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aztarheel · 01-23-2007, 12:28 PM

Steve Victory JOURNAL – SEC Season 2018-19

Things don’t start well for Alabama in conference play. The Tide tumbles out of the rankings with a 3-point loss to Ole Miss. After beating LSU 84-72, they drop to 1-2 in the SEC with a 67-60 defeat at #2 Mississippi State. To make matters worse, Travis McQuay suffers a stress fracture in the Ole Miss game and is lost for a month. At least it’s not the season! He should be back by the stretch run of conference.

Alabama faces what many are calling a must-win situation at #7 Florida. If the Tide loses this one, they’ll fall to 1-3 in the conference. That certainly won’t do much for the NCT selection committee (or The Sheriff’s column-writing mood). Victory brings C Darrell Wynn back into the starting lineup to fill McQuay’s place. The Tide has Twin Towers down low – a pair of 6-11 bruisers. But can they score?

Yes they can! Wynn pumps in 19 points and gets 9 boards as Alabama nips the Gators on the road 79-76. Small forward Traves Pearce adds 19 (he’s been an unsung contributor so far – a steady 13-14 ppg with a 34-point outburst against Virginia Tech). Mark Bell scores 18.

That win sets off a nice streak for the Crimson Tide. They take five of their next six (victims include Auburn, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Arkansas again). Different people lead the scoring on different nights. Travis McQuay comes back for the second Arkansas contest and nets 20… Welcome back, McQ! Alabama needs you! Stay healthy!!

The win over the Razorbacks pushes the Tide to 19-7 – a likely lock for an NCT berth if they can just get a couple more W’s. #25 Kentucky and #2 Mississippi State keep ‘Bama from that 20th win for a couple nights, but the Tide gets over the hump with triumphs against Auburn, Tennessee and LSU. Georgia nips Alabama in the final game of the regular season (Victory’s team looking ahead to the tourney?) by a 62-56 score. That’s not what the Tide needs heading into what could be another do-or-die SEC tourney situation.

Alabama isn’t listed among the “Bubble” teams so Victory is hoping his bunch is a shoe-in no matter what happens during tournament weekend in Atlanta. Of course, the best way to avoid getting snubbed – win three games in a row and get that automatcic berth. That quest begins Friday night, March 8 in the Georgia Dome…

Some end of regular season notes: Alabama’s PG Mark Bell earns all-SEC honors (12.8 ppg, 7 apg, 1.8 spg). McQuay (16.1 ppg, 10 rpg) probably deserved a mention somewhere but Mississippi State PF Maurice Fields is a first-team All-American pick at his position. Hard to surpass that. Plus, the Bulldogs only lost a handful of games. Alabama’s got 10 losses on its record. The Tide finishes 24th in the .400 poll and 28th in the IP poll. Final CRI: 30.

01-23-2007, 12:28 PM	#120
aztarheel High School JV Join Date: Sep 2006	Steve Victory JOURNAL – SEC Season 2018-19 Things don’t start well for Alabama in conference play. The Tide tumbles out of the rankings with a 3-point loss to Ole Miss. After beating LSU 84-72, they drop to 1-2 in the SEC with a 67-60 defeat at #2 Mississippi State. To make matters worse, Travis McQuay suffers a stress fracture in the Ole Miss game and is lost for a month. At least it’s not the season! He should be back by the stretch run of conference. Alabama faces what many are calling a must-win situation at #7 Florida. If the Tide loses this one, they’ll fall to 1-3 in the conference. That certainly won’t do much for the NCT selection committee (or The Sheriff’s column-writing mood). Victory brings C Darrell Wynn back into the starting lineup to fill McQuay’s place. The Tide has Twin Towers down low – a pair of 6-11 bruisers. But can they score? Yes they can! Wynn pumps in 19 points and gets 9 boards as Alabama nips the Gators on the road 79-76. Small forward Traves Pearce adds 19 (he’s been an unsung contributor so far – a steady 13-14 ppg with a 34-point outburst against Virginia Tech). Mark Bell scores 18. That win sets off a nice streak for the Crimson Tide. They take five of their next six (victims include Auburn, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Arkansas again). Different people lead the scoring on different nights. Travis McQuay comes back for the second Arkansas contest and nets 20… Welcome back, McQ! Alabama needs you! Stay healthy!! The win over the Razorbacks pushes the Tide to 19-7 – a likely lock for an NCT berth if they can just get a couple more W’s. #25 Kentucky and #2 Mississippi State keep ‘Bama from that 20th win for a couple nights, but the Tide gets over the hump with triumphs against Auburn, Tennessee and LSU. Georgia nips Alabama in the final game of the regular season (Victory’s team looking ahead to the tourney?) by a 62-56 score. That’s not what the Tide needs heading into what could be another do-or-die SEC tourney situation. Alabama isn’t listed among the “Bubble” teams so Victory is hoping his bunch is a shoe-in no matter what happens during tournament weekend in Atlanta. Of course, the best way to avoid getting snubbed – win three games in a row and get that automatcic berth. That quest begins Friday night, March 8 in the Georgia Dome… Some end of regular season notes: Alabama’s PG Mark Bell earns all-SEC honors (12.8 ppg, 7 apg, 1.8 spg). McQuay (16.1 ppg, 10 rpg) probably deserved a mention somewhere but Mississippi State PF Maurice Fields is a first-team All-American pick at his position. Hard to surpass that. Plus, the Bulldogs only lost a handful of games. Alabama’s got 10 losses on its record. The Tide finishes 24th in the .400 poll and 28th in the IP poll. Final CRI: 30.