No. 1 Alabama Football Preps For Mercer
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - The University of Alabama football team continues to get ready for this Saturday's meeting with Mercer. The Crimson Tide put in two hours of practice in full pads on Tuesday afternoon on the Thomas Drew Practice Fields in preparation for this 11 a.m. CT matchup.
Bama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick wasn't seen on the practice field yesterday during the media viewing period. Tide football head coach Nick Saban had earlier this week said that Fitzpatrick was listed as day-to-day following the hamstring issues he suffered in the battle with LSU. Of course Fitzpatrick is a key component in the Alabama defense and having him ready to go on Saturday could be nothing but a good thing. Even if he is ready, expect substitutions during the contest.
Henry Ruggs was on the practice field on Tuesday. He had been injured this past Saturday in game with Mississippi State and left the stadium in a boot later that evening.
Ross Pierschbacher and Mack Wilson were present on scooters at yesterday's session.
DeShawn Hand continues to improve. Though he played in the last two games he hasn't been 100 percent.
Shaun Dion Hamilton watched practice in his gym clothes. He, of course, is out for the remainder of the season due to the injury received in the clash with LSU.
This Saturday is Senior Day for the Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium, where the Alabama senior players will be honored for their time at The Capstone and their play for the UA football team. The Tide and Bears are scheduled for an 11:01 a.m. CT kickoff on the SEC Network, with Tom Hart calling the play-by-play, Jordan Rogers handling the analysis and Cole Cubelic working down along the sidelines.
This will be the third meeting between Alabama and Mercer, with the Tide having won both of the previous contests.
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Alabama Crimson Tide Advances,
No. 1 In College Football Playoff National Rankings
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide is back where one usually expects to see the football team. Sitting in the No. 1 slot of the CFP rankings. Bama advanced from the No. 2 position to the top of the heap following its win over nationally-ranked Mississippi State and the loss of then top-ranked Georgia to Auburn.
Five teams from the Southeastern Conference made this week's poll, with three being included in the top 10. Representing the SEC in this week's CFP national rankings are ALABAMA (1), Auburn (6), Georgia (7), Mississippi State (16) and LSU (20).
If the playoffs were to begin today it would see top-ranked Alabama taking on No. 4 Oklahoma is on contest, and No. 2 Clemson would battle No. 3 Miami.
Here are the top 25 teams in this week's CFP rankings:
1 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
2 Clemson
3 Miami
4 Oklahoma
5 Wisconsin
6 Auburn
7 Georgia
8 Notre Dame
9 Ohio State
10 Penn State
11 USC
12 TCU
13 Oklahoma State
14 Washington State
15 UCF
16 Mississippi State
17 Michigan State
18 Washington
19 North Carolina State
20 LSU
21 Memphis
22 Stanford
23 Northwestern
24 Michigan
25 Boise State
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Alabama Crimson Tide Men's Basketball
Defeats Lipscomb 86-64 In Home-Opener
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
Alabama was led by freshman Collin Sexton pumping in 22 points in his crimson debut, while fellow classmate John Petty added 14 points of his own, along with six rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Dazon Ingram contributed 13 points on the night, as well as seven rebounds and five assists. Junior Donta Hall stepped up with a solid performance himself, putting up 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks on the night.
Crimson Tide men's basketball head coach Avery Johnson said, "First of all, I'll contain my opening statement to our fans that attended the game tonight. There have been a lot of fans who have been Alabama basketball fans long before I got here. I see a lot of those folks in the grocery stores and restaurants all around the city. They tell me their stories about the good old days at Alabama in terms of basketball. I would like to thank them for coming tonight. I also really want to thank our student section. That student section was packed tonight. I talked to a couple fraternity houses yesterday and I encouraged them to bring out their friends and they played their part.
"I am overall proud of our team, much better effort in the second half. We made some shots. Obviously we left a lot of points on the board at the free throw line, but they are all correctable. Overall, I'm proud of our guys."
It was a night of high percentages for UA, with the young men hitting 59.6 percent (34-of-57) on the night, including an incredible 62.1 percent in the second half. Defensively for the Tide, a pair of players really stood out. Sophomore Daniel Giddens and Hall stood tall, battling in the paint, with both blocking three shots apiece. The defense held Lipscomb to just 32.9 percent shooting from the floor and 25.9 percent from beyond the arc. In all, the Tide defense stole nine balls and batted away 10 shot.
UA was totally dominating in the paint, outscoring Lipscomb 50-22. The Bama bench was strong last night, doubling Lipscomb's team scoring on the night 24-12. In transition, Alabama again came out on top 16-2 in fast break points.
The Tide will be back at it this Friday night hosting Alabama A&M in Coleman Coliseum. Tip off is slated for 6 p.m. CT.
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
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| Photo Credit: UA Athletics |
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Alabama Men's Basketball Post Game Press Conference
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| Press H E R E to watch press conference via Tide TV |
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