🏀 Alabama's Season Ends with 71-64 Loss to Richmond in the National Invitation Tournament

[TerryP]

Tonight has me having more difficult to defend the posters who still question CAJ coaching.

Too much talking/instructions tonight;

Pure irony here.

Ya know, "too much talking/instructions" was one of the things people bitched, incessantly, about Grant's coaching.

 

[TerryP]

Here's an example of things missed in a loss.

 

[UA Press Release]

Alabama Men’s Basketball Season Ends with 71-64 Loss to Richmond in the National Invitation Tournament


The Crimson Tide finished Avery Johnson’s second season with a 19-15 record


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team saw its season come to a close with a 71-64 loss to Richmond in the opening round of the 2017 National Invitation Tournament. The Tide finishes the season with a 19-15 record including a 10-8 mark in Southeastern Conference play.

Senior Corban Collins led the team with 19 points and five made three-pointers. Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram followed close behind with 11 points to go with six assists without a turnover. Senior Bola Olaniyan finished with a game-high seven rebounds to help Alabama own a 33-27 advantage on the glass.

"It was a tough loss tonight," Alabama head coach Avery Johnson said. "Give Richmond credit. They did a heck of job. They came in ready to play and they really wanted to win the game so let's give them credit. They shot the ball well. They're a small team that moves around a lot. (ShawnDre') Jones gave us problems all night and (De'Mont) Buckingham obviously had a great first half. They back cut us a little bit too much but we just didn't have that eye of the tiger early on in the game. We bounced back in the second half, but we just didn't have enough offensively against Richmond tonight. Take your hats off to them. It just wasn't one of our better games.

"We've had some really good games here recently, but we just couldn't get over the hump tonight. I feel bad for our seniors because obviously if we could've won this game, we would've had another home game based on the bracket in the NIT with Oakland winning. I really wanted our 20th win tonight, I thought that would've been great. The crowd showed up. We had 4,000 fans but it felt like 14,000. Thank everybody for coming out tonight and trying to inspire our team to win."

Alabama jumped out to an early 9-6 lead, however, the Spiders went on a 12-2 run over span of 3:12 to take an 18-11 lead. The Tide scored seven unanswered points to tie the game, but Richmond (21-12) used another 18-9 run spanning six and a half minutes to take a 36-27 lead with 2:17 to play. Alabama scored five more points to close the half trailing 36-32 at the break.

Alabama started the second half on a 7-0 run which, combined with the end of the first half, made for a 12-0 Tide spurt to take a 39-36 lead with 18:57 to play. The Spiders once again would respond, this time scoring six consecutive points to regain the lead, but a Collins' three-pointer tied the game at 42-42 with 15:51 on the clock.

The teams traded baskets for the next 10-plus minutes with neither team taking more than a five-point lead.

With the game tied at 51-51 with 5:16 remaining, the Spiders scored six consecutive points while holding the Tide scoreless over a span of 4:47 to build a 67-61 lead. Collins finally ended the Alabama drought with a three-pointer with 29 seconds to play that cut Richmond's lead to 67-64. However, Richmond made two free throws and capped the game with a steal and a dunk on the Tide's final possession to result in the final score.

Alabama outrebounded the Spiders, 33-27, while holding their bench scoreless and picking up 35 points from its reserves. Richmond's defense recorded seven steals and held the Tide to just 29 percent from beyond the arc.

Alabama Men’s Basketball Season Ends with 71-64 Loss to Richmond in the National Invitation Tournament

 

[18Champs]

We can't shoot

Go inside? Brilliant!! Avery and staff being schooled. Tonight has me having more difficult to defend the posters who still question CAJ coaching.

Those who are putting this story out there questioning Johnson's coaching ability are just idiots: plain and simple, idiots.

Here's a guy coaching in the 'effin NBA, has a ring as coach, and some wonder if he can coach? Down right stupidity. No if's, and's, or but's. Stupidity.

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[TerryP]

I've watched basketball for a good number of years and I can't recall, EVER, a team whose bench outscores the other 35-0 and still loses.

"The way the ball bounces sometimes."

 

[alabama mike]

I was hoping for a few more games this year in the NIT along with everyone else. Progress is slow but we are seeing progress. Hopefully, next season we build on consistent play and pick up a few more wins.

 

[RTB X Bot]

I was hoping for a few more games this year in the NIT along with everyone else. Progress is slow but we are seeing progress. Hopefully, next season we build on consistent play and pick up a few more wins.

 

[TheChief]

Give Bama one, just one, of those creepy, eight-legged bugs' sharp-shooters and the Tide wins last night. That is all.

Seems to me Alabama is coached well in lots of areas. They have athletes and height. What they don't have is anyone who can actually shoot, which seems to matter quite a bit in basketball. Well, Shaffer must have enough other deficiencies including his height that AJ can't bring himself to play him more than a minute or so at a time. And just when I think Davis can shoot he suddenly can't. At least the team made the most of their free throw chances with an officiating crew that called a game the way I wish they had been called all year.

Roll Tide. Wait til next season. If not then, wait til 2018. I'll say I told you so.

 

[bama alum]

Give Bama one, just one, of those creepy, eight-legged bugs' sharp-shooters and the Tide wins last night. That is all.

Seems to me Alabama is coached well in lots of areas. They have athletes and height. What they don't have is anyone who can actually shoot, which seems to matter quite a bit in basketball. Well, Shaffer must have enough other deficiencies including his height that AJ can't bring himself to play him more than a minute or so at a time. And just when I think Davis can shoot he suddenly can't. At least the team made the most of their free throw chances with an officiating crew that called a game the way I wish they had been called all year.

Roll Tide. Wait til next season. If not then, wait til 2018. I'll say I told you so.

1. Maybe not one of their shooters...Maybe dominate the boards as Bama should have, not just by six.

2. Yeah, the incoming class is pumped to be really good. I will look forward to next year, but even then you have to think that cry is going to start resembling one the tinersee football fans have been saying for years.

 

[TerryP]

I was hoping for a few more games this year in the NIT along with everyone else. Progress is slow but we are seeing progress. Hopefully, next season we build on consistent play and pick up a few more wins.

I'm not a big fan of comparing one coach to another but I'm going to here. Take a look at this record over the first two years.



Donovan didn't make any tourney in his first season and made it to the NIT first round in his second only to be bounced. In his third season he had talent coming in just like Johnson does for next season. The result? They made it to the Sweet 16 in his third season. We all know the rest of the story.

The "elephant in the room" with this comparison is whether Florida was in better shape when Donovan took over than Bama was when Johnson started in Tuscaloosa. And, we have to consider the state of collegiate basketball in the early to mid '90's is a different animal than it is today.

Setting some of those details aside you can see how that program progressed. It's not an unreasonable assumption Johnson's tenure is following a similar path.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

I'm not a big fan of comparing one coach to another but I'm going to here. Take a look at this record over the first two years.

View attachment 6565

Donovan didn't make any tourney in his first season and made it to the NIT first round in his second only to be bounced. In his third season he had talent coming in just like Johnson does for next season. The result? They made it to the Sweet 16 in his third season. We all know the rest of the story.

The "elephant in the room" with this comparison is whether Florida was in better shape when Donovan took over than Bama was when Johnson started in Tuscaloosa. And, we have to consider the state of collegiate basketball in the early to mid '90's is a different animal than it is today.

Setting some of those details aside you can see how that program progressed. It's not an unreasonable assumption Johnson's tenure is following a similar path.

This.

And it's been asked over the years by Bama fans "Why can't we be like Florida, having both a dominant football AND basketball program?"

Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither were basketball programs like Florida. We shouldn't expect ours to be either.

Thing is, UF was patient with Donovan because they saw that he was a good coach, which was evident by the subtle changes that didn't necessarily show up in the W colum initially. He was laying a foundation. Just like CAJ is now.

It would behoove us to employ that same patience, at least into year 4 when he has a roster filled with only his recruits.

 

[footballer]

I like CAJ, he was a great player and great NBA coach where most of the players in the league are the cream of basketball players and for the most part are already trained in the fundamentals. Can CAJ become a great college coach? I think so, maybe in a year or two or three. Only the best of the best high school players have been trained and drilled on fundamentals. CJC at Kentucky recruits and gets basically any and all the best high schoolers he wants and you can bet that he drills his players constantly on fundamentals and conditioning, much in the same way as CNS does with his football team. There are some other coaches who do the same; CMK at Duke, CDS and CRW at North Carolina, Coach Wooden at UCLA was unmatched and I bet he was a stickler for fundamentals. CCMNand CWS were pretty good teachers of fundamentals but CMG wasn't a very good teacher and I doubt that CAG could even spell fundamentals much less teach them. Wimp hardly ever even played more than 7 or 8 players that he could "trust". He conditioned the hell out of his players. It remains to be seen if CAJ can take big headed high school players and turn them into a level headed college team that are trained and drilled in the basic fundamentals of each players position. I think he can and I hope he will.

 

[TerryP]

CJC at Kentucky recruits and gets basically any and all the best high schoolers he wants and you can bet that he drills his players constantly on fundamentals and conditioning, much in the same way as CNS does with his football team.

Ya know, the thing about Cal and his players is even though they are considered to be the best of the best out of high school they still lack those fundamentals. I've watched UK struggle through a few games this season and have continously heard things like "they have to box out." In our latest game he was saying "if you don't start rebounding, you'll be on the bench."

My impression has been that his players know how to do the basic things in basketball, but more often than not they chose not to knowing when push comes to shove they can run and score as well as anyone.

 

[JoshB]

Here's an example of things missed in a loss.

View attachment 6562

Doesnt really help you to outrebound and out free-throw the other team when you cant hit a bucket.

 

[TheChief]

1. Maybe not one of their shooters...Maybe dominate the boards as Bama should have, not just by six.

2. Yeah, the incoming class is pumped to be really good. I will look forward to next year, but even then you have to think that cry is going to start resembling one the tinersee football fans have been saying for years.

If the other team shoots better than 50% it's difficult to overcome. You don't rebound when they make baskets. I've been watching our favorite team beaten by shooters for several years now. If a team has a great outside threat, the inside opens up and the game changes in a good way.

All that said, AJ knows a good basketball player when he sees one I'm certain. He's trying to get the best players he can get. Let's hope he can continue recruiting. I want the Tide to make the tourney. But, I really want them to be competitive on a larger scale. I think AJ does as well. I have faith, even if it might not happen next season or the next. Let it play out. Hope for good health so we all live long enough to see it happen.

 

[bama alum]

If the other team shoots better than 50% it's difficult to overcome. You don't rebound when they make baskets. I've been watching our favorite team beaten by shooters for several years now. If a team has a great outside threat, the inside opens up and the game changes in a good way.

Many of those 27 rebounds they made are ones where Bama should have been able to easily box out them out and either get a second shot or prevent their second shot.

 

[TerryP]

Many of those 27 rebounds they made are ones where Bama should have been able to easily box out them out and either get a second shot or prevent their second shot.

It's my opinion a lot of that had to do with the match-ups as well. Taylor isn't able to guard a center that's also a three point threat--pulls him out of the lane quickly.

 

[pignjig17]

i haven't been excited about Alabama basketball since the days of Wimp, but I have found myself watching and paying attention since CAJ arrived. We beat some really good teams this year, lost some really bad games this year too. I am already waiting for next year. I believe in CAJ.

 

[footballer]

TerryP, I agree with you, Taylor does have match up problems guarding a three point shooting center. I'll take that a little bit farther. I believe he has problems matching up any where on the court, evidensed by how much time he spent on the bench with foul problems. It seemed that he would rather use his height and length to try and block most shots instead of playing good, sound, fundamental defense which means using his feet and legs to move his body into the proper position. His offense and foul shooting, not good, but that's all I want to say about that.