What a week ahead for the Alabama Crimson Tide!!!
By Ronald Evans
Beginning Sunday and potentially going through the following Sunday, Alabama Crimson Tide teams have games with above-average importance. The contests could be called huge, huge-er and in one case huge-est.
Alabama Soccer has reached a new program height. The ladies are in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. On Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM CST, Alabama hosts UC Irvine (UCI) in Tuscaloosa. Alabama beat Portland on Friday night, 2-1 with the help of a Crimson Tide corner kick that became a Portland own goal.
Alabama won the SEC regular season title and has been ranked as high as No. 1 in national polls. The UCI Anteaters have beaten USC and Brown so far in the NCAA Tournament.
On Thanksgiving night the Alabama Crimson Tide Men’s Basketball team will play its first game in the elite, Phil Knight Invitational tournament. The Tide will play Michigan State in Portland. The Spartans are 3-1 with wins over Kentucky and Villanova and a one-point loss to Gonzaga. The winner will face the winner of the UConn vs. Oregon game. Two wins for the Crimson Tide would likely lead to a tournament championship game against last season’s national championship runner-up, North Carolina.
In what may surprise many Alabama hoops fans, Nate Oats’ team could be the favorites in each game. Novembers tell little about how college basketball seasons will end. March and NCAA Tournament time is a far away but a definite goal for the Crimson Tide. What can make the 2022-23 season a special one for Alabama is that Nate Oats has the deepest and most talented roster in Alabama basketball history. That bold statement has to be proven, but Alabama does not have talent deficiencies. The biggest challenge for Nate Oats will be meshing nine or 10 players into a rotation from a roster of 12 players able to contribute meaningful minutes.
And of course, for Alabama Crimson Tide Football it’s Iron Bowl week
Bama Hammer will provide all kinds of information and perspectives throughout the week. Auburn has been invigorated by the exit of Bryan Harsin and the passionate leadership of Cadillac Williams.
Will the transition prove to be enough to give the Tigers a chance? An easy answer is no, or maybe a, probably not. Alabama will only lose to Auburn if the Crimson Tide beats itself.
The big unknown is will Lane Kiffin be in Tuscaloosa for the game. The Egg Bowl, between Ole Miss and Mississippi State, is Thanksgiving night. If the Aubies announce Kiffin as their new head coach on Friday, they will not miss an opportunity for him to be in Tuscaloosa.
Next. Takeaways from Crimson Tide victory over Austin Peay. dark
What will Kiffin’s decision between Ole Miss and Auburn hinge upon? Instead of the coaching contract dollars, NIL dollars will likely tip the scales. For example, if Ole Miss can fund a package to keep Quinshon Judkins in Oxford, Lane may sit tight. If Kiffin knows he will lose Judkins to larger NIL dollars, Lane will have an easier decision.