Everything Bruce Pearl said ahead of Wednesday’s exhibition with UAH

Pearl shares his game plan ahead of Wednesday’s exhibition at Neville Arena, as well as his thoughts on the new hire of John Cohen as athletic director.

Auburn Basketball officially opens the season on Monday, Nov. 7 at Neville Arena against George Mason.

The Tigers will get one last tune-up on Wednesday, however, by hosting Alabama-Huntsville of Division II’s Gulf South Conference at Neville Arena for a 7 p.m. CT tipoff.

What is Auburn head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s approach to the game? He expects to win Wednesday’s game but will do so by using a 12-13 man rotation. He also mentioned during Tuesday’s press conference that [autotag]Allen Flanigan[/autotag] has gotten back into a rhythm following his leave of absence in September. The bad news, however, is that [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] is still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, and will not be available to play in Wednesday’s exhibition.

Not only did Pearl mention his team during his recent media availability, but he also shared his thoughts on the recent hire of John Cohen as athletic director.

Here is a look at what Pearl said prior to his team’s exhibition game against UAH on Wednesday night.

Alabama’s Nate Oats comments on his team’s leadership prior to SEC Tournament

Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats had some comments on vocal leadership.

Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats had some comments about the vocal leadership his team has displayed throughout practice despite the recent loss to Texas A&M at home.

The Crimson Tide (19-11, 9-8 SEC) are preparing for their last game of the season against the LSU Tigers (20-10, 8-9 SEC) and Oats was speaking about various topics ranging from his team’s leadership to what they are doing to prepare for the Tigers in their last home game of the SEC schedule.

“The guys that we need to lead have been playing hard in practice and trying to lead. There’s a leadership void after a loss like that, so sometimes guys step into that void. We’re gonna see how the leadership goes.”

Alabama can’t take the night off against the Tigers if they want to remain in the hunt for a top-five seed in the SEC Tournament.

As of now, the loss Wednesday evening against the Aggies has put the Tide in a vulnerable position leading up to the conference tourney. While they won’t get a top-four seed and the bye, they still have a chance to finish as the fifth seed in the tournament. A loss, paired with wins by South Carolina (18-11, 9-8 SEC) and Florida (19-11, 9-8 SEC), could knock the Tide down to as low as the eighth seed.

Alabama takes on LSU on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. CST.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for continued coverage of the Crimson Tide.

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Nate Oats ejected in Alabama’s game against Mississippi State

Alabama will have to play the remainder of this contest without its head coach.

Nate Oats is known by most in the SEC as a very outspoken critic of officiating. He will only add to that distinction after tonight, as he has been ejected from Alabama basketball’s game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs midway through the second half.

Oats had just been called for his first technical foul just two minutes earlier, and the final nail in the coffin came with about nine minutes remaining in the game.

Alabama will have to play the remainder of the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs without their head coach, as the score is neck and neck.

This marks the first time Oats has been ejected from a game in his own arena.

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Alabama can’t get it done against No. 5 Kentucky at home

The Tide couldn’t get it done at home, losing to No. 5 Kentucky 66-55

Nate Oats and his Alabama men’s basketball team will drop to 4-6 in SEC competition this season after a 66-55 loss to Kentucky at home. The Crimson Tide was hoping to avoid going two games below .500 in a key home game inside Coleman Coliseum on a Saturday evening.

The Tide couldn’t buy a three-pointer in this game against No. 5 Kentucky, their second home game against a top-five team in seven days (Alabama won the first last Saturday against Baylor).

It was ugly offensively from the start as the Wildcats defense left more than a dozen guys wide open for the Tide, but the shots just weren’t falling. Alabama went just 3-30 from 3PT range. Three-pointers weren’t the only shots missing for the Tide, however, as they went just 28% overall from the floor.

Charles Bediako looked good in the first half, but with three fouls early in the second half, he was rendered ineffective through much of the closing half. He led the Tide in both scoring and on the boards with 12 points and eight rebounds.

The talented backcourt consisting of Jaden Shackelford, Jahvon Quinerly and JD Davison combined for just 19 points, with just one three-ball dropping for the trio with Davison tallying the only one.

Kentucky had five players in double-digits with freshman TyTy Washington leading the way for the Wildcats with 15 points. Oscar Tschiebwe tallied 10 points but recorded another double-double by pulling down 15 rebounds.

Kentucky shot 40% from the floor and went 4-11 from deep as the Wildcats will improve to 19-4 on the season and 8-2 in conference play.

The Crimson Tide dropped to 14-9 on the campaign and 4-6 in SEC play.

Next up for Alabama is a road game against Ole Miss in Oxford on Wednesday night.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

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Alabama defeats 3rd Final Four team of the year; upsets No. 4 Baylor 87-78

Alabama has now defeated three of last year’s Final Four teams in the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama fans, rejoice, exactly what the Crimson Tide needed to happen happened this afternoon.

Alabama defeated the No. 4 Baylor Bears on Saturday afternoon in their third win over a 2021 Final Four team this season.

Coleman Coliseum was as loud as its ever been in the win and certainly played a large part in Alabama’s win over the Bears.

The Crimson Tide took the lead with 17:30 remaining in the first half, just two and a half minutes into the game, and never relinquished it. Alabama led throughout the game in a dominant 87-78 win.

The Crimson Tide led by as many as fifteen points in the fifth win they have tallied against ranked competition. Alabama is now 6-4 in Quad 1 matchups, as ranked by the NCAA’s NET rankings.

Nate Oats’ squad shot 59% from the floor and went just 7-21 from three-point range. They were a solid 22-for-26 from the foul line in what was one of their better free-throw shooting performances of the season.

Jahvon Quinerly led the Tide in scoring in what turned out to be a rebound game for him after suffering a slump that began in January. He tallied 20 points and recorded five dimes on the day.

Jaden Shackelford followed with 19 points of his own on 5-of-12 field goals. JD Davison had an explosive performance while recording 14 points and going an impressive 6-of-9 from the floor.

Shackelford also led the Tide in rebounding with nine boards. Overall, Alabama won the battle on the boards with a 29-25 edge.

Next up for the Crimson Tide is a trip to The Jungle in Auburn to take on Bruce Pearl – who just signed an eight-year extension to remain an Auburn Tiger – and his No. 1 ranked squad.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all things Crimson Tide hoops.

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With football season concluding, let’s turn our attention toward Alabama basketball

The Crimson Tide plays on, as men’s and women’s hoops (among other sports) are in full swing and need our support!

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The Alabama Crimson Tide football team may have lost in the CFP Championship Game on Monday night against the Georgia Bulldogs, but that doesn’t mean that Crimson Tide faithful should abandon all hope and bask in sadness until Spring Camp is in focus.

Alabama’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are in full swing already this season. Both are in the midst of SEC conference play, and both have a shot to do great things this year in the postseason.

Needless to say, these teams need our support just as much as the football team. Our energetic crowds and increasing fan support have played a large role in winning home contests and signing coveted recruits, respectively.

The Crimson Tide men’s hoops squad is on the verge of accomplishing special things. They are 11-4 overall, and although they have lost some questionable games, they are more than capable of making an about-face and playing their best basketball, the brand they were playing with back in early December.

A big game against No. 4 Auburn (14-1, 3-0) tonight at home in Coleman Coliseum will reveal a lot about Alabama’s team. The interior defense must improve if the Tide has a shot at beating the Tigers and having a meaningful record in conference play to end the year.

Repeating as conference champions in either the regular season, conference tournament or both is easily within the grasp of head coach Nate Oats, and accomplishing such would further solidify his acumen as a basketball coach, not that he has any more proving of himself to do for Alabama fans, already. The outside media has been iffy for some time.

The women are 10-5 and equally capable of making a big run in both conference play and through the tournament season. They aren’t off to a great start in conference play but they can certainly mix it up and get back to their style of basketball.

Certainly, it is painful to bask in the sadness of the defeat suffered at the hands of Georgia in the CFP National Championship Game. Therefore we must avert our attention to what needs our immediate attention and assistance.

Alabama fans, support all of your Crimson Tide athletics with the heart and fervor you’re capable of.

Alabama Men’s Basketball takes on the No. 4 Auburn Tigers on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. CST.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the 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.

 

Alabama at Missouri: How to watch, stream, listen

Alabama looks to go 3-0 in SEC play against Mizzou on the road.

The Alabama Crimson Tide (11-3, 2-0) continue their road tour this week, this time in Columbia, MO for another SEC conference matchup against the Missouri Tigers.

In its last matchup, the Tide took down Florida in an 83-70 win to improve to 2-0 in conference play.

Missouri’s last outing was a big 83-56 loss on the road in Lexington to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Tipoff information, how to watch, stream and listen.

Tipoff information, how to watch, stream and listen. 

Location: Columbia, MO

Television:  SEC Network

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network / TuneIn app

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

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Alabama at Florida: How to watch, stream, listen

Alabama looks to remain unbeaten in SEC play in just its second true road game of the season.

Alabama men’s basketball is travelling to Gainesville today to take on the Florida Gators in its second game in conference play.

Last week, the Crimson Tide (10-3, 1-0) earned a home win over rival Tennessee to begin SEC play with a 1-0 record. But, Alabama is playing in just its second true road game, the first being an upset loss at Memphis.

Florida (9-3) hasn’t played a Power 5 opponent since Dec. 12 and is playing its first game since Dec. 22 after their conference opener against Ole Miss last week was postponed due to COVID-19.

Tipoff information, how to watch, stream and listen. 

Tipoff: Jan. 5 at 6:00 p.m. CST

Location: Gainesville, FL

Television:  ESPN2

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network / TuneIn app

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the 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.

Georgia basketball loses 4th straight SEC matchup at Missouri

Georgia men’s basketball team loses their 4th straight SEC matchup in Columbia, MO to Missouri. The Dawgs are now 11-9, 1-6 in SEC play.

The Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball team dropped a close one Tuesday night in Columbia to the Missouri Tigers by a score of 72-69.

The Dawgs have now lost four straight games, all of them being to SEC opponents.

Georgia led by as many as 20 points in the second half, thanks to freshman guard Anthony Edwards scoring 23 points, leading all players on the night.  Senior guard Tyree Crump put up 13 for the Dawgs as well as freshman forward Toumani Camara tacking on another 12.

The Bulldogs came out hot offensively but skidded to a halt later in the second half, sparking an offensive run from the Tigers.  Missouri’s senior forward Reed Nikko capitalized on the Dawgs cold second half shooting, finishing with a career 13 points, 11 of them coming in the second half surge.

“Momentum is always up for grabs,” Tom Crean said in a postgame interview. “And in the second half, Reed Nikko took momentum from us. Reed Nikko changed the energy of the game for them.”

Nikko also had a game saving play, blocking Edwards while up two with only nine seconds left in regulation.

Three Missouri players scored in double digits with junior guard Dru Smith leading the Tigers with 16.

Missouri freshman forward Kobe Brown was emotional for this game.  Brown was named by his father after the late Kobe Bryant and wears number 24 after Bryant.  Following the tragic news of the NBA legend and his daughters passing, Brown talked about Kobe Bryant postgame.

“I was bummed,” said Brown. “It took a toll. I send my regards to all the families that were involved in the crash.”

What looked like a promising, potential NCAA Tournament season is now on the line with very slim chances of the Dawgs being alive in March.  According to TR Brackets, Georgia now has a 2.2% chance of making the tournament.  Losing the past 4 SEC games moves the Bulldogs to 11-9 on the season with a 1-6 record in conference play.

With a 2.2% chance being very unlikely, things aren’t looking good for the Dawg faithful … but you’re saying there’s a chance.

Georgia continues their late season SEC play this Saturday vs Texas A&M at home.  Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. EST on SEC Network.