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3 takeaways from Alabama basketball’s 93-75 win over Missouri

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3 takeaways from Alabama basketball’s 93-75 win over Missouri


Alabama basketball moved to 4-0 in SEC play on Tuesday, beating Missouri 93-75 at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide are now 12-5 overall on the season, heading into an SEC road trip at Tennessee on Saturday.

The game remained close for most of the way, before a late second-half run put UA too far ahead to catch. Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s matchup, which dropped the Tigers to 0-4 in conference play.

Home-court advantage

Alabama made a few operational changes to Tuesday’s gameday experience at Coleman due to the winter weather impacting the area. The biggest one was seen inside the venue, where the student section had been expanded with unsold seats.

After the under-16 timeout in the first half, fans in the venue were told they could move closer to the court into whatever seats were vacant. The move had a huge effect on the atmosphere.

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“For the weather out there tonight, I thought our home crowd was unbelievable,” head coach Nate Oats said after the game, which was his 200th win. “So I want to thank the students publicly. Think we had almost 3,000 students in there. We needed them, they got loud when we needed it.”

Alabama announced 11,569 fans for the Missouri game. They brought noise, especially at the conclusion of Red Panda’s halftime entertainment.

Rylan’s run

Alabama needed a spark in the second half. Missouri, a team that Oats noted in the days leading up the game is built to pull of upsets, was hanging with the Tide every step of the way.

Both teams needing a win, the game had been chippy, with one incident even escalating to Oats pushing Missouri’s Aidan Shaw, something he said he had apologized for after the game. Then, UA’s Rylan Griffen got going.

Griffen scored a career-high 21 points, tied for the team lead with Aaron Estrada. 16 of them came in the second half, a run that was crucial after Mark Sears tweaked his ankle and was affected for most of the game.

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“That shooting barrage is probably the best shooting barrage I’ve seen out of anybody on our team this year,” Oats said. “As good as I’ve seen in a while.

Griffen finished 7-of-9 from the field, 5-of-7 from three-point range. He also grabbed five rebounds and collected three assists.

It’s chippy

Even without the incident where Oats pushed MU’s Aidan Shaw, the game was chippy and physical. Afterward, Missouri coach Dennis Gates was unhappy with the lack of fouls called on the Crimson Tide.

“Ultimately, our guys played hard, they played hard,” Gates said when asked what led to the chippiness. “And that’s what the flow of the game presented. Ultimately during those situations you would want the ball to bounce in your favor, get more baskets or more free throws, but that wasn’t the case. We came away with zero free throws in the first half, but it was a chippy game. You said that right? Right? You said that, correct? But we shot zero free throws In the first half.”

Alabama was called for two technical fouls throughout the game. Missouri was T’d up once.

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Oats credited both teams seeing the game as a must-win for the testiness.

“I think a combination of us understanding we gotta protect our home court, it’s a must-win game for us if we’re gonna try to win this league, and they have a lot of pride over there and they weren’t trying to start 0-4,” Oats said. “Other than that there’s nothing between the programs. I actually really respect Dennis and think he does a great job. I don’t think our players had any past history with any of their guys, I just think it’s two teams playing hard.”



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Woodrow Lowe, Alabama Star Linebacker and 11-Year Chargers Defender, Dies at 71

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Woodrow Lowe, Alabama Star Linebacker and 11-Year Chargers Defender, Dies at 71


Woodrow Lowe, a three-time All-American linebacker at Alabama and an 11-year starter for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, has died. He was 71.

Lowe died at his home in Collierville, Tennessee, on Thursday, according to the National Football Foundation.

Lowe was a 2009 National Football Foundation Hall of Fame inductee. He starred at Alabama (1972-75) and was the second player in program history to make the first-team All-America list three times. He helped the Crimson Tide make the Sugar Bowl in 1973, losing to eventual national champion Notre Dame, and was a consensus All-America selection the following year.

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“Woodrow Lowe was one of the finest linebackers ever to play the game, and we are deeply saddened to learn of his passing,” NFF Chairman Archie Manning said. “A three-time All-American and one of the most decorated linebackers in college football history, he defined excellence at one of the top programs in the country.

“After his playing days, he dedicated himself to shaping young lives as a coach and mentor, carrying forward the lessons of excellence and dedication that defined his own career. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the entire Alabama football community.”

Born June 9, 1954, in Columbus, Georgia, Lowe got his football start at Phenix City Central High in Alabama. He stayed in state for college and set a single-season record at Alabama with 134 tackles in 1973. The Tide went 43-5 during his four seasons in Tuscaloosa, and his 315 career tackles still rank fourth in school history.

A fifth-round draft pick by the Chargers in 1976, Lowe played in 164 of 165 possible games during his NFL career and tallied 21 interceptions, including four returned for touchdowns.

He coached at the high school, college, and professional levels before retiring in Tennessee. Lowe also was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame and the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame.

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Reporting by The Associated Press.



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Quilts of Valor brings comfort to Alabama veterans

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Quilts of Valor brings comfort to Alabama veterans


Quilts are warm. Quilts are comfortable. Quilts tell a story, spark memories and stand as works of art. But perhaps the greatest function a quilt can have is to bring peace and comfort to those who defend this nation. That’s the belief behind Quilts of Valor, an organization that started with a mother wanting to comfort



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Alabama Trending Towards Securing Commitment from Elite Recruit

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Alabama Trending Towards Securing Commitment from Elite Recruit


Nothing is set in stone just yet, but it’s looking like Alabama is going to build on its trenches.

According to On3 / Rivals’ National Recruiting Reporter Sam Spiegelman, the Crimson Tide are trending toward receiving a commitment from four-star 2027 interior offensive lineman Ismael Camara.

Should Alabama nab the talented recruit out of Gilmer, TX, it would be the second high-ranked interior lineman of the 2027 class.

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Earlier this season, the Crimson Tide had secured a commitment from Jatori Williams, the four-star lineman out of Phenix City, AL, and one who is the fifth ranked player at his position in the country.

Camara spoke with Spiegelman and revealed that he, along with 20 other recruits will be in Tuscaloosa for the LSU game – a game that holds such importance.

Not only that, he spoke on the relationship that he holds with offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, and how that relationship resonates with him.

“Coach Kap told me two things when we first talked — he has the best job in the world and that all the things he wants from his players are passion, a good attitude, maximum effort, being a good teammate, being prepared and available, and being coachable. That requires zero talent.”

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He then went on to say how much the persistence in maintaining that relationship is something that he will always hold onto.

“I appreciate him investing in me like that, and I am trying to get better to live up to the standard at ‘Bama.”

The “Standard” is a real thing, and it’s not something that the brass take lightly. Nick Saban spent 17 seasons implementing a culture of greatness and players that have the dog in them to be great.

So Kalen DeBoer and his staff don’t want to lose sight of it. It may have been in question for a little, but for the time being, what you’re seeing is what you’re getting.

But the “Standard” is something that means a lot to Camara too, and it’s what has set apart Alabama from other schools.

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“When we got into the facility and saw all the nattys, the SEC championships and Heisman Trophies, I really had the butterflies,” Camara said. “The way they treated each other and the way they treated me — it was not just an honor for me to be there, it was an honor for them to be there. They practiced like that. They operated like that. They hung together like that. That was when I really started to understand what makes Alabama ‘Bama,’”

Aside from it being a big game on the schedule, it’s a big game for the coaches take make sure the people they’re bringing in for the future know that the staff’s future is just the beginning for these young men.



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