Alabama Crimson Tide News: Super Bowl drama and Bama Hoops no. 1?

Four former Alabama Crimson Tide football players fell just short of winning the Super Bowl, as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 38-35. Although this was a heartbreaking loss, the former Alabama players did their part. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith, in particular, assumed starring roles in the game.

DeVonta Smith, as usual, showed up in a major way in a championship game. Smitty caught seven passes for a game-high 100 yards, and just narrowly missed scoring a touchdown when his momentum carried him out of bounds on a long reception.

Jalen Hurts was outstanding as well, completing over 71 percent of his passes for 304 yards and a touchdown. Hurts also did a lot of damage on the ground, racking up 70 yards on 15 carries and scoring three touchdowns.

He tied a Super Bowl record for rushing touchdowns, and had the most rushing scores ever by a quarterback. Had the Eagles pulled out the victory, Hurts’ performance would’ve earned him an MVP trophy.

Fortunately, these stars are young and have long careers ahead of them. I have a feeling Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith will be back in the Super Bowl, and they won’t be denied next time.

Alabama Crimson Tide: Men’s Basketball should be no. 1

On a few occasions this season, Alabama men’s basketball could make a case to be the nation’s top-ranked team. That case has never been stronger than it is right now. Bama entered the week ranked third in the AP Poll, and took care of business against two quality opponents. The Crimson Tide beat a respectable Florida team by 28, before going to Auburn and winning 77-69 in enemy territory against an NCAA tournament team.

Alabama basketball did its job this week, focusing on the games at hand and controlling the controllable factors. Meanwhile, it got some help on Sunday afternoon when top-ranked Purdue fell to Northwestern for the Boilermakers’ third loss of the season.

When Purdue lost to Indiana last Saturday, the Boilermakers still had the nation’s most impressive resume, and remained in the top spot. However, after losing to unranked Northwestern for its second loss in eight days, that is no longer the case.

While it’s still close, Alabama basketball has the best resume in college hoops at the current moment. That doesn’t take anything away from Purdue and Houston, who are certainly elite teams as well. However, Purdue has to drop after two losses in its last three games.

The Boilermakers are clearly one of the nation’s top teams, but they got their mulligan last week. Additionally, Alabama should be ahead of Houston based on the fact that the Tide won at Houston earlier this season, and it did so without a made field goal from Brandon Miller.

The only potentially valid argument to the contrary would include Alabama’s baffling loss at Oklahoma. Neither Purdue nor Houston have a blowout loss to a non-tournament team scarring their resume.

Still, I would argue that the OU game has proven to be an extreme outlier on the schedule of an otherwise consistently high-performing team. Lastly, I would say that Alabama has played tougher competition, amassed better wins, demonstrated a higher ceiling, and tallied more style points than the other two teams. Did I mention the head-to-head victory over Houston on the road?

Alabama Crimson Tide: More Bama sports news

Alabama women’s basketball has enjoyed a promising season in its own right. Like the men’s team, the Lady Crimson Tide beat Auburn over the weekend. The women’s game was hardly even competitive, with Bama taking a 10-point lead at half and running away to a 69-46 victory. It was the third straight win for the Tide, who are 19-6 and 8-4 in the conference. Alabama has a golden opportunity to close the regular season strong and move into the top four of a loaded SEC.

After dropping its season opener to Lehigh, Alabama Softball bounced back with two wins over Georgia Southern to improve to 2-1. Bama softball enjoyed a very good season in 2022, and looks to build upon that success this spring.

Stayed tuned to Bama Hammer for more updates on Alabama Crimson Tide athletics.