Friday, March 11, 2016

Men's Basketball Defeats Ole Miss In SEC Opener; Burks & Green Headed To Indoor Championships; Softball Plays LSU In SEC Opener; Bama Men's Tennis Returns Home For 3; Tide Hosts Kentucky For 2016 Homecoming; Spring Football Practice Begins Today


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Alabama Men's Basketball


Crimson Tide Basketball Wins 61-73 Over Ole Miss 
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Faces No. 2 Seed Kentucky Tonight


Alabama Forward Donta Hall
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley



The No. 10 seed University of Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team last night was hot! Despite Bama's leading scorer having to sit down after only four-minutes into the game because of two fouls, the Tide pulled together to knock down 12 three-pointers in all on the night to defeat the No. 7 seed Ole Miss Rebels 81-73 in the second round of the 2016 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The Tide will now advance to the quarterfinals to face the No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats tonight at 6 p.m. CT.

The Crimson Tide had lost four of its last five games, leaving many to wonder if this was the end of the run for the season for first year head coach AVERY JOHNSON and his young Bama squad.

Johnson said, "For some strange reason, when we've been counted out, we are so much better of a team. I could just see it in practice. We had a grueling practice (earlier in the week). I mean a grueling practice, because we were all-in on this first game, because if you can win the first game, you never know what's going to happen, and our guys responded."

Alabama sophomore RILEY NORRIS stepped up to lead the Tide with his third double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Despite some early foul trouble, senior RETIN OBASOHAN finished the night with a team-high 17 points, all of which came in the second half. Senior ARTHUR EDWARDS and sophomore JUSTIN COLEMAN both also finished in double figures with 15 points apiece. DONTA HALL, BRANDON AUSTIN and SHANNON HALE all contributed five points each on the night, and JIMMIE TAYLOR added three points to complete the scoring for Bama.

The Crimson Tide really worked on defense, getting a season-high 12 blocks on the night. Those 12 also matched Bama's second-highest block total in an SEC Tournament game in history, with the other 12 coming in a contest with Florida back in 1997. It was freshman Donta Hall leading the Tide with five blocks on the night, the second-most in an SEC Tournament game for an Alabama player. The school record is six, set back in 1995 by ANTONIO McDYESS.

Alabama was 28-for-53 (52.8 percent) in shooting, including a whopping 50 percent (12-of-24) from three-point land. Ole Miss was 26-for 67 (38.8 percent) on the night. Ole Miss did win the boards with a 43-35 rebounding advantage for the evening, and had a 15-5 lead on the offensive glass.

The win over Ole Miss is the first Southeastern Conference Tournament win for the Alabama men's basketball team since 2013. 


Alabama Forward Arthur Edwards
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley


UA Head Basketball Coach Avery Johnson
Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley



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Bama's Burks & Green Headed To Indoor Championships

Alabama's Quanesha Burks
Photo Credit: RollTide.com



Alabama Track & Field will once again be represented at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Two names you have heard numerous times will head to Birmingham, Alabama at the Birmingham CrossPlex today through tomorrow to represent the Tide. They are juniors QUANESHA BURKS and JEREMIAH GREEN.

Both Burks and Green have been outstanding this season, both breaking records in 2015-16. Burks enters the meet tied for first on the NCAA list for the women's long jump which Green is in second place in the men's triple jump. 

Burks competes in the long jump tonight at approximately 7:10 p.m. CT, and Green participates in the triple jump tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CT.


Junior Jeremiah Green
Photo Credit: RollTide.com


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Tide Softball Plays LSU In SEC Opener

The No. 4/6-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide softball team travels to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for their Southeastern Conference season-opener for a game with No. 6/4 LSU at Tiger Park. The Tide and Tigers boast identical 21-2 records on the year.

The two will play tonight at 6 p.m CT, Saturday at  5 p.m. in a game to be broadcast by the SEC Network, and again on Sunday at 2 p.m. which will once again be broadcast by the network.

LSU holds a 39-32 overall lead in the series.



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Alabama Men's Tennis Returns Home For Three


It's been awhile since the Alabama men's tennis team has played at home...over a month, in fact. But now the Tide will return to the Alabama Tennis Stadium to host a trio of teams this weekend. Tonight the Crimson Tide will host the Volunteers of Tennessee for a 5 p.m. CT match, followed by a double-header on Sunday with the Kentucky Wildcats and the Citadel beginning at 1 p.m. CT.


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Tide Hosts Kentucky Wildcats For 2016 Homecoming Game


Photo Credit: RollTide.com



The University of Alabama yesterday announced the date for the 2016 homecoming football game. The Crimson Tide is set to host the Wildcats of Kentucky at Bryant-Denny Stadium for this coming season's homecoming football game. The game has been scheduled for Saturday, October 1st. 

Details are still being worked out for the particular weekend festivities, but will be announced as they become available. The kickoff time is one of those details not yet finalized. 

The Alabama Crimson Tide boasts an 81-13-1 homecoming record, including an undefeated 9-0 for head coach NICK SABAN. The last homecoming loss was back in 2001, thus the Tide is riding a 14-game win streak heading into this coming season.



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Spring Football Practice Begins This Afternoon




The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team begins the quest for national championship number 17 this afternoon when the 2016 edition of the Bama football team hits the practice field for the first time in Tuscaloosa. 

The process, however, has never stopped. Well, perhaps for only a few days after enjoying winning the 2015 national championship that is. But after that short hiatus the guys were back at it. Weight training never stops. These young men are constantly honing their bodies into the finely-tuned machines it takes to be successful in a program at this level. And this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CT we start to get a glimpse at where they are in this never-ending process.

The love of the game, the pride in the program, the hopes and dreams of these young men will take to the field for the first time together. These brothers begin that quest that every Crimson Tide fan dreams of every year: National Championship.

Here are the dates and times for the spring practices in preparation for the 2016 quest for the Crimson Tide's 17th National Championship:

  • Friday, March 11 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Monday, March 21 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Wednesday, March 23 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Friday, March 25 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Monday, March 28 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Wednesday, March 30 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Friday, April 1 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Saturday, April 2 (TBD)
  • Monday, April 4 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Wednesday, April 6 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Friday, April 8 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Saturday, April 9 (TBD)
  • Tuesday, April 12 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Thursday, April 14 (3:30 p.m. CT)
  • Saturday, April 16 (2 p.m. CT)  A-Day Game scrimmage