Alabama Basketball Schedule and Quick Analysis

With the release today of the entire SEC Basketball schedule, it gave a nice hint as to what to expect from Anthony Grant's first team at The Capstone.

At first glance, the schedule has a nice feel of out of conference teams, with two Big XII and one Big Ten team assured for the schedule, and the probability of at least one more major basketball conference team in the Old Spice Classic.

The SEC schedule plays out decently, but five the last eight games of the season are on the road.

The toughest stretch from first glance looks to be the two weeks from the end of January into February where Alabama will play three out of four on the road.

The Crimson Tide will travel to Auburn, Ole Miss and Kentucky in this stretch with the only home "relief" being a game against Florida. The last three games of the stretch are played in a six-day span, but Alabama will only have one game over the next eleven days after that.

Hopefully Coach Grant and his staff will have the full schedule set soon.

Below is an organized schedule of the Crimson Tide's 2009-10 games that are known to this point.

Old Spice Classic in Orlando, FL
Thur. Nov. 26th vs. Baylor 6:30 ET/ 5:30 CT ESPN 2
Fri. Nov. 27th Florida State/Iona
Sun. Nov. 29th TBA
bracket link

Wed. Dec. 2nd North Florida 8/7
Sat. Dec. 12th Purdue 4/3 ESPN2
Sat. Dec. 19th Kansas State in Moblie, AL
Dec./Jan. @ Georgia Tech*

SEC Schedule

Sat. Jan. 9th @ LSU 5/4 FSN
Wed. Jan. 13th Vanderbilt 9/8 CSS
Sat. Jan. 16th @ Arkansas 1:30 / 12:30 SEC Network
Tues. Jan. 19th Tennessee 7/6 ESPN
Sat. Jan. 23rd Mississippi State 12 noon/11 CBS
Wed. Jan. 27th LSU 8/7 SEC Network
Sat. Jan. 30th @ Auburn 4/3 SEC Network

Thur. Feb. 4th Florida 7/6 ESPNU
Sat. Feb. 6th @ Ole Miss 6/5 FSN
Tues. Feb. 9th @ Kentucky 9/8 ESPNU
Sat. Feb. 13th Arkansas 4/3 SEC Network
Sat. Feb. 20th @ Georgia 4/3 SEC Network
Wed. Feb. 24th @ Mississippi State 9/8 CSS
Sat. Feb. 27th Ole Miss 2/1 ESPN2 and ESPN360.com

Wed. Mar. 3rd @ South Carolina 7/6 ESPNU
Sat. Mar. 6th Auburn 1:30 / 12:30 SEC Network

Thur.-Sun. Mar. 11th-14th SEC Tournament in Nashville, TN SEC Network, ABC

*-Anticipated match-up as a return game for last year's visit to Coleman by Georgia Tech.

View from the Stands: August 20th, 2009

What's the best part about waking up the morning after your weekly sports talk show?

Discovering that everything you would have rather talked about happened while you were asleep.

Nothing like having to wait another week to rant and rave about these topics, but this is what print media is for!!!

• Coach Cal, the Magician. Once again, a team coached by John Calapari is apparently having to vacate wins. The Memphis Tigers team from 2007-08 is looking to give up their record 38 victories and a Final Four appearance for violation of NCAA rules concerning the SAT score of Derrick Rose. If this is how the axe falls, Coach Cal will be the first coach to have two Final Four appearances scratched from the record books after he took UMass to the 1996 Final Four. Calipari has yet to be mentioned in either instance, but the fact he coached both teams leaves little to be discovered. He may not directly be involved, but let's face it, he was there both times. Meanwhile, the sunshine pump was working overtime in Lexington this morning. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear called Calipari, "An upstanding guy. I really don't foresee any problems." Sadly, Calipari will escape with no punishment from this incident, but once again leaving his players and school in question in a cloud of dust to worry about their own problems while he moves on to bigger and better things. Just remember this, Eric Bledsoe, the highly touted recruit from Alabama, had trouble with his classroom scores before being cleared by the NCAA to play this year. Not sayin', just sayin'.
• The streak has come to an end. Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw managed to blow Alabama's cover of saying that Nick Saban players don't get arrested by managing to commit misdemeanor domestic violence at 1:25 am. Two things here: First, good run, Alabama. It has been over a year since Jimmy Johns stole the headlines and put the sandwich company in the black. Since then, Florida has had the same guy arrested twice, Tennessee players have smoked dope in the car, and Mark Richt's clean program has lost its shine. Fulmer Cup points for all!!! Second, not only is Upshaw in the tank for 12 hours, meaning the earliest he can pay his $500 bond is 1:25 this afternoon, but he is missing the first day of his Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Now, I'm not up on my university's policy, but I know some places drop you if you miss on the first day. Congrats, Courtney, hope the doghouse is just as nice as the indoor facility.
• Plaxico ain't signing with anyone!!! Instead, Plaxico Burress will be taking Michael Vick's spot on the Mean Machine roster when he heads to the slammer for two years after pleading guilty this morning to a weapons charge in New York City. The DA of NYC said that Burress was going to jail by any means necessary a couple of weeks ago, and today he got his wish. Plax will now be sentenced on September 22. It is pretty safe to say that his playing days are over. Burress is 32 years old and will surely face a sentence from Roger God-dell once he is released. Plax's best bet: get buddy-buddy with Tony Dungy and the NRA. If only he had been smart and done this in Florida where the penal system is practically as strict as a game of Monopoly.

Back in Tuscaloosa! What's new to talk about?

After two weeks off to pack, move and generally get settled down again in Tuscaloosa, I figured now would be a good time to get back in the swing of things with the blog since kickoff is less than three weeks away.

So, after being in Tuscaloosa for a week, here are the things that have stood out so far, and things to have a head's up for:

• Football practice has started back up. Of course, most people probably knew this by now with last Saturday being the first scrimmage. There is little use for me to do practice updates considering 1) only twenty minutes of practice is open to the public and 2) There are guys here, here, and here who do a better job and know what to look out for on the field. Also, there will be practice updates available in the Crimson White when circulation begins for the Fall semester on Wednesday.
• Coleman Coliseum looks exactly the same. When the report came out about the seating change at Coleman, I had figured that there would be some inkling as to what it would look like already. No such luck. There are no risers, the old band location is still without new seating, and this project has yet to even be started. There are two months until practice begins and roughly two and a half before the first game. That would be some quick work for a scoreboard.
• Construction at Bryant-Denny is taking shape. Sure, it won't be ready before 2010, but the South End Zone construction is starting to go upwards. Who knows if it will reach high enough where this kind of scare could occur once again, but it also brings about an dilemma for students. The University has confirmed that there will only be one gate for students to enter in to football games for in 2009. That's right, one. I will definitely have more on this from my own opinion in the coming weeks as well as if anything changes.

So besides that, I also have some news of my own.

I will be one of the three hosts on 90.7-FM, The Capstone's weekly sports show, Rock n' Jock. The show will air weekly on Wednesdays from 10-midnight. It will be preceded by another staple of the sports staff, The Student Section from 8-10. Both shows will cover all things Alabama, and I will try to incorporate a national flavor to the show as well.

Second, I will be the radio and Internet voice for the Alabama women's soccer team. They will play mostly Fridays and Sundays at the Alabama Soccer Complex on the west side of campus by the Rec Center. If you want to listen in, just tune to 90.7-FM on most weeks unless we are predicated by Volleyball, who start back next weekend. Soccer begins their regular season on Friday at home against UAB.

Also, I have finalized what to expect from me as far as posts during the football season. Each post will be up by noon each day so my dozen or so loyal readers will know when to check in for the latest.

• Monday: Top 25, Heisman list, and links
• Tuesday: Pass or Fail
• Wednesday: Opinion column plus what to expect on the radio later
• Thursday: Who is (insert team) anyway?
• Friday: Picks, Previews, and Prognostications.

That is the same line-up I tried to follow during the short time I posted last football season, but be on the look out for each of these during the week. Also, don't be surprised if a few random posts or View from the Stands pop in during the week or on weekends to discuss other things besides Bama football.

This pattern will start in the week leading up to the Virginia Tech game, so be on the look out for my pre-season top 25 August 31st.

Until then, I will tide people over with the best in the SEC series I promised about a month ago. Be on the look out for the first post in the series in the next day or two.

What are some differences to expect in Coleman this year?

Sure, today marks 38 days until Alabama will kick things off against Virginia Tech in Atlanta, but anyone that knows me knows I like me some basketball.

Today, as season ticket holders are starting to get their order forms, the forms were accompanied by the new seating chart for Coleman Coliseum, which looked like this

It is not the clearest image, as it was scanned in on BamaOnLine.com, but I will explain.

The Media has now been moved from the floor and will now take up the bottom third of Section O. Their seats have now been replaced with season ticket holders, so there will now be fans on the floor on the sidelines.

Also, the students will now have seats under both baskets. The students will keep their regular student seating under the visitors basket, but will gain 125 seats under the basket by the Alabama bench.

Under the visitors basket, the students will remain on the retractable seating, but students will be on risers under the home basket. If the seating under the home basket does not fill up with students, it will be opened up in some capacity to the public.

The band will also be moving and in their spot by the students will be more seating implemented. In my talk with a member of Events Management, he did not specify where the band will be moving.

It may seem like the students are gaining a lot of seating here, but in fact they will also be losing some seating in some areas that have long belonged to them, such as the area in the middle of Section S, which will now go to season ticket holders.

Overall, the changes benefit the students. There will now be 175 floor seats available to students, so non-conference games should allow every student at these games to have a spot on the floor, depending on the level of excitement for the team this year.

This also brings some atmosphere into Coleman, which has a huge abyss of air in it. With students on the floor, this should get some more students involved and passionate about basketball as they will now be making a larger impact.

Those are just the seating changes for what will be one of many improvements for the basketball arena, including a new center-court scoreboard.

What was learned at SEC Media Days?

This past week were three good days at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, AL for the SEC Media Days.

Over 920 media members, some fully credentialed, others who weren't, were all present to grill 36 players and coaches who are all ready to hit the field for the upcoming season.

Below are all the important things, some more than others, to take away from the three days.

• The SEC made a better deal than Howie Mandel could cook up. The new deal that the SEC, CBS and ESPN have created could not have come at a better time. Just as the economy takes a down turn, the SEC will begin their 15-year deal with ESPN to create an SEC conglomerate. Starting this fall, SEC teams will have at least 11 of their 12 regular season games televised on ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com, and the newly created SEC Network. The SEC Network will air at the same time as the old Jefferson Pilot/Lincoln Financial/Raycom Sports game and on the same channels. The SEC on ESPN will even have its own logo. Besides all the perks for football, a total of an average of 365 SEC sporting events will be on the ESPN family of networks each year for the next 15 years. On top of all this, the SEC Network will be shown to more than half of the country's households, including the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Pittsburgh and Phoenix.
• Ryan Mallett, the best QB in the country? According to Razorback Tight End DJ Williams, Ryan Mallett is the real deal. Mallett, the transfer from Michigan and projected starter for the Hogs, has shown out at practice and has the strongest arm in the country, says Williams. He "ripped the sticky stuff right off them (receiving gloves)." Coach Petrino adds support to Williams claim, saying the one thing that Mallett can do "is throw the deep ball."
• How far can Vandy really go? Says coach Bobby Johnson, "the sky is the limit." The Commodores are coming off a bowl victory and are looking to get to their second straight bowl game for the first time in school history. The 'Dores will have a chance to mirror their bowl trip from last season with Miss. St. and Kentucky at home as well as easy road games with Army and Rice. This is quite impressive for a school who nixed their Athletic Department within the last ten years.
• Dan Mullen has brought technology to central Mississippi!!! The self-proclaimed "only undefeated coach in the SEC" is a twitter fiend. Mullen was tweeting all around the Wynfrey, even updating his status as he got on stage and simply put, "I am on stage." "I am only going to answer questions through Twitter or Facebook so I can be the cutting-edge new coach." Mullen said to the media when he had his first chance. After my trip there last January where it seemed like religion was a foreign concept, technology is a welcomed site to Starkville, a destination Mullen wants to make "one of the hardest destinations in the league." Starkville has a 55,000-seat stadium, second smallest in the SEC, but they do have a gigantic video screen.
• Georgia: the only team who thinks the SEC isn't tough enough. The Bulldogs not only play in the SEC, but they decided to make the rounds in the non-conference this season. As always, the Dawgs have their Good Ol' Fashion Hate game with Georgia Tech, in Atlanta this year, but UGA also visits Stillwater to open the season and hosts Arizona State. Coach Mark Richt says the Bulldogs "may have bit off more than we should have," and also says the boys from Athens may look into using some Wildcat offensive plays. As for the schedule, don't worry, Georgia fans. The Bulldogs should have an easy time at Homecoming with Tennessee Tech.
• Only at Alabama can Saban think a top 5 defense sucks. No team draws a crowd at SEC Media Days like Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, but the leading man in Crimson had something rather shocking to say about his top five defense from a year ago. Saban said of his defense that "those guys need to take it to another level." Another level? If the Crimson Tide defense does in fact have another level, what exactly would that be? Holding nine teams instead of seven to 10 points or fewer? Become the top team in every defensive category? Can they just start with improving the pass defense?
• I have a new found respect for Mr. Timothy Tebow. As it is obviously known by now, Tim Tebow was asked the question that most people wanted to know the answer to but were not going to pursue...until "that guy" came along. "That guy" was Clay Travis, a blogger for aol.com's FanHouse. Travis asked Tebow if he was saving himself for marriage as if he wrote for People magazine. Tebow laughed at the question and then, like a true professional, answered the question. Tebow then kept his cool as the rest of the media started to squirm in their seats. The fact that Clay Travis got credentials to SEC Media Days irks me. He is not associated with any newspaper, radio station or television outlet. He is a blogger...that's it. If that is all it takes to get credentials for SEC Media Days, why didn't I try to get some? Hell, I am at least associated with a newspaper. Nonetheless, the fact that Tim Tebow answered the question and kept his cool and laughed it off made me realize that it is not a front: Tim Tebow is the real deal. Sure, there is reason to despise him when he beats your team or for going to Florida (he admitted his second choice was Mike Shula and Alabama even without being asked about it). However, the way he can handle himself is definitely something to admire.
• When recruiting the "right guy" is masking why you can't get the best guy. Gene Chizik, the mayo jar of SEC coaches, explained his recruiting philosophy the same way in which Tommy Tuberville did near the end of his tenure: "When we go to recruit, we go to recruit the right guy for Auburn." That is one of those great coach speak lines, along with "we will evaluate him at game time" or "our off-season workouts have been the toughest during my time with ________." Saying you get the top guy for the school is a roundabout way of saying you can't really compete for the best. Chizik remained stone faced during his entire interview with the print media, and was not very happy over the Tebow-gate scandal. Gene eventually admitted he did vote for Tebow, but he was not happy about having to come out about his private vote.
• Steve Spurrier lost his spine around the 18th green, and apparently Jevan Snead really sucks. By the time Friday rolled around, many people had pegged The Ol' Ball Coach as the culprit for not voting for Tim Tebow. Speculation was, in fact, correct, but Spurrier went a different route than many people had expected from him. Instead of standing up for his vote, Spurrier buckled and threw his Director of Football Operations under the bus. Spurrier went as far to not only apologize, but also to change his vote within the SEC offices. That's right for people doing the math out there, there are now four unanimous 1st team All-SEC members. Spurrier apologized for three minutes at the podium for not actually casting the vote, opening a new can of worms about the coaches poll, 1/3 of the BCS formula. Also emerging from this fiasco is the idea that Jevan Snead is not worth the hype, apparently. This kid has surpassed Sam Bradford as the potential #1 pick in next April's draft (now starting on a Thursday night), but can't get a single vote for 1st team All-SEC. I think that might weigh on his mind for this season.
• Lester doesn't realize that LSU is often expected to finish second. As always, Les Miles is an interesting interview, and should be an interesting tweeter during the season. The Hat said that eight wins and a bowl was not enough for last season. He also said, we're never expected to be second. Not at LSU." Apparently he didn't see the media predictions for this year and last year. LSU was picked second in the SEC West both times. He is also forgetting that the Tigas did so bad that they were actually third in the West when the dust settled last year. Sure, LSU has come to be known as a sleeping giant over the past seven years, but as history goes, the Bayou Bengals from Baton Rouge are not that historical power. One name comes to mind: Gerry Dinardo.
• Ed Orgeron: the best recruiter in the land. That is what Lane Kiffin wants you to believe. Surprisingly, The Village Idiot was rather engaging during his time in front of the print media, but he also needs to learn that oxygen is necessary to life. "I can't imagine there is a better recruiter out there than Ed," said Kiffin of one of his high profile assistant coaches. Sure, Coach O did a great job to recruit in Oxford...and just flat fell on his face with all of the talent he had amassed. Off the field, though, I can see that recruiting promise Kiffin speaks of. I mean, who wouldn't want a Hummer after seeing this beauty?

SEC Media Predictions

East

1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. South Carolina
4. Tennessee
5. Vanderbilt
6. Kentucky

West

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Ole Miss
4. Arkansas
5. Auburn
6. Mississippi State

View from the Stands: July 21, 2009

• Cyber Cat Fight!!! Getcha popcorn ready! For this to be the off-season, there has sure been a lot of talk about the Florida Gators. Not only what they do on the field, but what their coach may do off of it. It all started two weeks ago when Paul Finebaum started his month long "let's upset the rest of the SEC" tour. First stop, Gainesville (He has since stopped in Oxford and today dropped by Athens). In the first article, Finebaum claimed off of a lip quiver that Meyer is headed to play like a champion in 2010, complete with a beatdown of Army in Yankee Stadium. Said column led to hysteria amongst Gator followers who were outraged that someone would write such a thing. One of those purveyors of jorts would be Gregg Doyel. Never heard of him? Probably a good reason. He writes for cbssports.com, easily third on the totem poll behind SI.com and ESPN.com. Doyel took two weeks to get his panties in a wad and respond to Finebaum's column with the best form of hypocritical spew I have ever seen. Doyel himself is one of those people, like Finebaum, who add fuel to fire for the sake of readership. Doyel goes on to say that Finebaum had no source to write his column. Apparently Doyel doesn't realize what his blogging is as well. It's called an OPINION column, Gregg. Apparently the shine on your head deadened some brain cells the last time you looked in the mirror. Doyel also goes on to call Finebaum and South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier "idiots"through his envy of Finebaum being utterly more successful and Spurrier for still having a job. Finally, Doyel complains about all the blogs and newspapers supporting Finebaum's claims, but in the same blog writes about the column and even provides the link. Who exactly is the idiot here? Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if the Mouth of the South meets up with the man who believes MMA should become the single most popular sport in America (and we wonder what's wrong with our country [I'm elaborating on that as well in a bit]) come tomorrow in Hoover.
• When Stimulus Packages fail, turn to fixing sports-the motto of the US Government. Once Congress decided that an economic downturn in not a good reason to convene, but the mess that is the BCS was, we should have known that some old crocks were running out of real ideas. So, once the BCS was put on the stand like a bulked-up baseball player, it was only a matter of time before more sports were on the way. Don't worry about curing cancer or pollution in the air or the fact that we are involved in some kind of war, let's now waste mroe tax payer money and take on the age limit question in the NBA. Sure, I am not a fan of the one-and-done policy in the NBA. I think it tarnishes the college game and has a negative effect on the level of competition. The NBA is the only league besides the NFL that has a restriction on high school kids and the only league that does not require at least two years of college before they can turn pro once they enter school. What this creates is a bad situation for all, as kids are forced into school for a year and teams are never allowed to create a chemistry. This problem was sure to take care of itself when the new collective bargaining agreement was up in two years, but Congress wants to tackle it now. I ask you in all seriousness, what has ever come from a Congressional hearing concerning sports? Perjury, lying, misremembering, and an all out failure to pass or complete anything is all I can remember. So, here is to you, Representative Steve Cohen, and your desire to waste more time and money on something that affects about 5,000 teens a year. I just hope you complement them for not drinking or smoking before they get discovered for a DUI in college.
• Coach Grant wants defense. Lots and lots of defense. New Alabama basketball coach Anthony Grant was in Huntsville this past weekend and went into his coaching philosophy a little bit. Grant talked about playing defense, a thought that has been lost on Alabama nine of the past ten seasons, in the same way that Duke does in the half-court. Grant, however, wants to stretch it full court. He wants to have a press that will force other teams to play 94 feet. For those who don't remember, the last time Alabama played defense, they won the SEC. I am not saying that will happen this year, but the SEC is not exactly a league defined by offense (ACC) or defense (Big Ten), so the Crimson Tide will be able to run with the teams that ran circles around them the past few years and run on the teams who still play in the half-court. In other words, Grant is the perfect compromise for those people who wanted Mike Anderson and those who wanted a Nick Saban-type hire for the basketball program.

Review the Preview: Phil Steele

The final day of the college football preview magazines comes with news that Nick Saban will be on the front of Sports Illustrated's first SEC Preview. He will grace the cover of his own issue, as will Urban Meyer, Houston Nutt, and Lane Kiffin.

I will tackle the SEC previews closer to the season, but with SEC Media Days in just five days, I will finish the national previews with the best out of the bunch: Phil Steele.

No other preview mag has as much information and goes as in depth as Phil Steele, and it is traditionally the most accurate in the country.

As with the rest of the preview magazines, I will look at what's to like, what's not to like, and the always fun "what are they smoking?!?"

What's to like

• The in-depth nature of the magazine. There is so much cramped into the over 300 pages of this preview. It is insanely accurate for each team and truly is, as it says on the cover, "The book the experts cannot do without."


• Mid-Major QBs. Everyone knows who the QB cover boys are this year, but there are plenty of great QBs at the lower ranks this year to grab your attention. Case Keenum at Houston, Dan LeFevour at Central Michigan and Max Hall at BYU are all quarterbacks for teams who are in good contention for their respective conference championships.


• SEC as toughest conference. Phil Steele does have the Big XII at #2, but he is not buying into the hype just yet that the Big XII has caught the SEC.


• Illinois as his most improved team prediction. Senior quarterback. Favorable schedule. The Ilini have a good chance to be bowl eligible this year as the Fighting Zookers will look to follow Juice Williams and a slate of easy road game (@Indiana, @Purdue).

What's not to like

• Georgia Tech at #10 on surprise team. The Yellow Jackets have, arguably, the best RB in the country with Jonathan Dwyer and beat Georgia last season. What is exactly surprising about all of that?


• Clemson to win the ACC Atlantic over FSU. The Tigers are replacing their QB and top WRs, but have their entire OL coming back, which has proven to be a key. However, I think the NCAA investigation is going to get Bobby Bowden to start coaching for the first time in ten years and the Seminoles will make a run.

What are they smoking?!?

• Rutgers winning the Big East?! Sure, the Big East is now a wild card with Cincinnati having to completely regroup, but West Virginia and Pitt are both formidable this season. The Scarlet Knights have a lot of wood to chop this year to win the Big East, but every difficult game is at home.
• Notre Dame at #7?! Ok, they may have an easy schedule and one that lines up against horrifically weak teams and tough games at home, but I can tell you one reason why the Fighting Irish won't be in the top ten: Jimmy Clausen.

Top Ten

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. USC
4. Oklahoma
5. Penn St.
6. Ole Miss
7. Notre Dame
8. Alabama
9. Cal
10. Ohio St.