Alabama

Roll ‘Bama Roll Bracketology: Can Alabama help itself with some wins in the SEC Tournament?

Published

2 years ago

March 11, 2024

Roll ‘Bama Roll Bracketology: Can Alabama help itself with some wins in the SEC Tournament?

The SEC Tournament begins this week with Sad Wednesday. The Tide, as a Top 4 seed, has earned one bye and does not begin action until Friday night. Alabama has drawn a bit more forgiving path than if it had been the 4-seed.

The Tide’s half of the bracket features teams ‘Bama went 5-2 against, though both of those losses were road blowouts. And, perhaps worse, it has the other two best offenses in the conference on its side: Kentucky, and a team no wants to play right now, Florida.

Still, it has dodged a bullet by putting the two best defensive squads on the other side of the ledger, where Tennessee and Auburn will almost certainly face one another. ‘Bama went 1-3 against that lot. That Arkansas overtime win could not have been bigger.

And, for some good news: While there’s almost no chance that Georgia or Mizzou upend Florida, there’s a passing decent chance that A&M or Ole Miss can goonball Kentucky and bounce them out early.

Worst case scenario to claim the tourney title: Alabama has to fight through Florida, Auburn/Tennesee, and Kentucky. Best case: just get past Florida. Most realistic? That’s probably also the worst case: Florida, Kentucky, Barn/Vawls…in that order, in three days. The Tide’s record against them: 2-5 (though there were four true road games in there).

So, given the steep mountain ‘Bama has to climb, what are its postseason fortunes? Can ‘Bama play its way up or down on its seed line?

Let’s see where ‘Bama is projected, going into conference title week.

Well, the Tide’s fortunes took a bad turn this week, as Indiana State, one of Alabama’s good OOC wins, suffered a set-back. After Indiana State won the MVC regular season title, it dropped a heartbreaker in the conference final. So, the Sycamores — solidly a lock last week, are now praying that they get some help.

The NET really has screwed over midmajors, y’all. We’ve covered that before.

Also, two marginal teams — the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies, both need to make some noise to solidify their shot at a bid. They’re on opposite sides, so that helps. But Aggie will certainly face UK in the second round, and ‘State draws Tennessee, assuming it can get past streaky shooting LSU.

An early bow-out by one or both eliminates three of the Tide’s quality wins over tourney teams, and diminishes the SEC to just a six-bid league.

Really, much rides on the tournaments in relation to the Tide’s fortunes. Four wins that looked great last week may suddenly become relatively meaningless outside of the NET by Sunday. Blogging the Bracket has moved ‘State to the Bubble as a bye team, and bounced A&M out, failing a good run by either.

Chris isn’t alone here either. MSU is a consensus 9-10 seed entering the SECT, but only a handful of bracketologists have Aggie making the Dance, and that as an 11-seed.

For Alabama’s fortunes, we really need a State win over LSU, and then pray for an upset of UK over the Wildcats. That bolsters ‘Bama’s SOS greatly, and it improves the conference standing as an 8-bid league instead of one where only the top third made it, which would be the second-worst among the Power 5 leagues.

Here are the projected seed-lines for the Crimson Tide:

CBS has ‘Bama a 4-line in the East, which is perhaps the least forgiving thing I’ve ever seen. Why? After a nasty trap game against red-hot shooting McNeese State, ‘Bama would face a defensive slugfest between App State or Texas Tech. That’s bad enough, but the East also sees Kansas as the 3, UNC as the 2…and everyone is staring up at No. 1 UConn.

For my money, gimme On3’s bracket. Sure, Alabama is a 4-line, and yes, it is in Houston’s region. But the teams are far more forgiving. For a start, the Tide faces App. State out of the jump, rather than a three-point mercenary. Said three-point mercenary gets to face Dayton, where Alabama could get an interesting matchup against an old face: The Flyers and Grantsketball vs. Nate — talk about a contrast in styles.

The rest of the pod is fairly gentle too: Florida is on the bottom half of the region, as is Marquette — with those teams projected to meet in Round 2. The other Big Bad, Duke, is also on the bottom half: 2/3rds of the very good teams take care of themselves before we even get to the Elite Eight.

Yes please.

Lunardi’s at ESPN is almost as bad as Jerry Palm’s.

The Tide gets carted to the Midwest, where overall No. 1 seed Purdue, and the fouling lummox, are the top seed. But, he’s also thrown in Florida, Duke, a potential rematch with Clemson in the second round, three-ball FAU, very frustrating Vermont and Utah State teams, and two Big 12 teams…just for funsies.

And, in a composite of brackets, The Bracket Matrix has ‘Bama a four-across the board.

Can UA play its way up to a 3-seed? Perhaps. But I’m not sure that Alabama even wants to do that, given that most project a meeting with Duke or Florida to even get out of the Sweet 16. Four may actually be Alabama’s best spot to make some noise.

It certainly beats ‘Bama’s women, where ESPN has projected the Tide to face No. 1 Iowa, even they can even survive a dread 8/9 game. Though, it would be cool to see Clark do her thing.

And, before we go, let’s take one final regular season look at the Tide’s metrics.

NET: 8th (4-9 Q1; 8-1 Q2); last week 7th
KenPom: 11th (Off. 2nd, Def. 102nd); last week 8th (Off. 1st, Def. 101st)
Evan Miya: 14th (Off. 4th, Def. 75th); last week 12th (Off. 5th, Def. 84th)
Bar Torvik: 15th (Off. 3rd, Def. 106th); last week 7th (Off. 1st, Def. 73rd)
SOS: 2nd
ESPN BPI: 8th, last week 8th
RPI: 7th, last week 7th
RPI SOS: 5th, last week 3rd

That puts a bow on it for now. We’ll be back later in the week with some game breakdowns, special point spread picks, SEC tournament analysis and open threads.

Roll Tide!

#EverythingSchool
#BTDAG

Poll

What would qualify as a successful season for you at this point?

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Given all the personnel and coaching losses, it’s already been a successful season; everything else is house money.

(0 votes)
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Win a few in the postseason on neutral courts, maybe get to the second weekend?

(0 votes)
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At least a Sweet 16 or better

(0 votes)
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CUT DOWN THE NETS, OR WE RIOT

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Alabama

Jacob Crews scores 20 for Missouri in 85-77 win over Alabama State

Published

7 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Jacob Crews scores 20 for Missouri in 85-77 win over Alabama State

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jacob Crews scored 20, and Anthony Robinson II added 19 in Missouri’s 85-77 win over Alabama State on Thursday night.

Crews shot 7 of 9 from the field, including 6 of 8 from the 3-point arc. Mark Mitchell added 15 points for Missouri (9-2), and Sebastian Mack added 10.

The Tigers had a 15-0 run in the first half, heading into the locker room up 52-39. Alabama State was held scoreless over a 4:19 drought in the middle of the second half to open a 9-0 run for the Tigers. The Hornets (3-8) responded with their own 10-0 run to bring the game within eight, 74-62. The Tigers regained control, though, to keep their eight-point lead the rest of the game, handing Alabama State their fourth loss in a row.

The Tigers shot 65% (33 of 51). Both teams shot 50% from the free-throw line.

Alabama State outscored Missouri in the final period, 38-33. Asjon Anderscon scored 23 for the Hornets, leading all players in scoring.

Up next

Missouri hosts Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 14.

Alabama State travels to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats on Dec. 17.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Alabama

Katie Windham Highlights Alabama Areas of Improvement on The Joe Gaither Show

Published

19 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Katie Windham Highlights Alabama Areas of Improvement on The Joe Gaither Show

Let’s crank up a Thursday edition of “The Joe Gaither Show on BamaCentral” with Mason Woods and Katie Windham as we start getting ready for next week’s College Football Playoff game between Alabama and Oklahoma. Windham detailed how the Crimson Tide can improve over the next few weeks, we discuss the team’s health and look back at our last road trip to Norman. The show then discusses the Heisman Trophy finalists before addressing a Kalen DeBoer coaching rumor.

The program opens by power ranking the holidays before discussing Windham’s three areas the Crimson Tide can improve over the next week. Our trio picks the easiest area the team can improve and how Alabama must perform in Norman. Windham details our last trip to Oklahoma as we go down memory lane to the Sooners’ 24-3 victory last season.

The show continues on by getting Windham’s thoughts on Alabama’a College Football Playoff selection and if the Crimson Tide actually deserved its place in the field. She brings up a unique aspect of Alabama’s blowout loss in the SEC Championship and how it played into the program’s inclusion in the College Football Playoffs.

We move from next week’s game into a small discussion on Notre Dame’s reaction of being left out of the field and how it relates to Alabama’s future home-and-home dates with the Fighting Irish. Will the two esteemed programs still face off in a few years?

The show heads into the only college football action of the weekend by highlighting the strong Heisman Trophy finalist field. Who brings home the bronze statue?

Lastly, we spend the final bit of the show talking about Michigan firing Sherrone Moore and the reports of the Wolverines considering persuing Kalen DeBeor for their next head coach. Will DeBoer leave Tuscaloosa for Ann Arbor?

We’re so appreciative of our sponsors who make the show possible. Check out Derek Daniel State Farm in Alabama for your insurance needs. We’re also proud to partner with Purple Turtle Roofing on the program. From your first call to the final nail, our mission is to make sure you feel confident, cared for, and covered, literally.

Call (205) 462-7340 Extension 800 to leave your thoughts in a voicemail, and you’ll be featured on the show. You can also join us live in the comment sections Monday through Friday at 8:15 a.m. CT.

The show can be seen on the BamaCentral YouTube channel. Keep up with each show on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Shows can also be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

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Alabama

New Alabama law raises penalties for porch piracy

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

New Alabama law raises penalties for porch piracy

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – As holiday deliveries ramp up, a new Alabama law aims to deter package theft by raising penalties for so-called “porch piracy.” The law, which went into effect on October 1, 2025, makes repeated package theft a felony and can carry prison sentences of up to 10 years in the most serious cases.

What changed

Previously, many package thefts in Alabama were charged as misdemeanor theft because the value of individual stolen packages often fell below felony thresholds. Under the new law however, lawmakers established penalties that focus on the number of homes targeted rather than the dollar value of items stolen:

Stealing from 1 to 9 homes: most serious misdemeanor
Stealing from 10 to 29 homes: felony
Stealing from 30 or more homes: can result in up to 10 years in prison

The law also increases penalties if stolen packages are used to commit identity theft or fraud. In addition, anyone who knowingly receives packages stolen by a porch pirate can be charged under the new rules.

Lawmakers weigh in

Senator April Weaver, one of the bill’s sponsors, said the change was meant to protect Alabama families during the holidays.

“It was really important to protect the people not only in my district but throughout the state of Alabama and to make sure their hard-earned money is going to their children’s Christmas,” she said.

On camera, Senator Weaver added with holiday humor, “It means the Grinch may have stolen Christmas in Whoville, but if he does it in Alabama, he’ll have plenty of time in state prison for his heart to grow three sizes.”

What police recommend if your package is stolen

If you discover a stolen package, law enforcement recommends:

Report the theft to police immediately.
Preserve any doorbell or surveillance footage that may show the theft.
Contact the delivery company right away to report the missing item.
Consider requiring a signature on delivery to reduce the risk of theft.

The law went into effect on October 1, 2025; this December marks the first holiday season it is in effect. Alabama is now one of more than a dozen states that have passed laws specifically targeting package theft. Supporters say the law sends a stronger message that porch piracy will no longer be treated as a minor offense.

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