2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Team Previews – Alabama Crimson Tide
Anthony Grant is one of the young stars in the coaching profession. Grant worked his magic at VCU before coming over to Alabama.
2011- 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide College Basketball Preview
Alabama 2011-2012 Odds to Win NCAA Championship from Bookmaker: +5,500
Alabama 2011-2012 Odds to Win SEC Regular Season Championship from 5Dimes: +800
The Crimson Tide program has clearly benefited from his leadership, but an NCAA Berth has eluded them so far. Expectations are very high this year, and most experts expect this to be a team that goes dancing this March. In fact, Alabama is ranked in most preseason top 25 lists. Grant’s teams are well-known for their pressure defense, and the Crimson Tide should be creating as many turnovers as anyone this year.
Last Year’s Results: 25-12 (19-0 Home, 6-12 Neutral/Road)
Alabama was a bubble team entering Selection Sunday, but they were left out of the tournament due a weak non-conference schedule. JaMychal Green stepped and became a star last season. Alabama created turnovers in bunches, but they were sloppy on the offensive end. In order to take that next step, the Crimson Tide must be able to get more easy buckets off their forced turnovers. This team has figured out how to protect their home court, but they need to pick up some wins away from home. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Roster Changes
Senario Hillman was never a major scorer for the Crimson Tide, but his defensive tenacity will definitely be missed. Andrew Steele was a highly touted player who saw his basketball career come to an end after suffering four sports related concussions.
Grant is known as a great recruiter, and he is starting to make his mark on the Alabama team. Trevor Lacey is the biggest fish that Grant brought in for this season. Lacey is one of the top shooting guards in the nation. Expect him to make an impact in his freshman season. Nick Jacobs and Moussa Gueye should give Alabama some depth down low.
Top Players
The Crimson Tide return their top three scorers: JaMychal Green, Tony Mitchell, and Trevor Reliford. Green was named to the preseason first team all-SEC team, and he is definitely the team’s best player. If Green can become a little more consistent offensively this team will be tough to beat. Mitchell and Reliford had great seasons despite being only a sophomore and a freshman respectively. These two should be even better this year. Both Mitchell and Reliford buy into Grant’s defensive system.
Alabama 2011-2012 College Basketball Prediction: #7 Seed in the NCAA Tournament (Loss in Second Round of NCAA Tournament)
The primary reason Alabama didn’t go dancing last March was their weak non-conference schedule. The non-conference slate is much more difficult this year, and I think that will help them a great deal. Early matchups against teams like Georgetown, VCU, Kansas State, and Georgia Tech should help prepare them for the SEC schedule.
I don’t think Alabama has enough offense to beat the very best in the SEC this year, but I do think this team is extremely dangerous because of their style of play. Grant is getting more of his type of players, and this team will not be outhustled. Expect Green to have a massive year, and the Crimson Tide should be safely in come tournament time this year.
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