Day 5 Of Prep For Washington In The Books For Bama
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The University of Alabama football team yesterday wrapped up the fifth of seven bowl practices prior to the Christmas break and 11 total prior to the playoff game. Though it may have been a bit chilly outside, the Crimson Tide worked for two hours inside in full pads at the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility.
Linebacker Keith Holcombe was injured during the Tuesday practice session, leaving the field with the assistance of athletic trainers. Holcombe appeared to injure the lower portion of his right leg during drills. Still awaiting word as to how bad the injury is.
Left tackle Cam Robinson was back working with the first-team offensive line.
Backup offensive lineman Josh Casher and freshman running back B.J. Emmons were once again working on the exercise bikes. Casher broke his foot in the SEC championship game while Emmons suffered a foot injury early last month.
Cornerback Tony Brown seems to be improving during practice sessions after his earlier injury.
The top-ranked Tide will take on the No. 4 Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Saturday, December 31st in one of two College Football Playoff Semifinal games. Ohio State and Clemson will battle it out in the other game to see who will face the winnter of the Tide-Huskies contest to determine the 2016 National Championship. The Peach Bowl matchup will air live on ESPN at 2 p.m. CT, with Joe Tessitore and Todd Blackledge in the booth and Holly Rowe working the sidelines.
Alabama is the defending National Champion, the Champion of the Southeastern Conference, ranked No. 1 in the nation and boasts a perfect 13-0 record for the 2016 season. The Washington Huskies enter the College Football Playoff Semifinal with a 12-1 overall record and an 8-1 mark in conference play as well as being the Pac-12 Conference champion. Washington earned its berth in the playoffs defeating No. 8 Colorado 41-10 chamipionship game on back December 2nd.
The Crimson Tide and Huskies will be meeting for the fifth time, with Alabama winning each of the previous four contests. The most recent meeting was in the 1986 Sun Bowl where the Tide defeated the Huskies 28-6. This will be the third postseason meeting between the Huskies and the Crimson Tide. Besides the before-mentioned the Sun Bowl game, Alabama defeated Washington 20-19 in the 1926 Rose Bowl, the first Bowl appearance in Alabama football history.
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Alabama Women's Basketball
Crimson Tide Defeats UTEP 78-60
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| UA Photo |
Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball head coach Kristy Curry said, "We've seen a lot of improvement in a lot of areas over the last week. It's great to go into the Christmas holiday break with a win. I love the balance with four in double figures again."
Crimson Tide junior Hannah Cook led the Alabama offensive effort pumping in 19 points on the night. Also scoring in double figures was freshman Jordan Lewis with 17 points, sophomore Shaquera Wade adding another 14 and junior Meoshonti Knight putting up 10 points of her own. Wade finished the contest with a game-high seven rebounds and four steals, while Lewis led all Bama players with six assists.
Curry complimented Lewis, saying, "Jordan Lewis has really been phenomenal. She's the little leader of our group, and it's been really nice to see."
Defensively for the Bama belles it was freshman Ashley Knight leading the way with four blocks on the evening. For the UTEP Miners, senior Sparkle Taylor was big on the night hitting 20 points and pulling down four rebounds.
In all, Alabama landed an amazing 11 three-point shots in the contest, five of which came from Cook alone. Lewis hit on three of those herself, with two coming from Lewis and one from Meoshonti Knight. Last night's contest produced the most threes since the Crimson Tide hit 11 back in 2013 against Saint Mary's. The school record is 14, set back in 1993 and then matched once in 1995.
The Tide was 29-of-65 from the floor on the night (44.6 percent) while UTEP was actually a bit better percentage-wise (51.9) hitting on 27-of-52. Bama just did out-rebound the Miners, 34-33, while forcing a total of 24 turnovers from UTEP.
UTEP coach Keitha Adams said, "We shot the ball better, but 24 turnovers, that really hurt us. If we take better care of the basketball we're right where we want to be. Alabama shot the ball better than they had been. We're just a young team and there's a lot of things where we need to get better."
Alabama won't play again until after Christmas, taking a break for the holidays. The Tide is back at it on December 28th hosting Florida A&M at Coleman Coliseum for one final non-conference game. The contest is set to begin at 7 p.m. CT.
| Game Stats | UTEP | UA |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .519 | .446 |
| 3FG% | .417 | .440 |
| FT% | .333 | .600 |
| RB | 33 | 34 |
| TO | 24 | 13 |
| STL | 4 | 11 |
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Markaviest Bryant Names Bama Football In Top 4
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| UA Photo |
Defensive end prospect Markaviest Bryant has name four schools to his top four list prior to making his announcement sometime next month as to where he wants to play his college football. The 6' 4", 226-pounder will decide after he takes his final official visit. He has already made his official visit to The Capstone.
The four-star Crisp County High School (Cordele, Georgia) senior has named LSU, Alabama, Georgia and Auburn as his top four, and says he has no clear favorite yet from that group.
He had commented to Al.com that Alabama was great. The young man enjoyed the atmosphere, academic program, facilities, etc.
During his senior campaign, Bryant recorded 102 tackles, 58 of which were solo, with 36.5 for loss, including 15.5 sacks, to go along with 66 hurries, six pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, two blocked kicks and one interception. The 247Sports Composite ranks Bryant as four-star prospect and the nation's No. 13 weak-side defensive end.
Six former University of Alabama Crimson Tide football players
were named as Pro Bowl selections for the NFL's 2016 season. This selection of six former Crimson
Tiders sets a UA football record for the most Pro Bowl picks in one year.
Those Alabama alumni selected for this season's NFL annual all-star game included Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper, Green Bay Packers free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, New York Giants strong safety Landon Collins, New England Patriots inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower and Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker C.J. Mosley.
Cooper, Hightower and Hudson were named starters for the AFC, while Collins, Jenkins and Jones were named starters for the NFC. The Pro Bowl will be played on January 29th at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
University of Alabama baseball and head coach Greg Goff
will be hosting a "First Pitch Dinner" on Friday, February 10, 2017. Scheduled time for the event is set for 6:30 p.m.
CT inside the North Zone at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Interested parties who are interested in attending this special dinner planned as a kick off to the 2017 season can now register online for their seat.
It is a planned special evening with Coach Goff, his coaching staff and the Crimson Tide baseball players on the Friday before Alabama hosts Presbyterian College for the season opener on February 17th.
Those in attendance will have an opportunity to meet the team, get autographs and enjoy a special dinner. Each table at the event will feature at least one Alabama baseball player to eat with the fans. The voice of Alabama baseball, Chris Stewart, will serve as emcee for this special the event.
The dinner will also feature special guest speaker, Keith Madison, the winningest coach in Kentucky baseball history.
For the first time since 1999, the Alabama men's basketball team will be playing in the Rocket City, Huntsville, Alabama. The Crimson Tide will take on Arkansas State in the first annual Rocket City
Classic tonight at the Von Braun Center. Bama's last appearance in Huntsville was a game with Chattanooga, which Bama won handily, 75-51.
The four-star Crisp County High School (Cordele, Georgia) senior has named LSU, Alabama, Georgia and Auburn as his top four, and says he has no clear favorite yet from that group.
He had commented to Al.com that Alabama was great. The young man enjoyed the atmosphere, academic program, facilities, etc.
During his senior campaign, Bryant recorded 102 tackles, 58 of which were solo, with 36.5 for loss, including 15.5 sacks, to go along with 66 hurries, six pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, two blocked kicks and one interception. The 247Sports Composite ranks Bryant as four-star prospect and the nation's No. 13 weak-side defensive end.
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Six Former UA Footballers Selected For Pro Bowl
Those Alabama alumni selected for this season's NFL annual all-star game included Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper, Green Bay Packers free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, New York Giants strong safety Landon Collins, New England Patriots inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower and Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker C.J. Mosley.
Cooper, Hightower and Hudson were named starters for the AFC, while Collins, Jenkins and Jones were named starters for the NFC. The Pro Bowl will be played on January 29th at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
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Alabama Baseball To Host First-Pitch Dinner
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| UA Photo |
It is a planned special evening with Coach Goff, his coaching staff and the Crimson Tide baseball players on the Friday before Alabama hosts Presbyterian College for the season opener on February 17th.
Those in attendance will have an opportunity to meet the team, get autographs and enjoy a special dinner. Each table at the event will feature at least one Alabama baseball player to eat with the fans. The voice of Alabama baseball, Chris Stewart, will serve as emcee for this special the event.
The dinner will also feature special guest speaker, Keith Madison, the winningest coach in Kentucky baseball history.
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Bama Men's Basketball In Rocket City Classic
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| UA Photo |
