Alabama Men's Basketball Plays This Afternoon
Takes On 24th-Ranked Oregon Ducks
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| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
A win would be good right now.
The University of Alabama men's basketball team closes out its two-game road trip today at Eugene Oregon when the Crimson Tide takes on the 24th-ranked Oregon Ducks.
This will be the second consecutive year the two teams have met, and the fourth game in the series. Alabama led the Ducks last season by 12 points at the half only to lose the contest at the Vulcan Classic in Birmingham, Alabama 72-68. This will be Bama's first trip to Eugene.
The Tide is looking to shake itself from a shaky early season fit of miscues. Bama just fell to Texas on December 2nd 77-68 after holding a 12-point lead at the half
Today's contest will air live on ESPNU at 5 p.m. CT. Roy Philpot will be handling the play-by-play with Brad Daugherty handling game analysis.
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Bama Women's Basketball To Face Georgetown
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| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
The Crimson Tide is 7-0 for the first time in Alabama women's basketball history, and is looking to extend that streak and record this afternoon.
Alabama junior Meoshonti Knight leads the Tide in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game. Sophomore Shaquera Wade paces is Bama's leading rebounder, averaging 7.1 boards per contest, and freshman Jordan Lewis leads the team in assists with 3.4 per game.
The game can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network. Roger Hoover and Tyler Williams will be handling the call.
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Alabama Women's Basketball Loses First Game Of Season
Falls To Georgetown 70-59
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Alabama Women's Basketball Loses First Game Of Season
Falls To Georgetown 70-59
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| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
It was a great start to the 2016-17 season. The 7-0 undefeated season turned to a 7-1 season today when the University of Alabama women's basketball lost its first game 70-59 to Georgetown University in McDonough Arena this afternoon. The Hoyas improve to
8-2 overall.
Alabama head coach Kristy Curry said, "It's all about coming on the road and having toughness. You need to make plays on both ends of the floor and do that with consistency, and we didn't do that today."
It was Alabama junior Hannah Cook leading the team in scoring with 11 points, followed by junior Ashley Williams, sophomore Shaquera Wade and freshman Jordan Lewis with 10 each. Three Bama women finished with a team-high seven rebounds, Lewis, fellow freshman Ashley Knight and junior Meoshonti Knight. Lewis also contributed a season-high six assists in today's effort.
The Crimson Tide hit 19-of-63 for 30.2 percent versus the Hoyas' 30-of-59 for 50.8 percent from the floor. Alabama, however, did out-rebound Georgetown 47-33. The Tide also took more free throws, 28-9.
Curry said, "At the end of the day we just have to finish plays. They made shot after shot, and we didn't. We outrebounded them, 22-6,
on the offensive boards. Those are energy statistics. We have to be able
to make the shots on the road though, and today, we didn't."
Next for the Tide will be Georgia State on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. CT, followed by a Saturday contest with Georgia Tech at 2 p.m. CT.
Alabama has a real opportunity to bounce back in both games this week, playing at home in Coleman Coliseum. The Tide should be rested before playing again in four days after the long trip to D.C.
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Talks Between Lane Kiffin & FAU Hit "Stumbling Block"
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| Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
It is being reported by Football Scoop, and other sports outlets, that talks between University of Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and FAU have "hit a stumbling block." Talks lasted late into the night on Friday night, but appeared to break down on Saturday.
According to ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit on SportsCenter on Saturday, concerning Kiffin, "He was close to having a deal done with a school yesterday, and late
last night the negotiations broke off as of right now. So he’s back in play. How it will work out, we’ll find
out probably here in the next day or two. For a guy who wanted an
opportunity to become a head coach, it was right there in front of him.
And now you’ve got to think about whether he’s the offensive coordinator
at LSU or if he ends up finding a different head-coaching job...Now
he’s going to have to kind of look in the mirror and see where he wants
to go from here. There are opportunities out there, but he’s got to
figure out what he wants to do."
I just love talking heads. Love the "take a look in the mirror thing" as well as "see where he wants to go from here" as if Kiffin doesn't know what he looks like or hasn't already been thinking these things through. Really? Just think that Kiffin recently said to himself, "Duh, I wanna be a head coach again but what do I do? What do I do?"
Kiffin has been good for Alabama and Nick Saban. If he hadn't been, Saban would have gotten rid of him long ago. You can bet that outside of playoff prep talk, the two have talked, at least a little, about the coaching situation.
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Defensive End Jordan Davis Commits To Tide
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| 2018 Crimson Tide Commit Jordan Davis Photo Credit: 247Sports |
With all the talk of the 2017 recruiting class taking shape for the University of Alabama football team, it should be noted that the 2018 class is starting to grow as well. In fact, 3-star defensive end/outside linebacker prospect Jordan Davis out of Memphis, Tennessee has announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide.
Alabama offered the young 6' 6", 240-pound prospect in late November. Davis already held offers from Kentucky and Memphis.
In addition to Davis, Alabama also has commitments from 4-star Bainbridge, Georgia running back Dameon Pierce as well as Houston tight end Malcolm Epps for Bama's 2018 recruiting class.
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Lane Kiffin "Not A Safe Hire" For Houston
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| Lane Kiffin Photo Credit: Alabama Athletics |
Reports had been coming out that the Lane Kiffin hiring as the next head football coach at the University of Houston was a done-deal, but later several online sites had pulled the story, of which Fox Sports was just one. In fact, according to Fertitta, Kiffin was never any closer to being hired than any of the other two candidates being interviewed for the vacancy.
Fertitta decided to make public the reason for their selection of Houston offensive coordinator, and former University of Alabama OC, Major Applewhite over Lane Kiffin when he was driving home on Friday night and heard the complaints of the callers on KILT-AM over not taking Kiffin. Fertitta took to the airwaves to defend the decision of the committee.
On the radio broadcast, Fertitta said, "Lane Kiffin did not show me anything that Major Applewhite did not show me. Sure, he's been a head coach, and he's been an OK head coach. But I can tell you this: It was not a safe hire."
Come to find out, Fertitta interviewed Lane Kiffin twice. Everyone knows about the last one following Alabama's win over Florida in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game. The other interview was in New York.
Fertitta said that the Applewhite hiring gave Houston "continuity." Applewhite was already at Houston, a known commodity and doing a good job as offensive coordinator. He is also well-liked by the team. Fertitta said the team voiced its opinion and wanted Applewhite, and that many of the recruits did the same. To add to that, Fertitta said that a lot of Texas high school coaches wanted Applewhite.
Seems the committee asked everyone for an opinion, doesn't it?
Fertitta continued, "The Texas high school football coaches bombarded our athletic director and said, 'We want our kids to play for Major Applewhite. Here's a guy that's been on the big stage. He was the quarterback at the University of Texas. He has a great relationship with the coaches and high school football in Texas. Lane does not. That was an X against Lane compared to Major."
Fertitta added that it was just "one more thing after another that steamrolled for Major."
So it appears that the three main selections for Houston were Kiffin, Applewhite and Les Miles, former LSU head coach. Not even going to make the comment here I'd like, but Houston will live with the selection...for now at least.
Fertitta concluded, "When all this started, I thought that we needed to go out and get a name-brand coach because, to me, it's all about brands. Nobody understands that better than me. And I wanted the University of Houston to stay relevant. Okay? I think Les Miles is a fine coach, and he's going to be a great coach for somebody, and I think the same thing of Lane Kiffin. I was very impressed. But when I looked at the whole picture and totality, I truly think in my heart...and so did everybody else on the committee think...that Major Applewhite was the right fit."
There you have it.
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Celebrity Birthdays
Zack Miller, Football player, 31
Roy Hibbert, Basketball player, 30
Dylan Gonzalez, Basketball player, 22
Leighton Baines, Soccer player, 32
Rey Misterio, Jr., Wrestler, 42
Donna Mills, TV actress, 76
Mo'Nique, Movie actress, 49
Rita Moreno, Stage actress, 85
Brenda Lee, Country singer, 72
Karla Souza, TV actress, 31
John Kerry, Politician 73
Marco Pierre White, Chef, 55
Nikki Sixx, Bassist, 58
Jermaine Jackson, Pop singer, 62
Jack Griffo, TV actor, 20
Hailee Steinfeld, Movie actress, 20
Arya, Movie actor, 36
Mos Def, Rapper, 43
Hamish Blade, Comedian, 35
Rachel Renee Russell, Children's author, 71
Rider Strong, TV actor, 37
Brandon Rogers, Pop singer, 39
Kyndall Harris, Dancer, 14
Bill Cunningham, Radio host, 69
