Where Crimson Tide passion meets perspective. A fan's heart. A journalist's eye.
Joined December 2016
- Tweets29.2K
- Following5K
- Followers14.3K
- Likes33.6K
Pinned Tweet
In case you didn't follow the Tide today:
>🏈First CFP rankings: Alabama is No. 5, four spots ABOVE the AP and coaches polls (No. 9 in both). That makes Bama the highest-ranked two-loss team. The top four are Miami, Georgia, Utah and Indiana, then Bama (receipts in replies)
>🏈Michael Casagrande: "Hard to say anyone saw that coming." USA TODAY called it "the most stunning single ranking" of the night
>🏈My poll before the reveal (as of this writing): No. 10 45%, worse than 10 28%, No. 9 21%, No. 8 6%. Then the committee said No. 5
- So I was wrong. So were all of you
>🏈CFP chair Hunter Yurachek on Bama over Tennessee: the road win over No. 6 Kentucky, beating South Carolina and the road win over Miss. State "at full strength" give Bama "three quality wins" (receipts in replies)
>🏈Yurachek told Nick Kelly the Miss. State win still counts as a quality win even with Kamario Taylor out now
>🏈If the playoff started today, Bama would host No. 12 Boise State at Bryant-Denny
>🏈Mike Rodak: "it's too early to say a third loss would be fatal."
>🏈National reaction. Pat Forde: "The committee is overvaluing Alabama." Barrett Sallee: "have they actually watched Alabama play???" (receipts in replies)
>🏀No. 20 Bama opened 1-0: 96-74 over Sam Houston without Aden Holloway. London Jemison and Drew Fielder scored 15 each, Tarris Bouie had 13 and 7 boards, and Amari Allen had 12
>🏀Bama forced 23 turnovers, the most since 2012 per Oats ("I was coaching Romulus at the time…"), with 10 blocks and 17 steals. The 17 steals are the most since Clemson in the 2020-21 season and tie the record for an Oats Bama team
- My midgame take: the most athletic and physical Oats team in memory
>🏀Jaxon Richardson's debut dunk went viral, and Qayden Samuels threw him an alley-oop (vid in replies)
>🏀Collins Onyejiaka, who missed nearly all of last season with a heart condition, checked in to an ovation. Anderson Diaz scored his first college bucket
>🏀Coleman Coliseum debuted its new video board
>🏀Brandon Garrison had 10 deflections in his debut
>🏀Oats named his "Big Three" of blue-collar points in practice: Bouie, Samuels and Keitenn Bristow. Arkansas State is next, Friday at Coleman
>🏈Injury update: Ryan Coleman-Williams and Racin Delgatty both show up in Tuesday's practice video. Yhonzae Pierre: "We got TG [Terrance Green] coming back." The official report comes Wednesday
>🏈LSU's Whit Weeks is doing limited grass drills as he comes back from a broken fibula, per Lonn Phillips. LSU's report comes Wednesday
>🏈Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. after his dismissal: "Bama was nothing but good to me…"
>📝2028 four-star ATH Kamieon Compton-Nero commits Nov. 13. Bama is a finalist with Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and SMU
Let me know what I missed 👇
If you love the Tide but don't have time to scroll all day, I post one of these every night. Follow @bamaperspective #RollTide
The national reaction 👇 teapawt.org/ByPatForde/status/2117…
Jaxon Richardson's debut dunk 👇 teapawt.org/AlabamaMBB/status/2117…
Welcome to college basketball Jaxon Richardson!
#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball
The media and the nation are going to lose their minds if Bama wins at LSU on Saturday.
Likely a Top 4 seed with a cake schedule the final three games.
They all hate us.
Tennessee embarrassed Alabama. Then the CFP selection committee embarrassed itself.
usatoday.com/story/sports/nc…
Very impressive stuff here by the Bama defense. Even against a brand-new Sam Houston State team getting used to playing together.
Bama defenses usually are more passive.
1-0 💰
Can't promise a long preview every game.
But I'm going to try to bet/post a play for every Bama game. Hopefully profitable at the end of the season.
Alabama is a 26-point favorite over Sam Houston State at BetOnline, same as KenPom.
I make it 24.5.
Bama is missing Aden Holloway and likely Anderson Diaz. Cole Cloer and Jaxson Richardson are fighting through some injuries.
The Bama bigs were still working to get in shape for our tempo and to learn how to fit into our system during preseason.
Nate Oats likes tinkering with weird lineup combinations in the second half in early-season games against outmatched opponents.
I think the consensus underrates Bama a tad. But KenPom has Bama at No. 9, which is somewhat aggressively optimistic before considering other factors.
Bama wins big but I took Sam Houston to cover+26.
Game grades for Alabama's starters:
Amari Allen -- 7
Qayden Samuels -- 7
London Jemison -- 7
Drew Fielder -- 7
Brandon Garrison -- 7
True team basketball. Love to see it! (1/3)
Bench grades:
Tarris Bouie -- 7
Cole Cloer -- 4
Jaxson Richardson -- 5
Keitenn Bristow -- 6
Anderson Diaz -- 4
Jamarion Davis-Fleming -- 6
(2/3)
As a reminder:
-I only grade players with 10+ minutes. Great to see TJ St. Louis and especially Collins Onyejiaka on the court, though! So happy for Collins after the heart stuff.
-Grades based on overall contributions to winning. Impact on the game, efficiency, volume on offense/defense.
-Scale (more art than science, as minutes/role in the game has something to do with it as well):
10 = all-time great game
9 = played like an All-American (talking one of 5-10 best in the entire country)
8 = played like a first-team All-SEC player
7 = played like a very good P4 starter
6 = played like an average P4 starter or very good backup
5 = below-average starter or decent bench player
4 = kinda a net negative overall in the game
3 = very bad, really hurt the team
2 = perhaps under suspicion for working with a gambler to throw the game
1 = worst performance of all-time
Alabama 96, Sam Houston State 74.
-Bearkats made 15 3s, won rebounds +3 and still lost by 22.
-Bama forced 23 turnovers (17 steals! 10 blocks!) and held SHSU to 10/32 from 2 (31.3%). Intense and active on defense.
-Tide crushed it in transition and in the paint. Shot 10/31 (32%) from 3 without Aden Holloway.
-Qayden Samuels, Tarris Bouie, Jaxson Richardson and Anderson Diaz as true freshmen are SEC capable. And they all play hard, blue-collar ball.
-Brandon Garrison, Drew Fielder and Jamarion Davis-Fleming were a lot more effective Game 1 than in the exhibition games.
-Great season-opening win. This team is easy to love. Can't wait to see them again Friday vs. Arkansas State.
Your thoughts? 👇
Anderson Diaz, with a bum elbow, up 31, is sprinting full court and diving to the baseline trying to save a ball after a steal.
The culture of this team seems A+ to start the season.
It's a LONG season. And Bama will face much better competition soon.
But through the first 29 minutes of the season, the Tide are playing like a Top 10 program. Maybe higher than that. Without Aden Holloway.
So we know this team has that sort of ceiling in it.
Bama up 25-6 in transition points if I'm not mistaken.
Love seeing Qayden Samuels fight through a screen to challenge a 3 late in the shot clock.
Love seeing Brandon Garrison and then Jamarion Davis-Fleming running the floor in transition and finishing at the rim.
Alabama 40, Sam Houston State 29.
First-half thoughts:
-Smothering defense! Love to see it. Gotta hold that intensity for 40 minutes a game + prove it against Top 25 frontcourts. But wonderful start. Seven different Tide players have a block or steal.
-This team's athleticism is scary in transition off steals and rebounds.
-Deepest Bama team ever? Number of bodies means it can withstand injuries and also stay fresh. Eight players between 10 and 12 minutes.
-Just 4/15 from 3. Will take a tick down in that department this season.
-Nice to see Anderson Diaz and Jaxson Richardson getting minutes and getting healthier.
Your thoughts?
Bama's biggest deficiency on defense tonight: finding shooters in transition.
Something to work on early.