On Sunday night, Alabama was angered to learn that they were not a part of the NCAA Tournament. On Tuesday night, they took out their frustrations on Coastal Carolina. The Crimson Tide dominated Coastal in a 68-44 in in the first round of the NIT. Three Crimson Tide players scored 12 to lead a balanced attack and first team All-SEC pick JaMychal Green had 8 points and 10 rebounds. Coastal was led by Anthony Raffa and Chad Gray who each scored 10.
Alabama opened the game with a 5-0 lead, but Coastal answered back as Brandon Crawford's three pointer tied the game at 5. Tony Mitchell came off the bench and hit a pair of three pointers to open the lead for the Crimson Tide. A Danny Nieman three got CCU within four at 20-16, but then 'Bama pulled away from strong physical play inside and great guard play from Trevor Releford.
JaMychal Green had a pair of thunderous dunks including one over Jon Pack that drew a technical to open up a 38-18 advantage. CCU closed out the first half with four straight points on a Chad Gray dunk and a Anthony Raffa floater at the buzzer to enter intermission down 38-22.
The Tide pulled away early in the second half and never looked back. Coastal finishes the year with a 28-6 record and for the second straight year a first round exit in the NIT. The season finale of the Cliff Ellis Show airs this Sunday at noon on WPDE. The coach and Rich Chrampanis look back on a record tying season for wins.
Sports Director Rich Chrampanis has his take courtside in Tuscaloosa
OVERMATCHED
You don't know how a team is going to react when they are snubbed for an NCAA at-large bid. Alabama came out focused and intese from the get-go. This looked like a team that was 12-4 in SEC play. On the flip side, Coastal had one of its sloppiest games of the year. A lot of that had to do with Alabama's talent and relentless defense. Coastal scrapped for about 12 minutes of the first half, but Tony Mitchell and JeMychal Green showed why they were all-SEC performers.
THE WHAT IF GAME
The 2010/2011 season will ultimately be defined by What If
What if Mike Holmes was with this team for the entire second semester?
What if Desmond Holloway was eligible?
What if Kierre Greenwood didn't get hurt?
The majority of teams playing in March have their full arsenal in tournament time. In January, the vision of the season was getting into the NCAA Tournament and having the pieces to put a scare into a high seed and perhaps a cinderella story. Instead, the Chants went through so much off the court turmoil that 28-6 doesn't feel good. How many schools in America would be disappointed with a 28-6 campaign? Outside of the elite programs, next to none.
MOVING ON
The offseason will be one of recovery. At some point, the NCAA rulings will come down and the Chants will move on. Then, the roster will be replenished. Here's what it looks like:
Guards: Kierre Greenwood, Danny Nieman, Anthony Raffa, Desmond Holloway, Dexter Moore, Willie Kirkland, Jordan Griffin
Forwards: Sam McLaurin, Jon Pack, Chris Grandigo (transfer), Brandon Crawford, William Kirksey, Tyler Poole
Grandigo has been with the team sitting out after transferring from Louisiana/Lafayette. Kirksey is a JUCO and Poole is a dual sport star in baseball and hoops. He was originally committed to Ole Miss so scoring him is a big plus for CCU. McLaurin has established himself as one of the best big men in the Big South. If the newcomers up front can help him, Coastal will once again be at the top of the Big South.
