be at the forefront in the ACC, a Florida State, a Clemson, Miami and North Carolina."

Rivals.com Football Recruiting - Rivalries run strong on the recruiting trail

Alabama vs. Florida State: The two powers had their tussles this season, which may continue until signing day. Out-of-state programs regularly grab top prospects out of Florida, but rarely do teams go into Alabama and grab recruits under the nose of Nick Saban. Florida State did this season. The Yellowhammer State's top prospect, Hueytown quarterback Jameis Winston, committed to the Seminoles in August but continues to be pursued by Alabama. Auburn grad and Alabama native Dameyune Craig, the quarterback coach, led the Seminoles' recruiting efforts in the state, landing Rivals100 defensive end Chris Casher (Mobile Davidson) and Rivals250 defensive tackle Justin Shanks (Prattville). The Crimson Tide returned the favor by dipping into Florida for key recruits. The Tide garnered a commitment from Rivals100 wide receiver Chris Black (Jacksonville First Coast) even though Florida State was the first program to start recruiting him. Five-star athlete Eddie Williams (Panama City Arnold) favored Alabama just as recruiting began. Alabama won another recruiting contest with Mobile Davidson defensive tackle Alphonse Taylor broke off his commitment to Florida State to commit to the Tide.

Russell Wilson's success sparking college football free agency - NCAA Football - SI.com

Star quarterback Russell Wilson's transfer to Wisconsin from NC State prior to the 2011 season helped the Badgers earn a trip to the Rose Bowl. Wisconsin's ability to take advantage of a little-used graduate-student transfer rule to land Wilson may have sparked a new trend in college football: free agency. College football programs have long used National Signing Day to build their programs for the future. But after Wilson's success at Wisconsin, those programs now realize the graduate-student transfer rule can help give them an immediate boost in the present. The rule, which has been around for years but was amended to its current form in 2007, appeared to be taking off in popularity over the holidays when numerous schools -- including Kansas, Rutgers and Arizona -- used it to bring in mid-semester transfers. "The Russell Wilson situation does make it look like a trend," said Kelly Brooks, the NCAA's associate director of academic and membership affairs. "The ability to do what he did was a new exception put in place for [student-athletes like] him. "You could see more student-athletes taking advantage of it."

Talent-rich SEC states are thin on elite quarterback recruits. - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

A year ago this time, with the SEC coming off its fifth straight national championship, my colleague Andy Staples compiled some interesting data that confirmed one of the primary reasons behind the league's recent dominance: The wealth of elite defensive prospects in its backyard. Andy noted that a staggering 43 percent of NFL defensive linemen hailed from a cluster of 10 Southeastern states representing just 22 percent of the general population. But when Alabama won the conference's sixth straight title on Jan. 9, praise for the Tide's historically dominant defense came tempered with skepticism from the rest of the country. How could we truly know the strength of Nick Saban's unit when it never faced an elite quarterback from another conference? Even before Alabama faced LSU's chronically erratic Jordan Jefferson in New Orleans, it went through an SEC slate that included just one passer -- Arkansas' Tyler Wilson -- rated among the top 25 nationally (at 22nd). They had a point. While the Southeast continues to produce a disproportionate number of elite football players (including 39 of Rivals' Top 100 players in the Class of 2012), the one position it notably lags behind in is quarterback.

For recruits, Urban Meyer's impact at Ohio St. is unmistakable. - NCAA Football - SI.com

As the nation fixates on the ever-growing media maelstrom that accompanies the months leading up to the presidential election, another campaign comes drawing to a close. It's also characterized by powerful men traveling the country, attempting to woo their audiences with long term goals and promises of a brighter future. That's right, National Signing Day is just days away, and time remains for many coaches to significantly bolster their programs. "It's probably the sport that's most like politics," said JC Shurburtt, the national recruiting director for 247Sports.com, "because it depends on the opinions of young people and media and coaches. The voters get to vote for the championship and the young people decide if you're going to win because that's how you get personnel."

Social media makes its mark on recruiting - ESPN

Florida coach Will Muschamp said social media also provides another glimpse into a player's character, warning that "kids need to understand that they have to be very careful about what they do on social media." Cornerback Yuri Wright found this out the hard way. Wright, No. 40 in the ESPNU 150, was kicked out of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., last week after several sexually graphic and racially explicit posts appeared on his Twitter account. Wright initially had numerous scholarship offers, but several schools cooled on him after the Twitter posts went viral. Wright ended up committing to Colorado this week. "If a kid posts something stupid on Facebook, it bothers you," Polian said. "You have to ask yourself, at what point is this a kid being a kid or is this what we will have to deal with?"

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Men's Basketball Defeats Arkansas 72-66 - rolltide.com

"It's always good to win, our guys certainly needed it," Alabama head coach Anthony Grant said. "They came in with great poise and figured out, from a defensive standpoint, how to make us stay down a little bit. We, I thought, had success in the first half attacking and being aggressive. Their zone really slowed us down, slowed the tempo of the game down. I'm proud of our guys for finding a way, when Arkansas took the lead during the second half; our guys never lost their poise, stayed with it and found a way to come out with the win. It was good to see our guys get stops at the end of the game, come up with some big rebounds and make some free throws to close it out."

ALABAMA VS. ARKANSAS POSTGAME QUOTES - rolltide.com

On how his players responded to the challenges he gave them: “I think across the board, we’ve got a group of guys that really want to win. It comes down to just figuring out what gets us beat, what we need to do as a team, the commitment we need to make to each other, the commitment that we’ve got to have on a daily basis to do the things that we need to win. I think for our team, this is still a work in progress, in terms of I think we can get better. I think there’s still room for growth on this team. We’ve just got to continue to understand the common goal that we all have, which is to win and to continue to have those opportunities.”

Veterans don't all start for Tide, but they finish off Razorbacks to end losing streak | al.com

For the first time since a Dec. 17 loss to Kansas State - 10 games, or half a season ago - senior forward JaMychal Green, junior forward Tony Mitchell and sophomore point guard Trevor Releford each scored in double figures. Releford led the way with 18 points. Green came off the bench to add 14, and Mitchell and reserve junior guard Andrew Steele each added 11 points. That's 54 points from four veterans. Four freshmen combined for 16 points. In the last six minutes, Green scored six points and Releford, Mitchell and Steele each had four. "You expect the people that have been in a tough situation to kind of step up," Steele said. Grant was upset after his team was upset Wednesday at South Carolina, falling 56-54 to a team that had been winless in the SEC. What was he thinking in sitting Green and starting freshman Nick Jacobs instead? "Just a personal decision," Grant said. "I thought it was the best thing for our team at that stage."

TideSports.com - HURT: UA needs more play like Steele's

Alabama quite likely wouldn't have beaten Arkansas without Steele. He played 29 minutes - more than anyone on the team except Trevor Releford. He was, as Grant said, "all over the stats sheet." He scored 11 points (a career high) and had six assists (also a career high), thus having a direct hand in 23 Alabama points. He grabbed six rebounds. He was a safety valve who handled the ball well against Razorback pressure. He did it all even though he has, in the past month, had to deal with the postconcussion syndrome, a broken toe that caused him to miss practice time and a bout of the flu. "With his ability, his toughness and his ability to focus on whatever he can do to help the team win, he's just an emotional leader," Grant said. "He's a guy that provides stability on the court. I think his heart was really on display today. I'm really proud of the effort that he gave us. I thought he affected the game in so many ways today. It was good to see that." There is enough talent on this team to overcome the four-game skid of mid-January and get UA back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. But it's going to take more than talent. It's also going to take more efforts like the one Steele gave against Arkansas. "The message from the coaches is that everyone needs to do what it takes to get a win," Steele said. "So that's what I tried to do."

Trevor Releford scores 18 points as Alabama ends 4-game losing streak, beating Arkansas 72-66 - The Washington Post

The Razorbacks went on a 17-8 run to take a 47-45 lead on a score by Devonta Abron with 13:41 remaining, after Abron had tied the game on a dunk. Trailing 56-54 with 6:59 left to play, Alabama outscored Arkansas 18-10 down the stretch to secure the win. Alabama connected on 25-of-50 shots from the field, marking the seventh time this season the Crimson Tide has shot 50 percent or better in a game. Alabama scored 40 of its 72 points in the paint, while connecting on 20-of-25 free throws (80.0 percent) — the third most the Tide has registered from the foul line this season.

Anniston Star - Tide, Green stop bleeding but let’s not get too happy

A not-horrible day got a better because Green overcame his early turnovers and technical to show signs that he got the message of his benching. The team’s leading scorer and rebounder wound up playing 27 minutes and beating his season averages. As for what it all means for the rest of the season, well, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket had Alabama as a No. 8 seed. That was Monday, and his next update will factor in the loss at South Carolina. Alabama’s margin for error hasn’t changed, and the best chance for a quality win comes Feb. 14 at home against RPI No. 26 Florida. The Tide can also gain a split with No. 33 Mississippi State. So, it was good to see Alabama seemingly get over “entitled basketball” for a day Saturday. The Tide still must to play much more enlightened basketball down the stretch.

Alabama Basketball: Tide Snaps Four Game Losing Streak with win over Arkansas | isportsweb

This will be a solid resume win for Alabama. Arkansas came into the game in the bubble conversation, and was in the top-60s in RPI. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Hogs end up making the NCAA Tournament, and even if they don’t, they should be squarely in the bubble conversation when Selection Sunday rolls around. The one concern for Alabama in the immediate aftermath of this game was the apparent back injury suffered by freshman guard Trevor Lacey. He played only 14 minutes, and he was in obvious pain on the bench.

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