Happy Monday, everyone, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
The Gym Tide won at Michigan yesterday, though the 197.050 overall score wasn’t their best. The baseball team continued its great play in College Station, sweeping the 19th-ranked Aggies. Justin Lebron hit yet another homer, and first baseman Will Hodo added a grand slam.
Softball dropped two of three at home to Mississippi State and things will only get tougher from here, as 10th-ranked Florida State rolls into town on Wednesday followed by a weekend in College Station against the 6th-ranked Aggies. The 23rd-ranked Tide has 26 games left, and 16 of them are against teams currently ranked in the top ten.
As you already know, the men’s basketball team will face Robert Morris on Friday in Cleveland, OH. We now know that the game will tip off at 11:40am CT. The women will face Green Bay in College Park, MD for the right to try and knock off the Terps on their home floor.
Alabama women’s basketball earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament when the bracket was unveiled on Sunday. The Crimson Tide will face Green Bay in the first round.
Kristy Curry’s group will play its first round game in College Park, Maryland. The winner will face either Maryland or Norfolk State in the second round.
The announcement means Alabama has now made the NCAA Tournament three consecutive times and four out of the last five seasons. UA enters the Big Dance off a one-and-done showing the SEC Tournament.
Should Alabama make it out of that foursome, they will get to face South Carolina in Birmingham. The Tide played the Gamecocks quite tough in January, pulling within five in the fourth quarter before succumbing late to lose by 18.
Nate Oats needs the best of Mark Sears if his team is to make another deep run.
One out for the season, one out for the moment and one out of sync.
That’s not what Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats would’ve hoped for, entering the 2025 NCAA Tournament, from the three fifth-year seniors he returned from his Final Four team last year. But as the Crimson Tide begins preparing to face Robert Morris in first-round action in Cleveland this Friday, that’s the hand the coach been dealt.
Sharp-shooting guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. hasn’t played since Thanksgiving, so while he’s been missed all season, Alabama has at least gotten plenty used to his absence. But issues with Oats’ other two returning seniors, Grant Nelson and Mark Sears, are much more immediate concerns.
Outside of Chris Youngblood, the guard play was subpar against Florida. This team will go as far as the backcourt takes it, and it’s hard to imagine them getting far with Sears shooting poorly.
Oats was asked whether this team has the makeup to make that kind of run.
Oats was asked whether or not this team has the ability to be player-led down the final stretch when it comes to effort and toughness.
“I think they’re more than capable of it,” he said. “You know, Chris Youngblood’s outspoken, competitive. Mark’s definitely done it at times and is more than capable of doing it. Grant and Cliff are both great guys that have toughness in them. I mean, Grant’s shown up big in every big game he’s had pretty much his entire career here. Cliff’s done it at a high level in the Big 10, and now here in particular games.
“They’ve all shown they can do it. We’ve also got younger guys. Labaron’s got all kinds of energy, and he’s got a lot of charisma about him.”
We loved the access afforded to media by Kalen DeBoer last season, but with everyone in protective mode this spring, the news out of practice is arguably more scarce than during Nick Saban’s tenure. Colin Gay has a few nuggets for you though.
Alabama showed off a preview of what its A Day offensive line could look like in Week 1, with Arkel Anugwom seen at left tackle along with Olaus Alinen at left guard, Parker Brailsford at center, Jaeden Roberts at right guard and Casey Poe at right tackle. That is not to mention freshmen Michael Carroll and Jackson Lloyd, who have both been praised by coaches and players, and Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry, who could slide into the left guard starting spot.
Spring is a time for development, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said, a time to see what depth the Crimson Tide actually has up front. As Week 2 begins, that question of depth, and what Alabama could eventually do about it will become more clear.
Interesting that the Ball State transfer is running first at left tackle with Kadyn Proctor on the shelf for the spring. We haven’t heard of any injury to Geno VanDeMark, but he must be nicked up since he isn’t mentioned here.
Early lines favor Alabama in Tallahassee week one.
There is big-time belief in Alabama for its 2025 season opener at Florida State on Aug. 30. Oddsmakers have opened the point spread at 8.5 or 9.5 points in favor of the Crimson Tide for the true road game in Tallahassee.
The second year of coach Kalen DeBoer’s era will begin with a new quarterback after Jalen Millroe declared for the NFL Draft. The next signal-caller could be Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, or 5-star freshman Keelon Russell. The job is likely Simpson’s to lose, and the offense should be in good hands with him under center.
Alabama’s defense should be dominant. The return of safeties Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard, cornerbacks Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown and linebacker Deontae Jackson will give the Crimson Tide an excellent base to build on. They were in the top 10 nationally in points allowed last season. They should be better in 2025.
Tallahassee in August sounds just lovely, doesn’t it? Hope that one is a late kick.
Last, Najee Harris is always nostalgic about Alabama.
By the time Najee Harris had his introductory press conference on Friday after signing with the Los Angeles Chargers as an NFL free agent, he already had had two workouts with Ben Herbert, the team’s executive director of player performance.
“It’s a great weight room,” Harris said. “First of all, even the facility is all great things, man. This is a lot of things that they provide here, man, that you take advantage of. And I was just telling them, I was like, ‘Man, it’s not like this everywhere.’ This is a special thing right here. It reminds me of college at Alabama, all the resources that they have, so just getting the chance to take advantage of all these opportunities, this is a blessing.”
That’s about it for today. Have a great week.
Roll Tide.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
