The Battle Plan presented by Mercedes-Benz
11/19/2016 9:11:00 AM | General
Home Stretch of Football Season is a Fascinating Time
Isn't college football fascinating? No other sport has a regular reason as exciting and captivating. Whether you like the four-team playoff system or not, it causes more water cooler talk on Mondays and Tuesdays after games (and Thursdays and Fridays before games) than any other sport. And, toward the end of the season, the announcement on Tuesdays of CFP rankings has everyone prognosticating, watching, and reacting all week.
And how would you like to be on the College Football Playoff Committee? I was in New York at a Collegiate Sports forum two years ago when the first such committee had been appointed. It was a panel discussion consisting of an athletics director, a head coach, a sportswriter, and Tom Osborne, a member of the first Playoff Committee. The discussion ended when the moderator charged the panel to finish this sentence, "The College Playoff will be successful if ______." The athletics director said, "If it is a financial success." The coach said, "If the players love it." The sportswriter said, "If the fans love it." And Tom Osborne, speaking for the committee, said, "If we don't get lynched." There is much wisdom in that last statement.
The college football world got turned upside down after last Saturday's games. Teams ranked 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9 all were defeated. That was good news for Alabama, as we were confirmed as SEC West Division champions and guaranteed a trip to Atlanta on December 3 to take on either Florida or Tennessee for the SEC Championship. It also caused people around the country to try to speculate or calculate what it would take for their team to get into the top four in the final rankings. Talk shows are filled with listeners and callers who give their opinions. Television ratings of college football games continue to be high and fans keep filling stadiums to be a part of this competition which creates passion and energy in their lives.
Alabama is, indeed, in a good place as Coach Nick Saban's team has held the number one ranking since the beginning of the season. When many of the other top teams stumbled last week, Alabama beat Mississippi State, 51-3. Our team dominated Mississippi State for all four quarters. State is a much better team than the score indicated, but they are in a rebuilding mode, and our talent and depth were too much for them.
This week brings Chattanooga to Bryant-Denny Stadium. They are the 11th-ranked team in the FCS and come to Tuscaloosa with winning as their goal. As we see every week, teams that don't come in focused and ready to play 60 minutes often get defeated. Our coaches are working hard to make sure we are well-prepared for this game and saving thoughts about Auburn and the Iron Bowl for next week.
7 Tide Teams Lead SEC in the NCAA's Latest Graduation Success Rate Report
As I've shared with you many times in this space, graduating our student-athletes is one of the cornerstones of our Mission. I am very proud that we continue to stand among the Southeastern Conference leaders in the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate (GSR), released earlier this week by the NCAA. Seven of our programs led the SEC in GSR and our overall GSR was 89 this year, ranking in the top three in the SEC along with Vanderbilt (93) and South Carolina (91).
The overall score ranks in the top third nationally and is, once again, far above the acceptable standards for completion of undergraduate studies nationally per the NCAA. The GSR spans the period covering student-athletes who attended the University during 2006-09. Our consistently strong showing in this important measure speaks directly to the importance we place on academic success, and I am very proud of the effort that students, coaches and staff put into our pursuit of academic excellence and the ultimate goal of a college education.
The Tide was first, or tied for first, in seven different sports. Our men's basketball team remained at a perfect 100, leading six other Tide teams that also led the SEC with perfect GSR scores – men's golf, women's golf, gymnastics, men's tennis, women's tennis and men's swimming & diving. In addition to the sports that posted perfect scores of 100, five others posted scores above 90 - softball (94), soccer (93), women's track & field (93), women's swimming & diving (92) and volleyball (91). The football team posted an 80, which ranks fourth in the SEC, marking the eighth year in a row that the Tide football team has ranked in the top four in the SEC by GSR. Overall, 12 of our programs recorded a GSR score of 90 or better and 14 posted marks above 85. The average GSR for student-athletes is 84 for all of NCAA Division I.
Speaking of our football team, when ranking the teams in this week's top 25 by GSR scores, Alabama is tied for fifth overall.
Strong Fan Support Key in Good Start by Men's Basketball Team
Our men's basketball team played a talented Dayton team toe-to-toe for 40 minutes on Tuesday, then followed up last night with a strong performance in a 77-59 victory over a solid Ball State team. Senior Shannon Hale led a strong trio off the bench to lead the Tide with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor in 19 minutes of play against the Cardinals. Shannon was joined in that effort by junior Ar'Mond Davis (17 points) and sophomore Avery Johnson, Jr., who scored 13 points, dealt six assists and had five rebounds. Our team did an excellent job of defense on the perimeter, showing a lot of improvement in that key area.
Tuesday's game with Dayton was a great defensive game. The lead changed five times and the score was tied seven times. Alabama jumped off to a 10-2 start. Dayton eventually caught up and passed us, but we went in at half time with a 36-31 lead. The second half went back and forth in a great college basketball game, especially for this early in the season. With two minutes to go Alabama was ahead by one. With 18 seconds on the clock we were three points down and called a time out. Our three-point shot was off the mark, we fouled, and Dayton had held off a furious effort by our team.
For a 12:15 p.m. game played on a Tuesday in November, I was very pleased with our crowd. I know a lot of people came from long distances to have a presence and support Coach Avery Johnson and our team. I am especially pleased with the students that showed up, stood up, and cheered the entire game. That had a lot to do with how well our team played. Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the experience and I hope you will come back and bring your friends with you. One more time, please come to all the games you can possibly make but, if you can't come, give your tickets to someone that can, or send them back for us to give away. Thank you for your consideration.
From a 30,000-foot view, as you compare the mid-day ESPN performance of this year's team to the same situation at Dayton last year – this Alabama team has come a long way. We lost by a large margin last year and never really challenged them. This team has more depth, a much better inside game, and more scoring potential than last year's team. It is closer in talent to top-25 teams like Dayton, but not quite there. Hopefully, our hustle, team chemistry and good coaching will get us there this year. If so, we'll be ahead of schedule.
Our team played extremely hard. We outrebounded Dayton, 40-28, and 18-5 on the offensive glass. That is a huge improvement from last year. We also shot a better percentage of free throws. Three-point shooting and overall shooting percentage proved to be the difference. If this team continues to work hard to improve, and will compete for 40 minutes every game, I believe our fans will get much enjoyment from the way they play.
All teams, especially young teams need to come together and establish their own personality. They first need to learn what it takes to get themselves in position to win the game in the final stages. Then, they need to learn how to win close games.
Teams typically take on the personality of their coaches. Avery and his staff have done an outstanding job of developing players and adding others to the team to enable it to make a run toward the top of the SEC. The recruiting class they signed, if we can keep them healthy and develop them, should take Alabama basketball up a few notches in the future. It may take another two or three classes like that to put Alabama basketball where we all want it to be.
Fulfilling the Mission: Rowing's Maggie Gillespie is a Classroom Champion
Saturday marks our second home football game in Bryant-Denny Stadium in as many weeks, which means for the second straight Saturday, we'll be recognizing another Classroom Champion, both on the video boards of the stadium and in the game program. This week we're honoring junior rower Maggie Gillespie, who is slated to graduate with a double major in public relations and political science this year, giving her an undergraduate degree in just three years. A native of Longwood, Fla., Maggie carries a 4.0 grade point average and has been a regular in our second varsity 8+ boat. Maggie's efforts in the classroom have helped bolster our rowing team's already outstanding team GPA, which was a 3.38 over the last academic year. We are very proud of Maggie and all our student-athletes who strive to be their very best in all aspects of the collegiate experience.
Crimson Tide Foundation Update: 50 Student-Athletes Give Thanks to Donors
Fifty student-athletes from eight sports spent time calling and writing notes earlier this week to personally thank Crimson Tide Foundation (CTF) donors. In advance of the Thanksgiving holiday, it was important for the Crimson Tide Foundation to let our donors know how much they are appreciated by this department. Who better to demonstrate that gratitude than the very student-athletes who are impacted by their generous contributions? Our student-athletes are very busy with their academic and athletic schedules, but they were excited to have the opportunity to talk with, and write notes to, some of our donors. We are proud that these young people took time to show their appreciation for what has been provided by our donors and to reflect on how our athletics donors have enhanced their Alabama experience. I want to echo the effort of our student-athletes and thank everyone who has made contributions to the Crimson Tide Foundation. We are surrounded by passionate supporters whose generosity is admirable. Contributions to the Crimson Tide Foundation truly help set Alabama Athletics apart from our competitors and we appreciate everyone who helps keep the Tide rising!
Sports Updates
Men's Basketball
As I mentioned earlier, our men's team fell to Dayton, 77-72, on Tuesday afternoon in a game that was up for grabs in the final seconds before rebounding for a 77-59 victory over Ball State on Friday evening. The Ball State game was the second round of the 2016 Las Vegas Main Event. We opened the event at home on Nov. 11 with a 70-53 victory over Coastal Carolina. Today the Tide will depart for Las Vegas to participate in the final rounds of the Main Event, taking on Valparaiso on Monday night in the Heavyweight Division with BYU and Saint Louis squaring off on the other side of the bracket. The consolation game will take place Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 8:30 p.m. CT, while the championship game will be televised on ESPN2 at 11 p.m. CT.
Women's Basketball
Coach Kristy Curry's team is off to 3-0 start with wins over New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State and Lipscomb. Last night, the Tide held Lipscomb scoreless over the first 17:32 and only allowed three points to lead, 45-3, at the half on the way to an 82-35 victory. In each of its games this season, five Tide players have scored in double figures. Freshman Jordan Lewis was selected as the first SEC Freshman of the Week of the season after averaging 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals in the first two games. She is currently the only first-year player in the conference to be ranked in the SEC in four different categories including scoring (19th), rebounding (14th), field goal percentage (fourth) and minutes played (24th).
Men's Golf
Davis Riley finished in sixth place at the Sun Bowl Western Refining Collegiate All-American Classic held Nov. 12-13 at the El Paso Country Club in El Paso, Texas. Davis, who earned honorable mention All-America honors following an excellent freshman season in 2015-16, closed play with a 54-hole total of 2-under par 209 while competing against some of the nation's top players. To be eligible for competition student-athletes must have been named an All-America honoree during the previous year, as well the U.S. Amateur champion or runner-up who still have collegiate eligibility.
Swimming and Diving
Coach Dennis Pursley's team is at the Georgia Tech Invitational this weekend and they produced some great performances on Thursday, the first day of competition. Our men and women won four events, including three of the four relays held that day. The fourth event was the women's 50 freestyle. Junior Bailey Scott not only came up with the victory, but she bettered her own school record with a time of 22.50 seconds. I'm looking forward to great results throughout the weekend and, if you're in the Atlanta area on Saturday, I hope you can stop by McAuley Aquatic Center on the Georgia Tech campus and support the Crimson Tide.
Volleyball
Coach Ed Allen's team won in three straight on Friday night at South Carolina, sweeping the match 28-26, 25-19 and 25-22. Krystal Rivers led all players with 19 kills. As Krystal nears the end of her career, she is certain to finish among the top 10 in numerous career categories. With 2,083 kills, she is only eight away from breaking the school record of 2,090. In a win over Auburn back on November 9, she broke the career points record and currently has 2,407.5 points. The Tide stands 18-11 overall this season and is 7-9 in SEC action after the win last night.
Upcoming Action
Here's a summary of athletic events over the next several days (times listed are for the location of the event: CT is Central Time, ET in Eastern Time, MT is Mountain Time, PT is Pacific Time). Take a look at our upcoming calendar.
Saturday, November 19
| Time | Sport | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 p.m. ET | Men's Cross Country | at NCAA Championships | Terre Haute, Ind. |
| 6 p.m. CT | Football | vs. Chattanooga | Bryant-Denny Stadium |
Monday, November 21
| Time | Sport | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 p.m. PT | Men's Basketball | vs. Valparaiso | Las Vegas, Nev. |
Tuesday, November 22
| Time | Sport | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. CT | Women's Basketball | vs. Georgia Southern | Coleman Coliseum |
Wednesday, November 23
| Time | Sport | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. CT | Volleyball | vs. Ole Miss | Foster Auditorium |
| 6:30 p.m. or 9 p.m. PT | Men's Basketball | vs. BYU or St. Louis | Las Vegas, Nev. |
Where to See, Listen and Follow Alabama Sports
Here's how to follow Crimson Tide teams via TV, radio, rolltide.com, Twitter and Facebook:
Men's Basketball
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/alabama/mbball/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaMBB
Twitter: @AlabamaMBB
Women's Basketball
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/alabama/wbball/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaWBB
Twitter: @AlabamaWBB
Cross Country
Live Results: http://rt.timerhub.com/xc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaTrack
Twitter: @AlabamaTrack
Football
TV: ESPN2
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaFTBL
Twitter: @AlabamaFTBL
Swimming & Diving
Live Stats: www.rolltide.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaSwimDive
Twitter: @AlabamaSwimDive
Volleyball
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/alabama/wvball/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlabamaVBall
Twitter: @AlabamaVBall
Catch Alabama Athletics on the SEC Network
Here's a summary of our athletic events to be televised over the next week on The SEC Network and its platforms. Read this schedule closely as some events can be seen via SEC Network +, which is available online via WatchESPN. If you can't make it to our games in person, catch us on radio or TV. (All times listed are Central Time)
Monday, November 21
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 p.m. | Alabama Football Weekly Press Conference | SEC Network + |
Tuesday, November 22
| Time | Event | Network | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | Women's Basketball | vs. Georgia Southern | SEC Network + |
Wednesday, November 23
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 12 a.m. | REPLAY: Football vs. Chattanooga | SEC Network |
| 7 p.m. | Volleyball vs. Ole Miss | SEC Network + |
Thursday, November 24
| Time | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. | REPLAY: Football vs. Chattanooga | SEC Network |
Our teams need your support, so please plan to attend to do your part! A rising tide lifts all boats and it's up to all of us to Keep the Tide Rising!
Roll Tide!
