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Steve Victory JOURNAL – SEC Schedule 2014-15
As if the news of Bliss and Fischer going pro early isn’t enough, Alabama loses its conference opener to South Carolina. The Gamecocks were the worst SEC team a year ago yet manage a 76-72 stunner in the SEC debut for both schools.
The next two weeks are a roller coaster for Victory and company. An impressive 82-59 triumph over a solid LSU squad. A narrow 79-76 loss to conference power Mississippi State. A huge 97-75 win at #15 Tennessee. Another stomach-churning loss (76-75) to Ole Miss – a game in which PG Erazem Lekivicius suffers a minor injury.
Somehow Alabama stays in the rankings, but barely at #25. Fortunately, the roller coaster wouldn’t continue the rest of the regular season. Alabama keeps going up and up following its last dip – winning the last 11 SEC games!
Here’s the tally:
• @ Arkansas, 89-62 (ACT revenge!)
• Auburn, 101-63 – haha!!
• #19 Florida, 81-61
• @ Georgia, 85-69
• @ Mississippi, 73-71
• Arkansas, 92-56 (ACT revenge, part two!!!)
• @ Auburn, 105-71 (the alumni love Victory for this smashing)
• #25 Kentucky, 97-69 (more love after this one!)
• @ #10 Mississippi State, 94-53 (Steve Victory Day proclaimed in Tuscaloosa)
• @ LSU, 86-76
• Vanderbilt 82-60 (no season-ending letdown fortunately!)
When the final buzzer of the regular season sounds, Alabama is left holding the best record in the conference at 13-3. For the second time in Victory’s career, he’s coached a regular-season league champion. Only this time, it’s the powerhouse SEC and not just the Southern Conference with opponents like Furman, Wofford and Citadel. The Tide’s victim list this season is impressive – Mississippi State, Florida, Kentucky, hated Auburn twice by big numbers…
Some notables: Alabama finishes the regular season ranked #9 in both polls with a CRI of 4. The Tide finishes two games ahead of its nearest competitor in the SEC South. Senior walk-on Bob Woods scored 18 points in the revenge win at Ole Miss. Reserve Travis Williams netted 30 points in the season finale against Vanderbilt and had a couple of 20+ games during one stretch.
The only downside to this amazing run – the injury bug hit ‘Bama in a big way. SG Cliff McWilliams missed nine games with a fractured hip and is questionable for the SEC tourney. PG Erazem Lekivicius broke his arm against Arkansas and will certainly miss the SEC tourney (fingers crossed on an NCT return).
“We’re kind of limping to the finish line,” Victory says. “Let’s just hope we have enough in the tank to make one last push through March. I think we’re a legitimate Final Four team if we can heal up.”
And this time he doesn’t mean the Final Four of the ACT…
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