Alabama Cimson Tide 2010 Men's Basketball Post Season

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Alabama Crimson Tide

Southeastern Conference (17-15, 6-10)

Seed: #

Big Wins: 11/26 vs Baylor (79-76), 1/23 Mississippi State (62-57), 3/3 at South Carolina (79-70)

Bad Losses: 1/16 at Arkansas (59-71), 1/30 at Auburn (57-58), 2/20 at Georgia (70-76)

Coach: Anthony Grant

Why They Can Surprise:

Alabama is not a great rebounding team, but they have some good players in the frontcourt that have propelled them into the postseason. Most notable is 6-9 sophomore JaMychal Green. He is a superb interior scorer and one of only two players on the team who averages over ten points per game. But Green is also a beast on the glass and grabs 7.2 rebounds per contest. But perhaps his most important attribute to the Crimson Tide is his ability to block shots. When Green is in the paint, it is not easy to for the opposition to attack the basket.

Part-time starter Tony Mitchell has had a fine freshman campaign. He is a polished player on both ends of the floor. At 6-6, he lacks the size to battle under the basket, but he is a good slasher who can finish by attacking the rim. Once he gains a little more consistency with his outside shot, Mitchell will be tough to stop. Chris Hines and Justin Knox have both earned starts next to Green. Knox is the more effective scorer, but Hines is tougher on the glass. Depending on the situation, Coach Anthony Grant has his choice of big men to insert into the game and both of those players can also spell Green at the five spot.

Why They Can Disappoint:

The problem with this team is their occasional stagnant offense. Time and time again their only option is to dump the ball down to Green and that gets really easy to defend. That means Mikhail Torrance and Anthony Brock better be hitting their outside shots or Alabama is not going to win many games. Torrance is a prolific scorer inside the arc and a capable outside shooter. He is also the team’s best passer, but Brock is a solid ballhandler as well. Brock is pretty much a pure shooter and rarely attacks the basket looking to score. However, Brock has not been a consistent shooter this season and when the Tide have nothing to do but look for Green under the basket or Torrance slashing to the basket, the offense quickly becomes predictable.

Who To Watch:

There is another outside shooter on this team. Charvez Davis is the most prolific and consistent shooter, although that is not saying too much. Yet, Davis has had some good outings and when he can come into a game and make a couple three-pointers it really opens up the offense. The other option off the bench is Senario Hillman. While he is not much of a shooter, Hillman is a superb athlete who can finish around the basket and is one of the better defenders on the team.

Probable Starters:

Anthony Brock, Senior, Guard, 5.9 ppg, 2.4 apg, 1.6 spg

Mikhail Torrance, Senior, Guard, 15.6 ppg, 5.1 apg

Tony Mitchell, Freshman, Forward, 9.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg

Chris Hines, Junior, Forward, 3.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg

JaMychal Green, Sophomore, Forward, 14.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.7 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Charvez Davis, Junior, Guard, 6.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg

Senario Hillman, Junior, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 2.2 apg

Justin Knox, Junior, Forward, 6.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 68.6 (186^th in nation, 10^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.6 (81, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.6 (116, 7)

Field-Goal Defense: 42.4 (140, 7)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.6 (231, 10)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.0 (126, 5)

Free-Throw Percentage: 70.3 (124, 3)

Rebound Margin: 0.3 (181, 8)

Assists Per Game: 13.8 (116, 6)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.9 (99, 5)

Joel’s Bracket Says: