You can't kill Alabama Basketball.
Suspensions... Forget It.
Injuries....You better come stronger then that.
Faced with one adverse situation after another, Alabama has overcome and positioned themselves to secure its first NCAA Tournament Bid since 2006.
Much like Rasputin, who among other things was poisoned and shot, but was found still trying to crawl out of a frozen river even in his last moments, Alabama Basketball finds itself in that Rasputin mode.
Take away its most talented player, big deal. Lose your leading scorer, whatever. Have your prized recruit hurt on the road trailing by double figures in the 1st half, shoulder shrug. Just reinvent your offense, play 4 guards and run Tennessee and Arkansas off the floor. Unreal.
Now the Tide must win its next two home games, vs Mississippi State and Auburn, and they will secure that elusive bid. In the process, hated rival Rick Stansbury and Miss. State could be sent to the NIT with another loss on Saturday to the Tide. How sweet would it be to see Alabama's biggest rival in basketball, Miss State, be sent packing out of the NCAA seed line and into the NIT on Saturday night. At this point, its a very real possibility.
'Bama's pluck and grit vs Arkansas was unreal, trailing 33-21 late in the 1st half, the Tide proceeded to put a run on, jump started by a Rodney Cooper trey that did not end until the 16 minute mark of the 2nd half. A 33-8 run led to a 54-41 lead and allowing 'Bama to seize control of the contest. The Hogs made one run late, cutting things down to 5 in the final 3 minutes, but free throws and solid defense by another freshman, Nick Jacobs sealed the deal in Fayetteville.
Now through all the suspensions, questions and uncertainty, Anthony Grant has come out a winner by standing by his principles and as a result, his program is on the verge of finishing the season on a high note and is positioned for great success in the coming years.
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