🏀 Hello NIT

[alabama mike]

With the L last night, the Alabama basketball team assured themselves of a return to the NIT instead of the NCAA tournament. Disappointing year is an understatement.

 

[PhillyGirl]

Agreed. Very disappointing. Should've had the wins vs. LSU and Ole Miss .. and even had Florida in reach.

 

[doemasters]

NIT = Not In Tournament

 

[psychojoe]

NIT = Not In Tournament

Actually it means No Important Teams.

We still have a shot if we win Saturday and win a couple in the SEC tournament.

 

[TideAlum05]

We're going to win the SEC tourney. Moussa Gueye will hit a game winning 3 from the top of the arc againt UF in the final. The bandwagon is filling up so you boys best jump on before you get left behind.:elephant:

 

[bamaraider]

We are not worthy of the NIT. I'm just ready for the season to end.

 

[TheChief]

Raider, I feel your disappointment. I think Bama has to win the tourney to get in at this point. I don't see that happening, but that's what it would take IMO.

I guess I'm frustrated that the team still didn't shoot all that well this year. Much of that might be a result of a poor offensive approach. That worries me.

 

[alabama mike]

We're going to win the SEC tourney. Moussa Gueye will hit a game winning 3 from the top of the arc againt UF in the final. The bandwagon is filling up so you boys best jump on before you get left behind.:elephant:

Too funny! :bluebiggrin: If Gueye gets 6 points from anywhere, I'll jump on the bandwagon.

 

[porkchop]

Kinda over the whole Anthony Grant thing. It's hard to win when you're teams are still wildly inconsistent and you refuse to recruit post players.

Incredibly dissapointed at how the last couple of seasons have gone.

 

[JoshB]

After blowing the lead against Florida that pretty much sured it up... yet another NIT birth... its so frustrating watching that team play... horrible offense with really good defense... smothered Florida in the first half and then went up by 11 in the 2nd half only to let them come back and play like complete ass... how the hell do you foul the other team so much within the first 2 minutes of the 2nd half to already put em in the bonus? ridiculous.

 

[bamaraider]

Grant better not blow it next year or he's history.

 

[alabama mike]

Let me see if I can remember some facts from the game with the Gators:

37-27 lead in the 2nd half...yes I know it was early 2nd.

About a 6-7 minute scoring drought.

Getting beat by 10 , I think the final was 61-51.

Outscored 34-24 during that span of time.

Ouch!

 

[TheChief]

So I wonder who Bama gets in the NIT? This is still probably better than losing in the first round of the Big Dance.

 

[JoshB]

We drew Northeastern in the 1st Round, we got the #1 seed.

 

[bamaraider]

Yet another dreadful season to watch with painful losses.

Please god, give us a basketball team next year.

 

[TheChief]

Open up with Northeastern Huskies. Kentucky is the overall number one seed and will travel to Robert Morris. So, I don't know whether the Tide opens on the road or not.

 

[TheChief]

Tuesday, 8 p.m. home.

 

[psychojoe]

As a one seed we will be at home until final four time, assuming we keep winning.

Kentucky plays on the road because Rupp is taken Tuesday night as one of the sites for play in games.

 

[TheChief]

I wondered why. Good deal then. AG needs good things to happen.

How long do you think he has? Is making the tournament good enough for an athletic department that is trying to win championships in ALL its sports? Bama has never even been to a Final Four. Are our expectations just to be pretty good or to win championships?

I would guess these are conversations that are being had in the athletic department.

 

[psychojoe]

Chief, I don't think there is any discussion of a change at this point.

When you look objectively at our team you see:

One senior- a really great team guy, the glue, but his physical problems have caused him to miss a lot of time this year. (reminds me of all the injuries his brother had the last couple of years that he played).

Three juniors- one is a point guard that anyone would love to have, the other two are big guys that we knew would be projects when we signed them. To add to that, both the projects have had major knee injuries which have slowed their development.

Four sophomores, really the heart and soul of the team. One is a power forward who started slow this season slowly, but is developing nicely as an inside force. Unfortunately he has had to play the center position this year.
Another is a lanky defensive specialist who is very inconsistent with his offense. The third is a prototype small forward who has had to defend mmuch bigger players as a power forward this year. He has a great looking shot, but his results are streaky. The fourth was one of the most sought after players in the country, and has had some great moments for us.

Two freshemn- One was again a highly recruited player. I had hoped he would be firther along when he got here, and have been disappointed with his progress, though every once and a while he does something that makes you say wow. His development as a power forward type will be very important to us for next season. The second was an overseas recruit that no one had heard of, yet this youngster is coming into his on.

Grant hasn't really gone after the "one and done" types a la Calipari. I don't think we would do well with that approach. if a kid is thinking NBA after one season Kentucky, North Carolina and Kansas is far more likely to be their destination.

To me our problem this season has been with teams that have two good big men on the floor at once. Rodney Cooper works very hard on defense, but he is no match physically for tje Murphies, Bowers and Holloways of the SEC. An upgrade at the 4 slot is very key to our success next season.