SEC Opener
SEC Basketball opened up with a terrific showdown between Bama and the Gators with a Florida win. While in the past few years losing to Florida hasn’t been a bad thing this year the Tide should be ashamed. With a 7 point lead at halftime, the Tide failed to stop the pick and roll and succumbed at the end.
Like I said, it doesn’t seem like a bad thing to lose to Florida because they have been so good in recent years, but this is a home game against a team that has not overachieved this season. This is the first road win and first decent victory for the Gators this season. Billy Donovan has coddled his young gator squad this season except for a road test at Ohio St. and they have performed as expected in every game except for a loss at home to Florida St. and this win on the road against an Alabama team that should’ve won.
With no Ronald Steele, no one has picked the Tide to do much this season despite having Richard Hendrix in the front court, but in the SEC you have to defend your home court. You have to stand up and say we’re not gonna let a team come in here and beat us on reputation.
Alabama’s keys to losing this game?
Three pointers: shooting 8-26, defending 11-22
Front Court: Richard Hendrix 24 pts, rest of Alabama Big Men 4 points
Free Throws: 15-26 from the line
These are the reasons you lost.
Oh and 51 points from freshman on the Florida team. With only one upperclassman in Hodge playing for this Florida team, this is a big win especially in the year of the freshman. The inexperience on this Florida team may cost them in future game, with Nick Calathes missing a key freethrow that could’ve given Bama a shot back in the game, but was bailed out by a key rebound by Dan Werner. With only 76% free throw percentage, maybe Donovan should try to put the games in the hands of someone with a little more experience than one road game.
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This is a young Florida team and their only impressive win so far this year. It is a rebuilding year. They lost their top 6 players from last year’s team. But yeah, the Tide should be ashamed because Florida sucks, everyone hates the Gators, Donovan is a horrible coach, and their team is nothing but a bunch of over-hyped Freshman.
They hustled on defense and played tough despite having Speights in foul trouble for most of the game. As a Gator fan, last night’s game was a HUGE win. their youth will show and will eventually cost them some games this year. But for now, this win was a big confidence boost to this young team.
I was pretty surprised that the Gates won at the Ghetto. Do the Bammeroids own the SEC BB Refs too?
“But yeah, the Tide should be ashamed because Florida sucks, everyone hates the Gators, Donovan is a horrible coach, and their team is nothing but a bunch of over-hyped Freshman.”
WTF is this bullshit? Over-hyped freshman? Billy D a bad coach? Come one LL — that’s a bunch of asscrack right there and you know it. Nick is a stud, Hodge is a baller and Speights is playing like a manchild in the box. Plus, Jai Lucas is going to be a star.
That being said, sans an out-of-his head performance from Gee and a solid game from Hendrix and the ‘Bameroids would’ve been blown out. The Gates aren’t that great of a team, and the Tide should’ve won this game. But the Gates fought and nailed their shots from the outside. Solid win, although there is much to be gleaned from this. Specifically, the Gates interior D. It fucking sucked. Hendrix killed us on the boards, especially on the offensive end. Nice post Bigfoot. So stoked conference play has started. That Vols team is for real, too. When Lofton gets his touch back, watch out. Plus, you guys are soooo deep it’s sickening. 12 doods are averaging more than 10 mins per game. That’s ill.
No one wants to play this Gator team in the Tourney. They’re gonna upset someone. Write it down.
Alabama is a two man team in Gee and Hendrix.
We just can’t seem to do anything with Gottfried as the coach. He makes horrible assistant coaching moves, can’t coach X’s and O’s, and still runs that old UCLA offense Wooden used to run…. (of course, that depends on if he actually feels like letting our team run any plays)
T-KGB:
That comment was dripping with sarcasm in response to the original post. Maybe I should’ve let that be known a little better. Sorry.
I like this Gator team and the future looks bright. They’ll be fine and will only get better as they begin to gel as a team.
Last night’s game should have raised some eyebrows, as this Bama team really should have owned this game (not really a knock on the Gates, but right now in the season, we should be further along with things since you are rebuilding), but we are all numb and used to Gottfried’s terrible coaching. I don’t see how this man not only stays employed, but make $1 million doing so.
Put Bruce Pearl (or even fucking Pelphrey, etc.) with the young talent Bama has, and you have yourself a top 10-20 team. As it stands, we have the abortion that was last night. While being up by 10, I told my roommate, “hey, it looks like this team may win in spite of Gottfried.” How foolish. Since this was the 1st game I have watched this year (other than the G town game, which was actually exactly like this), I forgot that ole Mike never makes any adjustments and always gives the game away in the 2nd. Like clockwork, a good coach (Donnavan, but put pretty much anyone in there) makes adjustments and his team overcomes the early onslaught to overtake the score, while Bama does the same thing and gets behind. Add some ill advised 3’s the possession we get down by 4 points and thereafter, and you have a typical Bama game. It has NEVER changed.
Thanks to the Gates for being young and constantly fouling us to keep us in the game, but I’ll chalk it up to inexperience by the Gates, as they should know that Gottfried can’t even be given a game.
“Thanks to the Gates for being young and constantly fouling us to keep us in the game, but I’ll chalk it up to inexperience by the Gates, as they should know that Gottfried can’t even be given a game.”
So true. We’ll get blown out in Fayetteville this weekend. The Hogs should be favored by about 20.