opponent-preview_basketball

By Brant Daughtry


Cleared For Takeoff

What can be said about Nate Oats that hasn’t already been said? He’s a great recruiter and solid basketball coach, even though he’s been pretty poor on a microphone lately. He’s led Alabama to what will probably be an SEC championship, and likely a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama is damn good at basketball. That’s pretty much all there is to it. They dominate just about every area. They shoot well, they rebound well, they defend well. They average winning at home by 26. No team is unbeatable, and no game is won or lost before it starts. But Auburn is a heavy underdog for a reason. It’ll take a spectacular effort from Auburn to win this one.

Players to Watch For: 

Forward Brandon Miller, #24- Miller is likely to go third overall in the Draft, in spite of certain recent events. I’ll give my opinion on those in a bit. But as a basketball player, Brandon Miller is pretty special. 20 points, 8 rebounds, 42% from three, 47% from the field, 33 minutes a game. He’s a super star. He’s the biggest reason Bama is a legitimate championship contender.

Forward Noah Clowney, #15- Clowney is a solid big man, grabbing about 8 boards a game. His scoring is solid at just under 10 a game as well. He’s a big time presence down low that Auburn will have to account for.


There are a lot of things going on in Tuscaloosa that tend to make me upset. Never been a big fan of that city. However what’s going on with this Brandon Miller saga is appalling. When you’re about to be a millionaire in a few months and your friend, who you dropped off at a bar two hours ago texts you “bring me my gun,” at 1 am, you say no and go to bed. Bringing a weapon that is moments later used to murder a young mother should result in a prison sentence. But Brandon Miller will face not so much as a suspension.

What’s almost as bad has been Alabama’s handling of the situation. Claiming Miller has gone nothing wrong, refusing to suspend him, Nate Oats’ clumsy defending of both himself and Miller, Greg Byrne’s involvement and mishandling and rumors of a cover-up. The whole thing has been beyond embarrassing for any university that had a level of shame. Unfortunately I think the school over there has shown a lot of itself in this. Miller is resulting in wins. He will therefore face zero consequences for his actions that directly resulted in the death of a 23 year old mother.

It’s not often I push the work of AL.com’s Joe Goodman. He’s an Alabama writer who does little to cover up his bias, which I can get behind because I do the same thing. But he’s been spot on with his analysis of the situation. His opinion pieces on the fate of Miller, as well as the handling by the university are better put than I could ever manage. This is a link to his article “The Calculus of Shame.” Personally I think it’s spot on. Worth a read for sure. 

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