Alabama Crimson Tide news and notes from the first part of the week.
Alabama basketball falls at Georgia, snapping 8-game winning streak
Alabama's 8-game winning streak came to an end on Tuesday night in Athens as the Crimson Tide couldn't overcome another sluggish start in a 98-88 defeat.
Alabama allowed Georgia wing Kanon Catchings to score a career-high 32 points, and got soundly beaten on the glass (40-30) again, and lost the second-chance points 24-9.
Labaron Philon led the Tide with 26 points, and Latrell Wrightsell added 19, but the Crimson Tide's sloppy play on the offensive end resulted in 10 turnovers and far too many easy run outs for the Bulldogs.
It was clear early that Alabama wasn't a well-prepared team, and that was highlighted best by an embarrassing coaching gaffe near the end of the first-half.
Hopefully, this game serves as a wake-up call, and Alabama will be locked in for Saturday's regular-season finale against a desperate Auburn team.
Alabama baseball holds off Jackonsville State for 6-5 mid-week win
Alabama baseball got everything it could handle in a mid-week matchup on Tuesday night at the Joe from in-state opponent Jacksonville State. The Gamecocks battled all night and would never go away, but the Crimson Tide was able to escape with a 6-5 win.
A 2-run homer by Brady Neal and an RBI hit by Jason Torres put Alabama up 3-0 in the 1st inning of a game that looked like it might be a rout. But Jacksonville State responded with two runs in the second to pull within a run. The Gamecocks seemed to have a response every time the Crimson Tide added insurance.
An RBI single by Brennan Holt and a sac-fly by Justin Lebron pushed Alabama's lead to 6-3 in the 6th inning.
Bobby Alcock had a solid start, but it was 2.1 innings of shutout relief from Ashton Crowther that earned the win, though Jacksonville State had a late rally against Tide closer Hagan Banks. Matthew Cash hit a 2-run double in the 9th inning to pull the Gamecocks within one run before Banks shut the door for good.
The win moves Alabama to 10-3 on the season. They'll head over to Montgomery on Wednesday for a game against Alabama State.
Jessica Timmons named to All-SEC 2nd Team
Alabama women's basketball redshirt senior guard Jessica Timmons was honored this week by being named to the All-SEC 2nd Team. Timmons is the Tide's leading scorer at 16.8 points per game this season, a mark that ranks 10th in the SEC.
Timmons recently scored a career-high 34 points in a key Alabama road win over Florida, and her performance in March will determine how far this team can go.
Timmons will lead Alabama into the SEC Tournament this evening with a matchup against Missouri.
Ty Simpson is surging up NFL Draft boards after strong Combine performance
Ty Simpson helped himself a lot last week at the NFL Combine. He seems to now be a lock to be a first-round pick, though opinions seem to vary on where exactly he'll get selected.
Some believe Simpson is now in play as high as No. 6 to the Cleveland Browns, with a potential double-dip scenario for Alabama prospects to Cleveland.
Simpson is the consensus No. 2 QB in the class behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza. He solidified that spot in Indianapolis with an impressive throwing session and interviews, which should make him a first-round pick next month.