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ALABAMA BASKETBALL: 5-6 Tide should self-impose death penalty

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by ITK

Alabama Basketball, again.
Saturday night, the Crimson Tide held a 12-point second half lead over visiting Xavier, only to let it slip away and lose in the end.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Against Oklahoma. And Duke. And Drexel. And South Florida. And Wichita State. And almost West Alabama for crying out loud.

And it’s not even Christmas yet.

Bama was outplayed in the second half, missed free throws like they were allergic to made baskets and couldn’t get critical stops on defense as its stoic head coach looked on, with little or no answers during or after the game.

With the loss, the Tide fell to 5-6 on the season…Anthony Grant’s fifth in Tuscaloosa. While I had high hopes for Grant and the disruptive defensive style he brought to the Capstone from VCU and Florida, I have more faith in Obamacare at this point. His plant hasn’t exactly taken root in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama basketball is bad. Really Bad. Like, as far as I’m concerned, the college basketball season isn’t even going on, bad.

I recently had a friend who lives and works in Tuscaloosa tell me he has a dozen tickets to every Bama home game, and if I ever wanted to come down and bring the family to let him know.

I smiled, nodded and thanked him. But in actuality, I would never, ever do that to my family. And if I were Nick Saban, no way a recruiting visit to T-town would include taking in a game. If they want to see a choke job just pop in the game film from this year’s Iron Bowl. No need reliving it in basketball form in live-action.

Under Grant Alabama has dipped its toe in the NCAA tournament but one time, and with six pre-conference season losses, is a virtual lock to miss it again this year.

So, my suggestion, let’s call the rest of the season off. There are football attendance counters at UAB who are laughing at the numbers announced for games already this season. And with night after night of dismal performances, it’s only gonna get worse.

Save the electricity; save the cost of operation. Let’s shut Coleman Colesium down until the 2014-2015 season and just call this one off.

The goal is to make it to the NCAA Tournament each year, so now that this is clearly an impossibility this season (the fourth time in five years), I say just shut ‘er down. Give yourself the death penalty before the SEC season gets here.

Next Saturday the Tide travels UCLA to lose to the Bruins before coming home for one last home loss to Robert Morris on January 4th. So the thing to do is go ahead and let the rest of the SEC know now that they’ll not have to worry with their games against Bama this year.

If Tide Athletic Director Bill Battle wants to keep Anthony Grant at the helm, that’s his business. But if I want to partake in the slop fest called Alabama basketball, that’s mine.

Grant’s pedigree seemed on par upon arrival. Now it seems like a quadriple bogey.

So let’s pack it in for this year and just try again next season. Hey, it worked all during the Dubose, Franchione, Price/Shula years in football. Time to give it a whirl on the hardwood.


(Follow ITK on Twitter for Bama news, commentary and smack.)

10 thoughts on “ALABAMA BASKETBALL: 5-6 Tide should self-impose death penalty”

  1. i have to hand it to you, ITK, at this point, to have enough interest to put that many word to print over this basketball program?

    you deserve something.

    i became a miami dolphins fan in 1972. yeah, the undefeated super bowl season. as the years passed and Coach Bryant’s player filtered through the franchise, the tie became stronger.

    but as the years passed, the incompetence and ineptitude that ate away at the championship aura of the franchise made it easier and easier to quit caring.

    about five years ago i did.

    starting to feel the same way about Alabama basketball.

    if you’re a fan of ‘Bama basketball and you want to see something other than what you’ve been seeing, well, good luck with that.

    i’ve been waiting on that Final Four for a long, long time.

    i mean geez louise, missi – fukn – ssippi state has been to a Final Four.

    here’s the deal, the powers-that-be are happy with things just the way they are. they could care less about ‘Bama b’ball achieving anything.

    go get yourself a football recruiting magazine and read it cover to cover.

    when you’re done, spring football will be here.

  2. I never did have any faith in Grant. Been saying it for 5 years.His assisstant coaches were responsible for his success at VCU. They have done much better than he did since he left. This season should be written off, fire Grant and hire a top notch coach to take over now and start molding the team for next year. I wish someone would pay me 2 million a year to make an ass out of myself and just keep on doing it. Hell, pay me a million a year and I will guarantee you more wins than Grant gets. He’s worthless, nothing. He’s robbing the University. If the team should self impose the death penalty – Grant should commit suicide, please. RTR!

  3. UA Basketball hasn’t been truly interesting to me since Wimp.

    I had a lot of fun at UAB basketball games back in the day.

    UAB should drop football, UA should drop basketball

    Let the Blazers represent the UA system on the hardcourt and the Tide represent it on the gridiron. UAH can be the designated hockey team.

    1. no, UAB should drop football.

      Alabama should go hire a real basketball coach, then give him what he needs to succeed.

    1. Way to try to twist the Pettway story, little brother.

      This is what college football is about. Well, at least at Alabama, anyway. It’s about growing up, being a man, and working your butt off to rectify and redeem your actions.

      I’m proud of Pettway’s journey to get himself back to the University of Alabama. Nick Saban has kicked better players off the team for less without them ever playing a down. I can’t imagine what it takes to get back on the team after that, but it takes more than talent or getting expelled from another SEC school, for example. I feel the same way about Golsen at Notre Dame. ND may have been undefeated this year with Golsen under center. Pettway didn’t get to play in that game. Only Little Brother would try to twist it into a bad story. Frankly, this is what college athletics should be about.

      Otherwise go complain to Ray Lewis, Little Brother. And tear down that Cam Newton statue while you’re at it and take it to the University of Florida.

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