Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The latest news and notes involving the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday morning.
Good morning, Alabama fans! Welcome back to another Thursday edition of Alabama Morning Drive. I hope everyone is having a good week as we inch closer to A-Day and Easter Sunday.
In today’s edition, we are going to look at the decision that JD Davison made on his future, the weekend matchups for Alabama baseball and softball, as well as give you all the information you need to enjoy A-Day.
Let’s go!
First…Baseball and softball series information…
JD Davison will be leaving Alabama to enter the 2022 NBA draft!
JD Davison joined the head coach Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide men’s basketball program as a five-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class.
The Letohatchee, Alabama native stayed in-state and became a young star for the SEC program.
While the season did not go the way Alabama had hoped, Davison played well and maintained his projected position as a first-round selection for the 2022 NBA draft.
In 33 games played, Davison averaged 46.3% from the field, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 8.5 points per game.
Davison declaring for the NBA was certainly expected. He made the announcement via his Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CcT526GOMic/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Davison as he prepares for the 2022 NBA draft and join numerous other former members of the Crimson Tide in the NBA.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
The latest news and notes involving the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday morning.
Good Thursday morning ‘Bama nation! Welcome back to another edition of Alabama Morning Drive where we bring you the latest and greatest involving the Alabama Crimson Tide!
We finally have an official update on a talented wide receiver’s status, another hoops player enters the portal, and Alabama softball has a game canceled.
So pour you a cup and let’s get this thing started.
First…softball’s midweek game was canceled…
Nate Oats discusses JD Davison’s pending NBA draft decision.
The Alabama men’s basketball roster is likely to look completely different during the 2022-23 season. With the transfer portal hotter than a fire-cracker and the option to move on to the NBA, roster turnover is eminent for the Tide.
One player for the Tide that has yet to make a final decision on his future is freshman guard JD Davison. When asked about Davison’s looming decision while on “The Field of 68 Podcast”, head coach Nate Oats said his “gut feeling” is that Davison will eventually declare for the 2022 NBA draft.
Coach Oats would go on to say that even though Davison’s freshman season may have been a slight disappointment, the explosive guard is still expected to be either a late first-round selection or an early second-round pick.
During his freshman campaign, Davison averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor JD’s draft decision over the next few weeks.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz6mkdd99nyvkm player_id=none image=https://rolltidewire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
The fans share their thoughts on Alabama’s ugly March Madness loss to Notre Dame.
Alabama men’s basketball entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 Seed and faced off against No. 11 Notre Dame in the Round of 64. The Fighting Irish took down Rutgers in double-overtime less than 48 hours ago to earn a spot in the Big Dance.
The Crimson Tide regular season ended in disappointment and the postseason began with a rough loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores in the opening round of the SEC Conference Tournament.
In Alabama’s matchup against Notre Dame, it was clear the Crimson Tide did not show up looking to compete.
Jahvon Quinerly got injured in the opening minutes of the game and everything fell apart in the second half.
The offseason has begun, but college basketball fans are king this time to reflect not only on this game, but the 2021-2022 season overall.
Alabama will not be moving on in the NCAA Tournament.
Alabama became yet another victim of the long list of upsets that have occurred during this year’s edition of March Madness, dropping their first-round game to the West Region’s 11-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
The Irish came out strong in the first half and took a five-point lead heading into the locker room for the halftime break.
The second half was much of the same, unfortunately for Tide fans, and Alabama turned the ball over 14 times over the course of the game.
Cormac Ryan was hitting everything he put up and scored a career-high 29 points for the Irish in Notre Dame’s second consecutive win in the tournament.
The Irish shot 53.7% from the floor and hit on 10 of 16 three-pointers.
The loss to Jahvon Quinerly early in the first half certainly didn’t help matters for the Crimson Tide, as his production was profoundly missed in the several minutes following his injury.
Alabama shot just 40% from the floor overall and didn’t do any better than usual from beyond the three-point line, knocking down just eight of 24 attempts from three.
Keon Ellis led the Crimson Tide in scoring with 16 points, but four different Alabama players got into double digits in the loss. The Tide’s leading scorer on the season, Jaden Shackelford, scored 13, JD Davison tallied 11 and Juwan Gary scored 10.
Charles Bediako fouled out with 5:37 remaining in the game, but afterward, the Tide looked like they could make a run to shrink the lead. That never came to fruition, unfortunately, as the Irish got another spark from a Ryan three-pointer and the onslaught continued.
The 2021-22 season ends for the Crimson Tide, but there is still a ton of reason to be excited for the future of the program. Nate Oats had his Alabama squad in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive time, which the program hasn’t accomplished since 2004 and 2005, and we are just one year removed from an SEC regular season and SEC Tournament championship.
While we expect certain players to go pro or transfer out of the program, it remains to be seen who could stay. You can be sure that you will be promptly updated whenever we receive information in that regard.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to keep you updated on all things Crimson Tide athletics.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.
The Tide has a bit of work to do in the second half.
The Crimson Tide has a little bit of work to do in the second half against Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Alabama is taking on the Fighting Irish in their second-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, which happens to be the first time they have accomplished such a feat since 2004 and 2005, and hopes to move on to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Sunday in the second round of the event.
Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, they have to go forward in this game without starting guard Jahvon Quinerly, and it’s unforeseen as of now whether he will miss more time in the tournament or not, should the Tide advance.
So far, Alabama has spread the points across the board, with eight different guys tallying points in the first half. The Tide is led in scoring by Jaden Shackelford with eight points. Keon Ellis leads Alabama on the boards with five.
Freshman JD Davison is playing a lot more under control than we have seen lately, he leads the team in assists with four and has also scored five points himself.
Alabama has had some trouble handling Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan, who has 18 points, mostly from three-point range. He leads all scorers in the box score.
Paul Atkinson, the 6-9 forward for the Irish and their tallest player in the starting lineup, has pulled down five rebounds and has scored six points. Atkinson is the team leader in rebounding so far through one half.
The Tide trails by five with another 20 minutes to play.
Roll Tide Wire will update you on the results of the game after its conclusion.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.
Here’s how to watch the Crimson Tide’s first-round game against Notre Dame
Alabama will begin their play in the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who defeated Rutgers in two overtimes in their First Four matchup Wednesday evening, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.
The Crimson Tide will enter March Madness on an unfortunate three-game losing streak after losses to Texas A&M, LSU and Vanderbilt, respectively, the latter of which coming in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament to force the Tide into an early exit in the event, which they won last season.
Alabama is 19-13 on the season and finished Southeastern Conference play even at 9-9. Last season in the NCAA Tournament, the Tide managed to advance all the way to the Sweet 16 before being forced out by eventual Final Four contestant UCLA. This season, they enter the tournament as the sixth seed in the West region. The region also includes No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga, whom the Tide has already defeated this season in December.
Notre Dame is 23-10 on the season and in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. It’s the program’s 37th appearance in the event, good enough for ninth in the nation in NCAA tourney appearances.
Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:
Alabama: Nimari Burnett (out)
Notre Dame: Robby Carmody (out)
Players to watch:
Alabama: Jaden Shackelford (16. 7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 AST), Keon Ellis (12 PPG, 6 RPG, 1.8 AST), Jahvon Quinerly (14.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.3 AST)
Notre Dame: Blake Wesley (14.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.4 AST), Paul Atkinson (12.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 AST), Prentiss Hubb (9.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.1 AST)
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.
Alabama will head into the postseason hoping to get back on track after a close loss in overtime to LSU.
Today’s game between Alabama and LSU had significant implications heading into the postseason. With an Alabama win, the Tide would maintain their spot as the fifth seed in the SEC Tournament. If LSU were to pull off the upset, they could move into the fifth slot if a couple of today’s other conference matchups ended in their favor.
It was senior day in Baton Rouge, and the Tigers appeared up to the challenge against the Tide, who had beaten them five consecutive times prior to this game.
The Crimson Tide got off to a rough start in its final regular-season game of the campaign but picked things up in the knick of time prior to the conclusion of the first half.
Alabama went into the locker room with a two-point lead, ahead 38-36 at the half.
The game was tightly contested throughout, especially throughout the entire second half and overtime, with neither team able to maintain a cushion on the scoreboard of anything more than five points.
Ultimately, the Crimson Tide offense couldn’t get it done when it mattered most, missing 13 of their last 14 three-pointers to end the game. the Tigers walk away with an 80-77 win despite solid performances from three Alabama stars.
The Tide outrebounded the Tigers by a significant margin offensively, winning that battle 17 to 11. Overall, Alabama outrebounded LSU 42-33.
Alabama shot 37% from the floor and hoisted up 40 threes, while only hitting 11, in the losing effort.
LSU shot 46% on field goals, including 35% from beyond the arc.
These three Crimson Tide stars shined despite the loss and contributed their best efforts for Nate Oats.
Ellis certainly carried the mantle for the Crimson Tide offensively today. He scored 19 points and connected on three of eight three-pointers.
Ellis also grabbed nine total rebounds, falling just short of a double-double, with four of those coming off the offensive glass.
Despite missing the final shot, Quinerly contributed plenty enough for the Crimson Tide to earn a W. He tallied 16 points and pulled down three rebounds.
Quinerly hit on four of his 11 three-pointers.
While many will be upset with Davison regarding his failure to recognize the shot-clock late in the overtime period, resulting in a costly turnover, his efforts otherwise were not in vain.
The freshman phenom scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds off the boards. He shot three of seven from three and also contributed a team-high four assists.
Notably, Jaden Shackelford only tallied six points in a rare off night for the Crimson Tide’s leading scorer.
Shack threw up eight shots from three-point distance and didn’t hit a single note.
The close loss concludes the regular season for the Crimson Tide. More will be known regarding Alabama’s seeding in the SEC Tournament after the conclusion of the rest of the league games this evening.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to keep you updated on all things Crimson Tide.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.
Where does ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft have JD Davison and Keon Ellis projected?
Much like the NFL, mock drafts for the NBA are updated almost daily. Also like football, Alabama is becoming increasingly represented on the mock draft scene.
Early Wednesday morning, ESPN released its all-new NBA two-round mock draft (subscription required) and it featured a pair of Alabama players in freshman guard JD Davison and senior guard/forward Keon Ellis.
Davison is currently projected to be selected by the Miami Heat with pick No. 27 of the first round. If Davison indeed enters the draft and is selected in the first round that would put the Crimson Tide having a first-round pick in three out of the last four NBA drafts.
Ellis is projected to be a second-round selection and No. 49 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans. If Ellis is selected by the Pelicans, he would join fellow former Alabama players Herbert Jones and Kira Lewis Jr. in New Orleans.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor the draft status of both JD Davison and Keon Ellis.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
