Alabama Basketball: A hobbled Tide goes for an LSU sweep

Alabama Basketball: Will Wade brings his Bengal Tigers to Tuscaloosa and the banged-up Crimson Tide looks to start a new win streak.

Crimson Tide fans who don’t regularly follow Alabama basketball should tune in Wednesday night. For many of us who do closely follow the Tide, the game is close to a classic confrontation between good and evil.

Nate Oats’ Alabama basketball needs to rebound from the Oklahoma loss with a win. For the Tide, what follows the LSU game is five out of seven games away from Coleman. Nate Oats has built a team sound enough to get over the February hump that has stymied past Tide teams.

A good place to start is by beating LSU. A repeat of 23 made, threes is unlikely for the Tide’s shooters. Also, the Crimson Tide is a banged up Alabama basketball team. LSU is expected to not have one of its starters, 6-feet-7, junior forward, Darius Days. No doubt, Will Wade’s war chest has provided him with one or more capable replacements.

Nate Oats has four guys too hurt for normal practice. All but Jordan Bruner are expected to play. None of the other three, Herbert Jones, Alex Reese and James Rojas will be near 100 percent. Speaking about Jones on Monday, Nate Oats said,

"Herb hasn’t practiced but he doesn’t like to sit too many games out. Talking to trainers, doctors, therapists, it’s not setting him back further by playing. I anticipate he’ll go."

Speaking on the Tide’s recent games, Oats said,

"On our winning streak, we got teams to play at our pace. Last 3 games, teams slowed us down. LSU isn’t built to play slow. They may try to slow it down a little bit, but it won’t get as slow as it did vs OU.It’ll be a fun game, it’ll be a heated game. LSU will come ready to play after what we did to them at their place."

It’s a shame Will Wade does not have to coach Wednesday night surrounded by a packed and frenzied Crimson Tide crowd. No ill will is intended to any LSU players or other staff members but Wade is everything an honest program does not want in a coach.

Too many college basketball fans have given up hope in the integrity of head coaches. The Alabama basketball program is one where the head coach’s integrity is not in doubt. Those who follow Wade’s history know LSU should be ashamed he still leads their team. Other than Auburn, surely every other SEC school would have fired him long before now.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are favored over LSU, but the Bengal Tigers are a talented group. As Nate Oats said, they will be looking to make a statement.