College Basketball: Alabama Basketball Ready for Prime Time

After a very lackluster preseason performance, The Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team is 9-2 in SEC conference play, 13-2 in their last 15 games and ready to splash onto the prime time scene of college basketball.

Unfortunately for the Alabama team, the powers-that-be in the NCAA are not willing to hand over a tournament pass to the Crimson Tide just yet. No longer are the last 10 games of the season a barometer for the selection committee.

The SEC is a power conference, but not considered an elite conference for college basketball, despite the fantastic accomplishments by Florida and Kentucky in years past. Wins against UK and UF are still big, but they will not guarantee favor from the selection committee.

Twenty wins in a season is a landmark, but not enough to launch a team into the NCAA postseason tournament any longer. Too many teams can hit the 20-game milestone, having padded their preseason non-conference schedule with speed bumps rather than potential road blocks.

And a loss to a team posted as a "speed bump" can certainly become a road block to the postseason. That did happen in the early part of the season for the Crimson Tide. Three straight losses in the Paradise Jam really hurt. Losses to Seton Hall and Iowa were not unexpected, but losing to St. Peter's, the tournament host, was devastating.

Alabama is clearly the best basketball team in the state, but wins over Alabama A&M, Talladega, Alabama-Huntsville and South Alabama mean nothing to the selection committee. Pounding in-state rival Auburn on the road doesn't help either when that rival is 2-9 in conference play and squeaking out wins at home against teams like Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

One of Alabama's losses in their last 15 games was to the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road. Tonight, the devilish Razorbacks visit Coleman Coliseum for the home-and-home series conclusion between these two SEC West rivals for the 2011 regular season.

A Crimson Tide loss tonight would be devastating to their chances of making the field of 68, and a win would put them in the pool to be a contender. A win seals the West Division championship for the Crimson Tide and keeps the NCAA door wide open. At 10-2, no team would come close to taking the West title from the Tide. Winning keeps Alabama in contention to win the SEC regular season title outright.

A win would also provide sweet redemption for a loss that should have never happened. In Fayetteville, the Tide led for more than 37 minutes, then faltered in the last 2:30 of the game to hand over the victory to the Hogs. It was a brutal way to finish on the road, as self destruction is never pretty.

A two-point win tonight by Alabama would be enough to satisfy the fans. A blowout would not only satisfy the fans, but would also get the attention of the NCAA selection committee. Domination of the Hogs would point out to those who judge these men that Alabama basketball has made progress in the 2011 season; they have learned how to win and win decisively. 

In the opinion of their head coach, Anthony Grant, "This team is ready to enter the NCAA tournament."  But the Alabama team must continue to prove themselves through the end of the 2011 regular season.

With five games remaining, and a postseason conference tournament, the Tide needs to show they are not just contenders, but that they belong in the tournament, without question. They must win, plain and simple.

Wins over Auburn and Ole Miss following tonight's game at Coleman are essential. If the Tide can travel to Gainesville and pull out a win over Grant's former mentor, they will be on their way to the promised land of college basketball warriors.

But they must win, and they must finish strong to punch their ticket. Finishing the regular season without another loss will make a strong resume and compelling case, but the only way to guarantee entry into the NCAA tournament is to win the SEC tournament. Anything less is to put destiny into someone else's hands, and who wants to do that?

Let's go Alabama ballers—get your game on, and come out strong against the Razorbacks. Take them out early and slice them into bacon strips. Scorched earth policy and nothing less. Then punk Auburn and blast Ole Miss; chomp the Gators and pen-up the Bulldogs. Become champions of the SEC in 2011, and accept nothing less.

Victory on this level is within your reach, Alabama. Take the high ground, and seal the deal by winning out. Roll into the postseason with the kind of confidence that demands respect from every opponent. Become a giant, no longer the underdog.

Roll Tide, men in crimson. Rammer jammer and much more! As fans, we're all in!