Happy Friday, everyone. Alabama baseball opens its season today against Bradley. Zane Adams is scheduled to take the hill for the Tide.
Of course, the big game of the weekend is the ballyhooed Alabama v Auburn matchup that will feature the nation’s current top two ranked teams. Even Forbes is covering this one.
Saturday’s game will be the 45th matchup between No. 1- and No. 2- ranked teams, with the most recent occurring on Nov. 23, 2021 when No. 1 Gonzaga defeated No. 2 UCLA, 83-63, during the Empire Classic in Las Vegas. It will be the first intra-conference No. 1 vs. No. 2 game since No. 1 Kansas’s 109-106 victory over No. 2 Oklahoma in triple overtime in January 2016.
Chances are, the Alabama-Auburn game will not be as high-scoring or tight as Kansas-Oklahoma, but it is one of the most anticipated regular season games in recent years. The good news for fans? The teams will play again on March 8 at Auburn. The programs could also meet in the SEC and/or NCAA tournaments, too. While many in the region are getting ready for spring football, the Alabama and Auburn men’s basketball teams are worth paying attention to over the next several weeks, as both are among the few teams capable of winning a national title.
Aden Holloway is getting plenty of attention ahead of the game after transferring from Auburn to Alabama in the offseason. NBA great Charles Barkley has some advice for him.
“You want to come out and kick their butt. Let’s be realistic,” Barkley said. “Well, if you try too hard and you make one mistake, then you make two, then you’re like, ‘Oh my God. This is going downhill. This is my worst nightmare coming to fruition.’ “
Barkley got back to the fundamentals when thinking of helpful tips for Holloway, too.
“Most great players know this, you have to control your breathing,” Barkley said.
When the heart starts pumping and adrenaline races through the veins, it’s easy to run out of steam needed to finish the game.
“Everybody gets nervous. Everybody gets excited. I don’t care who you are, but you have to control your breathing,” Barkley said. “That’s the key.”
Sage words from the Hall of Famer. Keeping emotions in check is especially important for an Alabama team that has the most obvious potentially fatal flaw in the matchup.
Auburn turns the ball over much less than Alabama, and less than most teams. The Tigers have a turnover rate (turnovers divided by possessions) of 13.4%, which ranks 7th nationally. Alabama, meanwhile, has a turnover rate of 17.7%, ranked 210th.
The Tigers have a non-steal turnover rate of 4.5%, ranked 2nd. Alabama’s at 7.2%, ranked 134th.
“We’ve got to fix the turnovers,” Oats said after the Georgia game. “It’s a major problem.”
Turnovers haven’t kept Alabama from winning most of the time, but they could be the difference maker in a game where every possession matters such as this one. Auburn has the clear advantage in terms of taking care of the ball and not giving away possessions.
If Alabama turns the ball over a dozen times or more, it’s tough to see them winning the ballgame. We’ll see if they can limit the mistakes.
Both coaches are saying the right things.
“Do we think we’re the best team in the country? I think we have a chance to be, but Auburn’s the best team in the country right now,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said after his team’s 23-point win at Texas on Tuesday. “We’ve got to knock them out on Saturday if we want to claim that.”
Said Pearl during a Wednesday interview on SiriusXM radio: “They’re the deepest and most talented team in our league, and they’re playing great right now. I want to beat Alabama more than anybody else on our schedule because that’s our rival. I don’t take it personally.”
In football news, a documentary about Kalen DeBoer’s first season in Tuscaloosa will kick off on February 19.
FOX Nation, a streaming service run by FOX News, will release “The Tides That Bind: Inside Alabama Football,” a six-episode documentary series that will include interviews with DeBoer, safety Malachi Moore, quarterback Jalen Milroe, wide receiver Ryan Williams and others.
According to a release from FOX Nation, the documentary series will “delve behind the scenes of the team as they adapt to a year of unprecedented change” with highlights from spring ball, summer workouts and fall camp through the 2024 regular season and postseason.
That should be interesting. Greg McElroy seems bullish on the 2025 squad.
Alabama head football coach Kalen DeBoer didn’t watch his program flourish in year one as the Crimson Tide stumbled to a measly 9-4, which ended the program’s run of 10+ win seasons that began in 2008. Although Alabama didn’t go rampant in the transfer portal following the season, the Crimson Tide’s quiet off-season might have DeBoer’s program ripe for a return to glory in 2025.
“Alabama, with the continuity returning defensively, should be really well-poised to have a bounce-back year,” former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said.
Last, Chase Goodbread looked at some film of Texas A&M transfer Kam Dewberry,
What he did well: Across two games against Alabama, Dewberry put in much of his best work in pass protection. He keeps his head on a swivel to identify multiple pass rushers in his gap, showing the recognition and willingness to come off one block to make another. As a run blocker, Dewberry’s size and strength help him drive bigger defenders off the ball.
What he didn’t do well: Dewberry had repeated balance issues against the Crimson Tide. Often due to lunging and getting overextended, Dewberry found himself on the ground too much. When he didn’t fall, his tendency to get off-balance still made it difficult for him to sustain blocks. The issue showed up more often in run blocking than pass blocking. It’s also worth noting that Dewberry might have improved in this area in 2024, as All-22 video on his junior season was unavailable.
That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.
Roll Tide.
