Bama Softball Bests Vols 6-5; Lane, Layla Kiffin Confirm Divorce Decision; UA Swimmers & Divers Finish Strong Sunday; Bama Baseball Completes Weekend Sweep

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Bama Softball Bests Vols 6-5 In Comeback

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Daniel Melograna

The University of Alabama Crimson Tide softball team came back from a seventh-inning 5-3 deficit to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers 6-5 yesterday in Tuscaloosa. A pair of hits by Bama's PEYTON GRANTHAM and LEONA LAFAELE lifted the Tide to the crucial victory.

The fourth-ranked Tide (15-1) started out with a three-run homer to lead the Vols (10-5), but the 14th-ranked Tennessee squad rallied to tie the contest in the fifth, then pull ahead by two runs in the sixth. Then the big hits by Grantham and Lafaele put the Tide over in the seventh.

Alabama head coach PATRICK MURPHY said, "This game definitely tells our team that we're never out of a game. Friday against Arizona showed it, Saturday against Marshall showed it and this did too. All it takes is for one person to get on base and after that, the floodgates usually open. Those were great at-bats by Leona and Peyton today. That's big time clutch hitting."

The Lady Tide did indeed show guts to take the contest when it seemed the win had slipped away. 

"I talked to the team earlier this year about the three-hole hitter being a run producer getting key hits," Murphy said. "I told the team today (Sunday) that if anyone wants to know what I want out of the three hole, it was what Peyton did today. Four RBIs with a three-run home run to start it and then a late double. She fit the role perfectly today."

Alabama starting pitcher ALEXIS OSORIO (5-0) remains undefeated on the season, throwing nine strikeouts over 7.0 innings.

Next up for the Crimson Tide is a trip to Jacksonville State (7-7). The game is Wednesday, March 7th with the first pitch at 5 p.m. CT. 

 Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Daniel Melograna

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Daniel Melograna

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Lane, Layla Kiffin Confirm Divorce Decision

Lane & Layla Kiffin

Photo Credit: USA Today

In a statement issued yesterday to Fox Sports, Alabama offensive coordinator LANE KIFFIN and his wife, Layla, are getting a divorce.

Kiffin said, "After a lot of careful thought and consideration, Layla and I have mutually decided to divorce. We are fully committed to our kids’ future being our number one priority. We will maintain an amicable relationship with respect for each other as we raise these three wonderful children. We will have no further comments and appreciate respect for our family’s privacy."

The couple have two daughters, Landry and Pressley, as well as a son, Monte Knox, who is named after Lane's father who was a longtime NFL and college coach. 

The 40 year old Kiffin is entering his third season as the offensive coordinator for the National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide.

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UA Swimmers & Divers Finish Strong On Sunday

The University of Alabama swimmers and divers came on for a strong finish yesterday in the Bulldog Invitational this weekend in Athens, Georgia. Several, in fact, posted career-best times and individual wins.

Sophomore TEMARIE TOMLEY took the 100 freestyle, then posted her career-best time in the 50 freestyle, moving her to second-place all-time at UA. Junior PAVEL ROMANOV pulled in a career-best in the 100 breaststroke. Junior ALEX GRAY took the men's 100 freestyle and senior CREWS WELLFORD took third. Junior BRENT SAGERT won the men's 3-meter springboard and junior TAYLOR ZABLOCKI was second in the women's 3-meter board. Junior DYLAN MARIN won the men's platform and sophomore KARA FREDLOCK captured third place in the women's platform. Junior  JACOB KELSOE posted a career-best in the prelims of the 200 backstroke then proceeded to a second-place finish in the finals.

Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen.

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Bama Baseball Completes Weekend Sweep

The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team completed a three-game sweep 7-1 yesterday over North Dakota at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. 

Bama used their bullpen early and often in yesterday's victory. Pitching for the Crimson Tide were starter NICK EICHOLTZ, followed by DYLAN DUARTE, KYLE CAMERON, MATT FOSTER and THOMAS BURROWS.

Concerning the bullpen performance, Duarte said, "I think we did a good job today. It all comes back to the way we work. Coach (MITCH) GASPARD is always preaching that we need to be on every time out, so we are out there every day, trying to do what we can do to get better. We know we are going to come in in big situations. It is our job to shut it down and keep the game close so our offense has a chance. I think we did a good job of that today."

It was a 2-0 weekend for Alabama relievers with one save, a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/9.0 IP), and allowed only three hits while collecting 10 strikeouts and issuing no walks. Overall for the season, the bullpen owns a 1.67 ERA (5 ER/27.0 IP) with 30 strikeouts compared to six walks while limiting opposing hitters to a .136 average.

Gaspard said, "6-1 is a good start; it's more than just the record. I think the way we've played and also the fact that we've had nice crowds gave us a boost. I think there's some real energy, both about the baseball team and in the new stadium. That's been real encouraging for our program. We've seen a lot of really good qualities in seven games from our team. The number one thing is that this team is very competitive. They've got a good fire to them and a good edge and that's really been my take from the opening seven games. It's just how we've played the game and our mental toughness that we've played with."

Coming up next for the Tide is an in-state visit to Troy tomorrow. Game time is 6 p.m. CT. 

Tide Men's Basketball Beats Auburn 65-57; Tide Softball Posts Two Wins

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Tide Men's Basketball Beats Auburn 65-57

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Ugly.

"Wow! What a game," Alabama head basketball coach AVERY JOHNSON said. "It was a roller coaster. I am really proud of our guys. We are awfully happy, we understand that is is a rivalry. I feel a little big different this go around. We are excited about this win and protecting our home court. And thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over to our students and fans tonight because they were another reason why we won this game, pulling us through when we had a struggle there in the second half."

 The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team last night defeated the Auburn Tigers 65-57 in Coleman Coliseum...a SOLD OUT Coleman Coliseum. Though the Tide trailed early in the second half, they went on a scoring tear to the tune of 28-11 in the final 14 1/2 minutes to give Johnson his first win in the rivalry series. 

The was the fifth sellout of the season in Coleman Coliseum for the Crimson Tide (17-11, 8-8 SEC). And it was the sweetest to get a win with that crowd against in-state rival, Auburn (11-17, 5-11 SEC). 

Senior guard RETIN OBASOHAN led the Tide in scoring with 16 points, followed by ARTHUR EDWARDS with 15 points, and DONTA HALL with 10 points to round out the double-digit scoring. 

The Crimson Tide led in rebounds by just one, 37-36. Hall and RILEY NORRIS led the team in rebounds with eight each. Obasohan brought down six rebounds himself. Edwards, MICHAEL KESSENS, SHANNON HALE and JIMMIE TAYLOR all had three rebounds each.

Forward Michael Kessens, commenting on his first dunk of the game, said, "They were playing our ball screens. They were trying to keep us on the side. They didn't want us to come through the middle. We had our game plan set up and all that happened is I popped in the middle and I didn't see anybody. I knew I just had to go up there. They're strong. They try to foul, so we had to go in there strong. I was kind of angry, too."

Forward Donta Hall said, "Energy. Energy. We had to bring it tonight. The crowd had energy. We had energy. We had energy. The coaching staff had energy. We had to keep it that way for us tonight."

Alabama plays its final home game of the regular season this Wednesday night, March 2nd. The Tide hosts the Arkansas Razorbacks and is scheduled for an 8 p.m. CT tip off. 

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

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Crimson Tide Softball Posts Two Wins

The fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide softball team took a pair of wins yesterday at the Easton Bama Bash. First up Bama beat No. 15 Arizona in the opener 9-1 and then won the final contest over Marshall 4-2.

Head coach PATRICK MURPHY said, "We've been working on a lot of big hits, power hitting and getting the ball out of the infield. PEYTON (GRANTHAM)'s  hit won the game for us against Arizona and Leona’s did against Marshall. Those were key hits. Marshall and Arizona are both good teams."

Time Change For A-Day Game Announced; Quanesha Burks Wins Long Jump Title; Tide Men's Basketball Hosts Auburn Today; No. 3 Bama Gymnastics Defeats No. 10 Georgia; Tide Women's Tennis Sweeps Princeton

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Time Change For A-Day Game Announced

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The University of Alabama has announced a change of time for the kickoff of the 2016 A-Day Spring Football game this year. The game is scheduled to be played on Saturday, April 16th. The time has been changed to 2 p.m. CT. Television coverage has not yet been settled and will be announced at a later date.

The A-Day Game will be held at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and will be free of charge to the public as in years past. 

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QUANESHA BURKS WINS TITLE
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2016 SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships

Graphic/Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The University of Alabama's QUANESHA BURKS has done it again! With a leap of 22' 1 3/4" (6.75m), the junior out of Hartselle, Alabama broke the school record she had set earlier in the season and captured the conference title in the long jump  yesterday at the 2016 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.

After a foul on her first attempt, then the record-setting jump, Burks decided to pass on her remaining four attempts and stand pat on her record-breaking jump. Burks had already won the long jump at the 2015 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships last spring.

Burks fouled on her first attempt of the day before coming up with her historic effort in the second round of the competition. She passed on her remaining four attempts before claiming her first SEC title indoors. The junior from Hartselle, Ala., won the long jump at the 2015 SEC Outdoor Championships last spring.

Burks said, "My coach (referring to jumps coach MIGUEL PATE) and I planned to get a big jump out of the way in the first two jumps and we executed that plan. He told me not to mess around and just do it the way we've been doing in practice. On the first jump when I fouled, he told me to move back a little bit and put the foot down. So when we hit it on the second one with a 6.70 (meters), that was it. We executed the plan."

Besides the 10 points scored by Burks yesterday, Bama also picked up three points from sophomore HALEY TEEL on a sixth place finish in the shot put, and another two points from RACHAEL REDDY with a seventh-place finish in the 3,000 meters.

Also advancing in today's finals for the Crimson Tide women are junior VANESSA CLERVEAUX in the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore DOMONIQUE WILLIAMS in the 400 meters, senior KIMBERLEY FCENEC in the 800 meters and senior MEROPI PANAGIOTOU in the mile.

Alabama picked up 11 points in the men's competition in the shot put. Junior KYLE FELPEL finished third, redshirt freshman KORD FERGUSON was fifth and junior HAYDEN REED was eighth.

Also scoring for the Crimson Tide men were freshman pole vaulter WILL HERRSCHER finishing fifth, his best showing of the season, and senior JUSTIN FONDREN with six more for third.

Action begins again today at 11 a.m. CT from the Randal Tyson Track Center located on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The Crimson Tide men and women begin the final day of competition in fourth place.

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Tide Men's Basketball Hosts Auburn Today

The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team will host the Auburn Tigers this afternoon in Coleman Coliseum. Game time is set for 4 p.m. CT. This afternoon's game is the fifth sellout of the season at Coleman Coliseum this year for the Tide, the most sellouts in a single season at UA since the six game sellout during the 2006-07 season.

Today's game will be the second of the season between the two teams, with Auburn taking the first game 83-77 back on January 19th. That contest was held at Auburn.

This will be the 153rd meeting between the two schools, with Alabama holding a 92-60 lead in the series. The Tide is 16-11, 7-8 SEC. 

Today's contest can be seen on the SEC Network, with Matt Stewart handling play-by-play and John Pelphrey handling color analysis. 

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No. 3 Bama Gymnastics Defeats No. 10 Georgia

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team defeated the 10th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs yesterday 197.550-195.700 in front of a crowd of 12,427 on Senior and Alumni Night in Coleman Coliseum. The Tide posted their best score of the season, as well as several individuals posting personal bests.

Tide head coach DANA DUCKWORTH said, "To say that we are proud of this team would be an understatement. We have come so far and this was such a fun night. We had three goals tonight: one, to have fun; two, to love gymnastics; and three, to thank everybody before us, after us and our family for the opportunity that we get to do this every week."

Getting the first 10.0 of her illustrious career with the Crimson Tide, senior LAUREN BEERS said, "Tonight, I just wanted to go out and do some of the last bit of gymnastics in the Coliseum and just have fun doing it and not really focus on the outcome,” Beers said. “I was just running down the runway, trying to think of it as another vault and I stuck it and it was great."

Senior CARLEY SIMS posted a 9.8 in the anchor position after coming back from ankle surgery. She said, "I just have so much fun when I get to do floor and I’m pretty sure everyone else can see that, too,” Sims said. “It just made my heart so happy when I stepped up there and just heard the crowd roar. It just made me feel so good about myself and about our team."

Other members of the team also had a good night, like sophomore KIANA WINSTON posting a 9.975 on the uneven bars. She said she just wanted to do good for the seniors and visiting alumni. "Tonight," she said, "Was all about them."

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Tide Women's Tennis Sweeps Princeton

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Friday afternoon saw the 28th-ranked Alabama women's tennis team take a 4-0 sweep of the Princeton Tigers at the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic. The Crimson Tide improves to 4-3 on the season while Princeton falls to 5-5.

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2016 Crimson Tide Soccer

Soccer Head Coach Wes Hart

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Alabama Crimson Tide soccer head coach WES HART has announced that the Bama soccer team will take part in five spring matches as he announced the 2016 schedule yesterday. Of those five, three will be home contests. Opening the season at home will be Georgia State on Saturday, March 5th at the Alabama Soccer Complex. Start time will be 1 p.m. CT.

Coach Hart said, "I'm very excited for the spring season. The team looks sharp and training has been excellent. We're excited to get out and see if we can execute what we've been working on in training."

The Crimson Tide will host Mississippi State on March 31st at 8 p.m. CT, then on the road to Troy on Friday, April 8th at 7:30 p.m. CT, Vanderbilt on Sunday, April 17th at 1 p.m. CT and then conclude the spring portion of the schedule in Nashville at Lipscomb on April 23rd at noon CT.

Admission is free.

Lady Tide Defeats Vols 54-46; Tide Gymnastics To Host Georgia Tonight; Women's Tennis Plays Princeton Today

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Lady Tide Defeats Volunteers 54-46 In Women's Basketball

Celebration Time!

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

March 3, 1984.

February 25, 2016.

Those are the last two times the Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball team defeated SEC power Tennessee.

A 42-game losing streak came to an end last night as the Alabama women's basketball team (15-13; 4-11 SEC) defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 54-46 on Senior Night inside Foster Auditorium on the UA campus. This is the first victory in program history for Bama in the series with the Vols at home.

Alabama women's head basketball coach KRISTY CURRY was exuberant, as would be expected. She said, "I'm proud of the effort tonight. It was a special night for our seniors. That's how a team is supposed to play on Senior Night. We've led in six SEC games in the fourth quarter and couldn't finish. I was really proud for our kids tonight to be able to finish this one. This qualifies us for the postseason, and I'm really happy about that for a lot of reasons."

The Tide played their hearts out, and the defense came through in a really big way by holding the Vols to just 26.1 percent in shooting from the floor for the contest. Tennessee was 0-11 from beyond the arc. 

The Lady Tide led 28-17 heading into the locker room at half time, and showed that adjustments made has them more than ready for the second half. The coaches had an excellent game plan and the team came through with the execution.

Alabama was 18-51 (35.3 percent) from the field and brought down 45 rebounds on the night. Tennessee did have one more rebound on the evening, edging the Tide with 46. The ladies coming off the bench played a large roll in the victory last night, with Bama picking up 18 points compared to only two for Tennessee.

Leading the Crimson Tide in scoring was KARYLA MIDDLEBROOK with 13 points, with HANNAH COOK pumping in 10 points and hauling in 10 rebounds for a double-double. NIKKI HEGSTETTER had seven points on the night with eight rebounds. BREANNA HAYDEN had nine points and four rebounds on the night.

Hegstetter commented, "Having the atmosphere of the crowd and everything was great. The people that come up to me after the game and say, `You've changed my life, and you are a great mentor for my daughter.' That's what I do it for, so it's been a great night. I don't want it to end, so I don't think I will go to sleep until 2 or 3 in the morning just so it doesn't end."

The Lady Tide heads to Starkville, Mississippi for the next contest to do battle with number 16 Mississippi State in the final regular season game. Tip off is at 1:30 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

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Tide Gymnastics To Host Georgia Tonight

The third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team will close out its regular season home schedule tonight when they host the 10th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum.  The Tide is 13-1 against the Dogs over the past six years.

Tonight is also the start of Alabama Gymnastics' Alumni Weekend. A big crowd of past team members are expected to be on hand for the festivities and to cheer on the current team.

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Women's Tennis Plays Princeton Today

The 28th-ranked Alabama women's tennis team (3-3) begins play today at the 2016 Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. The event will be held at the Lagoon Park Tennis Center and the O'Connor Tennis Center February 26-27. Alabama will take on Princeton today at 10 a.m. CT in the opening round.

Bama Baseball 13-1 Winners; Tide Softball Dominates Troy 8-0; Daniell Named SEC Women's Tennis Freshman Player Of The Week; 4-Star Basketballer Visits Capstone

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Bama Baseball 13-1 Winners

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Daniel Melograna

Last night the Alabama Crimson Tide men's baseball team lit up the scoreboard en route to a huge 13-1 win over Nicholls State at home at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Bama had a whopping 20 hits in their 13-run performance.

CHANDLER TAYLOR went five-for-five on the night, tying Alabama's record for hits in a game. He led the Tide with three runs scored yesterday evening, as well as getting two RBIs. All-in-all, seven Bama players finished the night with multi-hit games

Alabama head baseball coach MITCH GASPARD said, "Our message to the team was to keep the same focus and kind of take the momentum from the weekend into our first midweek contest. I thought we played extremely well tonight on all ends."

The lone run of the evening for Nicholls State came in the top of the sixth inning. The outcome was never in any doubt.

 Gaspard said, "We really played good defense throughout. It was really just a good team effort all the way around tonight (last night)."

Next up Bama welcomes North Dakota for a three-game series beginning tomorrow and lasting through Sunday. Friday's game will be at 6:30 p.m. CT, Saturday's game at 2 p.m. and Sunday's start time set for 1 p.m.

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Daniel Melograna

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Tide Softball Dominates Troy 8-0

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/D Melograna

The Alabama Crimson Tide softball team had pretty much a picture-perfect game in their home opener last night with the Troy Trojans. A seven-run fourth inning laid the groundwork for the 8-0 shutout. Alabama now goes to 11-1 on the young season while Troy falls to 7-4.

Eight of Bama's starting nine earned at least one hit in last night's shellacking. It should be noted that HAYLIE McCLENEY had her 100th career stolen base in last night's contest. She is only the sixth player in program history to achieve that milestone. SYDNEY LITTLEJOHN (3-1) earned the win. throwing a complete game including seven strikeouts and only allowing four hits all night.

Alabama hosts the Easton Bama Bash this weekend with No. 15 Arizona, No. 14 Tennessee as well as Marshall coming to town. First game is against the Wildcats tomorrow night at 6 p.m. CT.

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Daniel Melograna

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Daniell Named SEC Women's Tennis Freshman POW

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Alabama women's tennis has long been a team of standouts, and the current crop of players is certainly no exception. Alabama women's tennis freshman ANDIE DANIELL was selected yesterday at the Southeastern Conference Women's Tennis Freshman Player of the Week, according to the conference office.

Daniell, out of Douglasville, Georgia, improves to 16-3 on the season while holding a 6-2 slate against nationally-ranked opponents. She, herself, is ranked 38th in singles. Along with junior ERIN ROUTLIFFE, she is ranked 20th in the Oracle/ITA Women's Doubles Rankings.

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4-Star Basketballer Visits Capstone

Photo Credit: Rivals.com

Four-star basketball prospect BRUNO FERNANDO is considering the Crimson Tide. That is significant because of his ability...and size. The 6' 10", 225-pound youngster out of Montverde, Florida seems to be impressed with the Tide, and has Bama listed in his top three.

Fernando recently visited the Capstone and liked what he saw. His official visit has him leaning Crimson. Fernando is considered to be one of the top 100 prospects in the nation, and the big man could fill a really big need for coach AVERY JOHNSON and his Crimson Tide.

Thank You For Your Kindness; Tide Softball Ranked 4th; Najee Harris Nation's No. 1 Prospect; Moultry Leans To AU

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Thank You...You've Been So Kind

For the past 11 days I've been quite ill. Add to that I'm caregiver to two sick elderly parents and the recovery becomes a bit more difficult. But when you add my dad being rushed to the emergency room and then transferred to another hospital out of town things become even more complicated.

I'm going to begin to write the blog again, albeit on a limited basis. I appreciate the well-wishes, the messages, the emails and the texts...as well as the telephone calls received at just the right moment. 

Mom, as most of you know, has Alzheimer's...and is, in fact, in the final stage of this terrible disease. She has been spared most of the chaos surrounding the household for the past (nearly) two weeks. She has her good and bad days. Fortunately, most of the last several days have basically been good days making things somewhat easier.

Dad is home now, having gotten back last night. I have fed him a couple of times today, and her of course, and he is improving. He's weak, but getting stronger. 

Again, thank you all. I appreciate each of you.

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Tide Softball Ranked 4th

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The University of Alabama Crimson Tide softball team moves up from number five/six to number four this week in the USA Today/NFCA coaches' poll as well as the ESPN.com/USA Softball media poll.

Bama was previously ranked fifth nationally in the coaches' poll and sixth in the media poll prior to their stellar performance in having an undefeated week of softball.

The top seven teams are identical in the two polls this week, with the SEC leading the way with the Florida Gators sitting as the number one team in the nation. Following the Gators are Michigan, Auburn, ALABAMA, LSU, Louisiana-Lafayette and Oregon.

The Southeastern Conference has more schools in the top 25 than any other conference. The SEC boasts nine nationally-ranked softball teams. They are:  Florida (1/1) Auburn (3/3), ALABAMA (4/4), LSU (5/5), Georgia (8/9), Tennessee (14/19), Texas A&M (16/14), Missouri (17/12), Kentucky (18/17) and Mississippi State (RV/23).

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Najee Harris Nation's No. 1 Prospect

Running Back Prospect/Commit Najee Harris

Photo Credit: 247Sports

2017 University of Alabama prospect/commit NAJEE HARRIS has been named by Rivals.com as the number one high school prospect for the class of 2017. Harris is listed as number one with 247Sports, Scout and ESPN. He is currently ranked as the number two prospect in the class by Rivals.com. The Antioch, California running back prospect has been committed to the Crimson Tide for nearly a year now, since April 2015. 

Harris overtakes former number one-ranked DYLAN MOSES out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who slides to number two in the 247Sports composite rankings. Moses recently announced that Alabama is his top choice, although he has made no commitment.

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Moultry Leans To AU

AL.com is reporting at the Auburn University now holds a bit of a lead over in-state rival Alabama for the services of Jackson-Olin four-star linebacker T.D. MOULTRY after a recent visit to the Plains. Moultry has received an offer from Auburn last fall, but really came away impressed with the defensive coaching staff following his visit.

The 6' 3", 224-pound safety missed his entire sophomore season recovering from a gunshot wound, but had a good junior season. He is expected to play inside or outside linebacker at whichever school he decides to attend.

Bama Men's Basketball Strangles Gators; Tide Football Lands WR Dieter For 2016; Crimson Tide Softball Wins A Pair Saturday; Bama Gymastics To Face West Virginia

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Men's Basketball

Crimson Tide Snaps 11-Game Losing Streak

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Defeats Florida Gators 61-55 

Retin Obasohan

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley

Head basketball coach AVERY JOHNSON and his Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Florida Gators last night in Gainesville. Oh, the victory was so sweet as Bama used defense to stifle the the Gator offense to win 61-55 for the first time since February 25, 1995 in Gainesville. It had been 10 years since Bama beat Florida in Gainesville and 11 overall.

The was the fourth consecutive victory for Alabama, and the fifth in six games. The Tide improves to 15-9 overall, 6-6 SEC. Florida drops to 16-9, 7-5 SEC.

The win was not without its difficulties, however. Senior RETIN OBASOHAN picked up his fifth foul of the game with 5:35 to play in the game hanging on to a 48-44 lead. Not only was Obasohan out, but 13 seconds later the Crimson Tide lost ARTHUR EDWARDS to a fifth foul as well. But the miracle happened, and the scrappy boys from Bama put together a defense that held the Gators scoreless, 0-6, for the next two minutes and then went on a 9-4 run themselves to extend the lead to 57-49 with only 39 seconds remaining in the game.

Four Alabama players scored in double-digits in the contest. Obasohan led the Tide with his game-high 15 points, as well as the team-leading seven rebounds and two assists. Junior JIMMIE TAYLOR again stepped up with a big game and contributed 11 points and blocked five shots. Junior SHANNON HALE and sophomore JUSTIN COLEMAN both added another 10 points in the effort.

Coach Johnson commented, "(It was) a pretty good, complete game for our team. We came into the game trying to accomplish certain strategic and specific things defensively. Fortunately, we were able to accomplish a lot of our goals, one of which was defending the three-point line. We didn’t do a great job on the boards, but even when they got some of the offensive rebounds on us, we did a great job of giving the second and third effort. Overall, this was a night where we tried to slow down (Dorian) Finney-Smith, as I alluded, defend the three point line, we didn’t meet our goals with rebounding, but at the same time, we were just trying to finish this game with one more point that Florida and fortunately we did, so outstanding win for our team."

The Tide trained by four at the half, 27-23, hitting only 30 percent from the field. However, the Gators were able only to hit 30 percent themselves. Bama was out-rebounded 26-18 with 10 offensive rebounds which was inadequate according to Johnson.

Next up for Bama is a trip to conference-leader LSU. Bama travels to Baton Rouge on Wednesday, February 17th for an 8 p.m. CT contest. The game will air on the SEC Network.

Head Coach Avery Johnson

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley

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Tide Football Lands WR For 2016 Season

Wide Receiver Gehrig Dieter

Photo Credit: Andrew Weber

In his press conference on National Signing Day, Alabama head football coach NICK SABAN said that the only area he thought they could have used more help was with the wide receivers. Saban had just gotten the number one recruiting class for his National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide and overall was pleased, but admitted he'd like to have gotten a wide receiver.

He got one yesterday.

Saban and the Tide have landed wide receiver GEHRIG DIETER out of Bowling Green, tweeting out that he is transferring to UA. Dieter is graduating in May and will transfer to Bama, and not have to sit out a season since he will have graduated. He will have one season of eligibility remaining.

The 6' 3", 207-pound Dieter caught 94 passes last season for 1,033 yards and 10 touchdowns. One thing Bama fans will especially like, he had seven catches for 133 yards against Tennessee in the Bowling Green opener last year. 

The Tide has had great success with transfer student-athletes breaking into starring positions. For instance, Bama brought in RICHARD MULLANEY last season from Oregon State. Mullaney did an excellent job for the Crimson Tide, catching 38 passes for five touchdowns. 

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Crimson Tide Softball Wins A Pair Saturday

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The fifth-ranked University of Alabama softball team pulled off a two-game sweep yesterday in Orlando, Florida. First, the Crimson Tide defeated Rutgers in a shutout 6-0 and then disposed of 19th-ranked James Madison 2-1 in a come-from-behind victory.

The Tide pitching staff did an excellent job yesterday, allowing just one run over 14 innings.

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Bama Gymnastics To Face West Virginia

The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide gymnastics teams hosts the 24th-ranked Mountaineers of West Virginia today at 3 p.m. CT.

Also today is Big Al's Carnival which will be located on the concourse. The carnival will include a variety of carnival-inspired games and activities. The carnival will get underway immediately after the doors open at 1 p.m. There will be great prizes available as usual courtesy of Tuscaloosa Toyota.

36-Year Gymnastics Win Streak Ends; Tide Softball Splits Opening Day; Men's Basketball Wrestles Gators Today

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36-Year Win Streak Ends

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Tide Gymnastics Falls To Tigers

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

A record that had stood for more than 36 years and 117 consecutive wins came to an end yesterday. The fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide gymnastics team fell to the eighth-ranked Auburn Tigers 197.275-197.250.

Tide head coach DANA DUCKWORTH commented, "I hate to lose, I absolutely hate it. But our ladies fought all the way through the meet and never gave up and I can't be anything but proud of how we competed. We finished strong on the beam, in a pressure-packed situation, posting our second highest score of the season."

This was the first win for the Auburn gymnastics team over Alabama since 1979. The series record is now 117-10. Auburn had won the first nine meetings before the Crimson Tide rolled off 117 consecutive wins.

Duckworth continued, "I had the privilege, as a gymnast, a volunteer coach, an assistant coach and now as head coach, to be a part of one of the most extraordinary winning streaks ever. Everyone on this team was a part of that streak, and now that it's over, we'll use tonight's experience as fuel for our fire. We'll continue to get better and move forward."

Junior KATIE BAILEY and sophomore MACKENZIE BRANNAN led the Tide with all-around scores of 39.425 for Bailey and 39.400 for Brannan. Both young ladies were extraordinary.

Also posting great scores in their events were sophomores NICKIE GUERRERO, senior LAUREN BEERS, junior AJA SIMS, sophomore KIANA WINSTON and junior KEELY McNEER.

"There was a lot of fierce grace out there tonight," said Duckworth. "We have room to improve, but I am extremely proud of our fight and our drive. Anyone that has watched this team can see its talent and it's potential for greatness."

The Tide will will host West Virginia tomorrow, with the meet beginning at 3 p.m. CT. Big Al's Carnival will begin at 1 p.m. CT when the doors open. All tickets to Sunday's meet are just $1.

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Tide Softball Splits Opening Day

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The fifth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide softball team split a pair of opening day games yesterday in Orlando, Florida. Alabama opened the day with a 9-1 victory over Fordham before fall to tournament host and No. 17 UCF 8-1 later in the day.

HAYLIE McCLENEY and LEONA LAFAELE led the team with both going 3 of 6 with a pair of RBIs. DEMI TURNER banged out three hits in seven at-bats and a pair of RBIs herself. CHANDLER DARE went 2 of 5 on the day.

The Crimson Tide will play another pair of games today, opening at 11 a.m. CT with Rutgers (0-2) followed by James Madison (3-0) at 3:30 p.m. CT.

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Men's Basketball Wrestles Gators Today

Crimson Tide Head Coach Avery Johnson

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

The Alabama men's basketball team travels to Gainsville, Florida today to battle the Florida Gators in The Swamp. Game time is 4:30 p.m. CT, and is the only game of the regular season as competitors.

The Tide is high after its fourth win over a top-25 team, defeating No. 15/13 Texas A&M 63-62 this past Thursday. Bama is the SEC leader when it comes to wins over top-25 teams, and is tied for the SEC lead in RPI top-50 victories also with four.

The Gators have won 11 consecutive games over the Tide, with the last Bama win coming in March 2008 in the SEC Tournament. The last Tide team to win in Gainesville was over 20 years ago.

Today's contest will be broadcast on the SEC Network, and will also be available on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

Women's Basketball Loses To Mizzou 63-52; Bama Softball Opens Today; Get Ready For Crimson Tide Baseball

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Women's Basketball

Tide Loses See-Saw Battle With Mizzou 63-52

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

It was a tough loss for the Alabama women's basketball team last night, falling to Missouri 63-52. There were 10 lead changes as well as four ties on the night as the Lady Tide hung tough with the Tigers in Columbia, Missouri. Alabama is now 14-11, 3-9 SEC with the Tigers improving to a respectable 19-6, 6-6 SEC.

Crimson Tide head coach KRISTY CURRY said, "We have just got to understand critical possessions. I loved our fight in the third quarter. We battled. These kids are competing. They're trying, but we've got to cut down on mistakes. Mistakes win and lose games. The fewer mistakes you have, the better chance you have to win, and we just had too many at critical times tonight."

Alabama was 16-25 (35.6 percent) from the floor with Mizzou only a little better at 21-54 (38.9 percent). Missouri led in rebounds 36-31 as well as in assists 16-8.

HANNAH COOK led the Tide in scoring with 15 points, followed by KARYLA MIDDLEBROOK with 11. No other player for Bama scored in double-digits. Middlebrook led in rebounds with six, followed by SHAQUERA WADE with five.

This weekend is a bye for the Tide. They return to the hardwood on Thursday, February 18th when they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas to battle the Razorbacks. Game time is 7 p.m. CT.

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Bama Softball Opens This Weekend

The University of Alabama softball team opens their season tonight for the first of a three-day series at the UCF Knights Invitational at the UCF Softball Complex in Orlando, Florida.

The Crimson Tide faces Fordham today at 1 p.m. CT to officially begin the season. Later this afternoon, 5:30 p.m., Alabama will do battle with the host team, UCF.

On Saturday the Tide will face Rutgers at 11 a.m. CT, and then play James Madison at 3:30 p.m. 

Sunday's contest will be against Liberty with a 9 a.m. CT start.

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Get Ready For Crimson Tide Baseball

Alabama head coach MITCH GASPARD returns for his seventh season to lead the Crimson Tide baseball team into the 2016 season. Last season Gaspard and the Tide posted a 30-28 record with no true home games. Overall Gaspard boasts a 202-167 record at the helm of the Crimson Tide.

Alabama will open 2016 in their new 42.5 million dollar stadium on February 19th when they host the Maryland Terrapins in a three-game series. The Tide can now boast one of the top stadiums in the country.

The three games for Maryland and their start times are as follows:
Friday, February 19th, 6:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, February 20th, 3:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, February 21st, noon CT

Bama Bounces A&M 63-62; Saban Welcomes Derrick Ansley To UA Football; Tide Softball To Begin 20th Season

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Buckle Up!

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Bama Bounces Texas A&M 63-62

Riley Norris

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley

Alabama head basketball coach AVERY JOHNSON told the Crimson Tide faithful from day one to "Buckle Up!" He knew it was going to be a ride. Now the Bama fans knows what it means.

The University of Alabama men's basketball team upset the No. 15/13 Texas A&M Aggies last night 63-62 in Coleman Coliseum. This now makes four AP Top 25 teams Alabama has beaten in the regular season, the first time since 2001-02. Alabama improves to 14-9, 5-6 SEC while the Aggies slip to 18-6, 7-4 SEC.

Johnson said, "Tonight's game...we're just excited on a lot of different levels. We had some key contributions across the board. The two guys (Obasohan and Hall) here, Retin just again, he's been kind of our superman all year. We can depend on him. He does a lot of different things for us, solves a lot of problems. He plays both ends of the floor, plays on the ball, off the ball. He gets assists, he gets steals and he rebounds. Donta had some big blocks and a couple of key plays for us and some steals and then our other guys. SHANNON HALE's 10 points was great. RILEY NORRIS, his defense on House was critical, so I can go on and on. ARTHUR EDWARDS making a big shot for us, a big three. We did a good job of defending the three-point line better in the second half than we did in the first half. So just good overall team win. I'm proud of our coaching staff. We install our game plans a day or two before and as hard as our staff works at my assignment and making sure the guys know what we're doing has gone a long way for us. We have another big one on Friday, but we're going to enjoy this one tonight."

Leading the team was RETIN OBASOHAN with 16 points, five assists and three steals. He has 11 double-digit scoring games in the last 12 contests. Freshman DONTA HALL led the team with a game-high and season-high 10 rebounds, pumped in six points and grabbed a pair of steals in the contest.

Concerning Coach Johnson and his impact on the team, Obasohan said, "The impact that this great man next to me has had, it's hard to put into words. You guys have seen it. Just his charisma, his leadership, his vision and his passion for the game, you literally cannot put into words. It has been contagious since the day he stepped onto this campus, or as you said, stepped off a private jet. But he has been a tremendous help. He just instills that confidence in us and, more than anything, he instills that conviction just to want to come out here and compete as hard as we possibly can for each other and for him."

This contest was the sixth one-possession victory of the season for the Crimson Tide, improving Bama's record to 5-1. 

Bama led in rebounds 36-29 last night, the 10th time this season the Tide has done so. Alabama improved to 9-1 when winning the battle of the boards. The Crimson Tide also recorded a season-high 12 steals in last night's victory.

Next up for the Tide is a trip to Gainsville, Florida where the boys from Bama will take on the Florida Gators. The game will be this Saturday, February 13th with a 4:30 p.m. CT tip off. The game will air on the SEC Network. 

Retin Obasohan

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley

Alabama Head Basketball Coach Avery Johnson

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley

Photo Credit: RollTide.com/Kent Gidley

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Saban Welcomes Coach Derrick Ansley To UA

Alabama Defensive Backs Coach Derrick Ansley

Photo Credit: RollTide.com

Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach NICK SABAN has officially announced the hiring of DERRICK ANSLEY yesterday to coach the defensive backs.

Ansley was recently promoted to the position of co-defensive coordinator of the Kentucky Wildcats football team after having been at UK for the past three seasons as the cornerbacks coach (2013-14) and secondary coach (2015).

Saban said, "We are very happy to have Derrick and his family back at Alabama. Derrick did an outstanding job when he was with us as a graduate assistant, and he has a very good understanding of how we run our program and what is expected. He is a bright young coach, and he will be a great addition working with the defensive backs. We also believe he will be a tremendous asset to our staff in the recruiting process."

Ansley was the defensive backs coach at Central Florida in 2011, defensive backs coach at Tennessee in 2012 and on to Kentucky the following year.

I have incredible admiration for The University of Alabama and the organization Coach Saban has built, especially after spending a couple of seasons here as a graduate assistant, which was instrumental in my development as a coach," Ansley commented. "I am so appreciative of the opportunity Coach Saban is giving me because as a defensive coach it doesn't get any better. Having grown up in the state of Alabama, I also have a tremendous understanding of the tradition and history of Crimson Tide football and what a special place it is to work. I look forward to doing my part to help continue the success this program has enjoyed."

Ansley spent five seasons coaching  at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, an NCAA Division III school, before taking the graduate assistant position at the University of Alabama.

As a player at Troy University in the early 2000s, Ansley started in 40 consecutive game for the Trojans. He finished third in the nation in interceptions as a junior defensive back in 2003 with nine picks. He was named first team All-Sun Belt Conference as a senior in 2004, which was Troy's first season in the league.

Ansley is a native of Tallassee, Alabama. He is married to wife, Alaea, and have one daughter, Selena. 

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Tide Softball To Begin 20th Season

University of Alabama softball begins its 20th season this weekend in Orlando, Florida. The Crimson Tide will begin the season with a No. 5 preseason ranking. 

Alabama head coach PATRICK MURPHEY, now in his 18th season as head coach, said, "Now anybody that plays us early, we're the game they’re circling on their schedule. We know that whoever we play, they’re going to bring their best game. That’s the good and bad thing about being at Alabama: you’re the bullseye. We have three teams in week one that all made the postseason last year and are very capable, so we’ll be tested early. It’s a great way for our team to realize that you can’t take a day off. With the parity in college softball, you’ll get beat if you take a day off. You have to bring you’re A-game every day."

This season the Crimson Tide will play 34 games agains 16 teams that made the postseason last year, including 10 out-of-conference games this season.

Murphy continued, "This is our 20th year and I’ve seen a lot. I’ve learned the hard way what happens when I’ve scheduled easy. We had a great record, we hosted regionals but then we got our butts kicked. We weren’t tested enough and I knew it. If we got behind in a game, it was like the season was over. I could see it in everybody’s faces. I learned that I had to schedule harder at the beginning of the year. I also learned that you have to lose the small one in order to win the big one. No one likes to lose, but I definitely believe that you learn more when you lose than when you just steamroll everybody, because then no one has to face adversity. You have to learn to deal with the negative part of it. If you win every game by 10 runs, you don’t really know a lot about who you have." 

Get your tickets today for the new season.