the Bamateur Hour

No Bediako no problem. Alabama gets a big and much-needed home win on Valentine’s day over South Carolina 89 to 75 in Tuscaloosa. Bama has moved on from the Charles Bediako era and has won two in a row without Bediako. Aden Holloway, LaBaron Philon, and Latrell Wrightsell lead Bama to the win as Bama is 18-7 overall and 8-4 in the SEC. Great win for the Tide as Bama is now on a 4-game winning streak. Alabama defeated South Carolina 89–75 in Tuscaloosa on February 14, 2026, marking the Crimson Tide's fourth consecutive victory and their 11th straight series win over the Gamecocks. •Alabama took a strong lead in the first half and led at halftime 45 to 32. In the second half, the game was defined by a massive individual scoring burst from South Carolina's Meechie Johnson and a clinical closing performance by Alabama's Aden Holloway. Second Half Breakdown • Meechie Johnson's Scoring Surge: After being held to just two points in the first half, Johnson exploded for 24 points after halftime. He sparked a 9–0 run (part of a larger 11–2 personal run) that brought South Carolina within seven points, trailing 63–56 with 8:20 remaining. • Alabama's Immediate Response: The Crimson Tide halted the momentum when Latrell Wrightsell Jr. hit a critical three-pointer with 7:39 left, pushing the lead back to 10. South Carolina's Myles Stute missed a wide-open transition three shortly after that could have cut the deficit to four points. • Aden Holloway's Closing Act: Holloway, who struggled in the first half, scored all 20 of his points in the second half. He served as the "ultimate closer," recording a layup, a three-pointer, and four free throws in the final 2:13 to ensure the double-digit win. • Free Throw Consistency: Alabama secured the win by going 15-of-18 (83.3%) from the free-throw line in the second half, a significant improvement from their 44% clip in the first. Aden Holloway scored all of his 20 pts in the 2nd half. He also had 4 rebs and 3 assists, but did commit 3 TO’s. Other notables: Alabama had 4 players in total score in double figures. Here are the other three. LaBaron Philon had 19 pts and 6 assists, but had 3 TO’s. Philon is still dealing with a leg injury sustained in the win over Texas A&M and does have his full burst or mobility currently, but still put up 19 pts. Latrell Wrightsell had 19 pts, 3 rebs, 3 assists, and 1 steal, but 1 TO. Aiden Sherrell had 11 pts, 6 rebs, 1 assist, and 1 block Others: Amari Allen had another great stat-stuffing game with 8 pts, 10 rebs, 3 assists, and 2 Steals, and only one TO London Jemison and Houston Mallette both crashed the boards as London had 8 rebs and Mallette had 6 rebs. TBB sat out Bristow still out with a leg injury South Carolina was led by Meechie Johnson with 26 pts who scored 24 pts in the 2nd half and kept South Carolina within striking distance for most of the 2nd half until Aden Holloway made key plays in the closing minutes to put South Carolina away and secure the 14 pt win for Bama. Key Team Stats Bama shot well from the field and from three shooting 48% from the field and shooting 41% from three as Bama made 14 threes as compared to just 7 threes for South Carolina. Bama held South Carolina to 25% from three making only 7 threes. Bama jumps up on SC in the first half. Without Bediako, Alabama will struggle against teams like Arizona, Florida, and Michigan that have lots of skilled big men. Allen and Jemison will have to play at the four spot as 3 and D stretch fours and hit the boards to help make up for the lack of big men on the Bama roster. Alabama is now 18-7 on the season and 8-4 in the SEC with a 4-game winning streak, keeping them right in the hunt for a top four seed in the conference tournament and in the hunt for a top four seed in the NCAA tournament. Up next: Alabama plays Arkansas on Wed, Feb 18 at 6 pm. Bama needs to beat Arkansas at home and keep stacking wins to improve its seeding for the tournament.

E120 BH Alabama wins over Auburn 96 92 Quick Reaction in Hoops Alabama gets a big and much-needed road win in the SEC over Auburn 96 to 92 on the plains. Bama is 16-7 overall and 6-4 in the SEC. Great win for the Tide and now time for Alabama to keep stacking wins as Bama is playing for seeding for the tournament. What happened in the game. It was a tale of two halves as Alabama trailed Auburn 41-37 at the half. First half recap 2nd half recap. Alabama outscored Auburn 59-51 in the second half to secure a 96-92 comeback victory on February 7, 2026. After trailing 41-37 at halftime, the Crimson Tide utilized high-scoring runs and a dominant bench performance to take the lead for good with 10:39 remaining in regulation. • Alabama’s Offensive Surge: The Crimson Tide found their rhythm after a slow start, shooting 54% from the field and 52% from three-point range for the game. Guard Labaron Philon Jr. was the catalyst, scoring 16 of his 25 total points in the second half while going 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. • Game-Changing Runs: Alabama erased a 10-point deficit with two major second-half bursts: an 11-0 run that gave them their first lead in over 24 minutes of game clock at 55-54 with 13.41 secs in the half, followed later by an 8-0 run to solidify their control at 87-81 with on a 4-pt play by Holloway with 2.30 left in the game. Bama held on from there to get the win making enough free throws and key baskets to get the win 96-92 in a hard fought back and forth game. • Big plays including making key free thows and key baskets by Philon, Holloway including 4 pt play, and Amari Allen in the closing minutes of the game allowed Bama to get the win. LaBaron Philon had 25 pts, 5 rebs, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, while having 4 TO’s. Other notables: Alabama had 4 players score in double figures and had 9 players score. Besides Philon, here are the other three that scored in double figures Amari Allen had another great stat-stuffing game with 17 pts, 6 rebs, 2 assists, and only two TO Aden Holloway had a really solid game scoring 15 pts, 2 rebs, 4 assists, 1 steal, and had 3 TO’s Charles Bediako had 12 pts, 3 rebs, and 1 steal Aiden Sherrell, Taylor Bol Bowen, Houston Mallette, London Jemison, and Latrell Wrightsell all played and contributed to the effort although none of them scored in double figures. Auburn had 4 players score in double-figures lead by 25 from Tahaad Pettiford, 24 from Keyshawn Hall, 17 from Kevin Overton, and 17 from KeShawn Murphy. Bama shot the ball really well, shooting 54% from the field, 52% from 3 making 12 threes, and 87% from the free throw line making 20-23 including many big ones at the end of the game. Bama held Auburn to 32% from three with Auburn making only 9 threes. Auburn outrebounded Bama by five 35-30 and kept themselves close with effective offensive rebounding Bama had 14 TO’s to just 5 for Auburn with Bama turning the ball over 9 times in the first half. Alabama’s hot shooting, ability to score the ball effectively in key spots, and its defensive pressure allowed Bama to get the win despite getting outrebounded and committing lots of turnovers. Bama got a much needed road win to run its record to 6-4 in the SEC. Bama battled to the end and figured out a way to get the win in a game on the road in February that Bama could have lost. Issue – Turnovers and rebounding -- Poor offensive ball movement and execution by Bama at times - but was better than the Texas A&M game Struggled with out of bounds plays again --Bama on defense allowed players to get to their dominant hand and drive to their dominant side, particularly allowing Pettiford to drive left over and over. There is no great team in the SEC, but there are a bunch of really good teams. Texas A&M, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee are probably the best teams in the league. Alabama is now 16-7 on the season and 6-4 in the SEC. Next up: at Ole Miss on Wednesday.

E118 BH Alabama loses to Florida on the road 87 75 Quick Reaction in Hoops Bad start to February as Alabama gets blown out by Florida in Gainesville 100 to 77. Bama drops to 14-7 overall in 4-4 in the SEC. Bama’s tournament seeding is slipping as the losses in the SEC keep piling up. And Bama has a Florida/Todd Golden problem just like they have a TN/Rick Barnes problem. Bama got blown out. Alabama keeps losing to Florida as has a Florida/Todd Golden problem as Alabama now has a 5 game losing streak to FL First half recap Bama battled Florida hard in the first half, but with 5 minutes to go in the half with Florida up just 32-30, Florida went on 14-6 run to close out the half with a 10 pt over Alabama 46-36 as the Florida bigs outplayed the Alabama bigs while the Alabama guards and wings failed to keep pace with Florida. Alabama came out in the 2nd half flat while Florida went on a 12-0 to extend the lead by 22 pt2 to 58-36 before Alabama scored a basket in the 2nd half with 14.29 left in the game. Alabama got in such a hole after being outplayed in the last 5 minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the 2nd half that the game was essentially over as Florida maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way to get a dominant win over Alabama by 23 pts 100-77. Stars of the Game Aden Holloway had 19 pts, 3 rebs and 3 assists, but had 3 To’s Other notables: Labaron Philon had a subpar game scoring 15 pts, but had 5 TO’s Aiden Sherrell had 13 pts, 5 rebs, and 5 assists Charles Bediako had 6 pts, 7 rebs, and 4 blocks, but also 2 TO’s Latrell Wrightsell had 11 pts, and 4 rebs and 2 TO’s MIA’s No other Bama player scored in double figures as the Alabama bench players all had no impact on the game Key Performances Florida had 5 players score in double-figures lead by 25 for Alex Condon, 22 for Thomas Haugh, 15 for Boogie Fland, 14 for Rueben Chinyelu, and 11 for Urban Klavzar as these 5 players combined for 87 of Fl’s 100 pts. The Stats Key Team Stats Florida bigs outplayed Bama’s bigs and Fl’s defense harassed Alabama all night Fl outrebounded Bama by eleven 44-33 Fl scored 72 pts in the paint to 26 by Bama Fl had 26 fast break points to just 3 by Bama Fl had 13 steals to just one for Bama Florida had 2 TO’s to 18 for Bama Florida made 17 free throws to just 9 for Bama These stats tell the story Issue – Too many TO’s 18 for Bama to just 2 for FL Poor offensive ball movement and execution by Bama – too much one on one on the offensive end leading to turnovers and bad shots Bama went from down 2 pts with 5 mins to go in the first half to down 22 pts with 15 mins to go in the game. That 10 minute stretch at the end of the first half and start of the 2nd half killed Bama’s chances. Alabama is now 14-7 on the season and 4-4 in the SEC. Bama needs to figure some things out and start winning games or their seeding in the NCAA will keep sliding. Bama is probably a 6 or 7 seed in the tournament after this loss And let’s hope it doesn’t get so bad that they risk not making the tournament. Bama needs to get its key players healthy. And Bama needs to figure out how to execute better and just score the ball in tight situations in half court sets. And that means scoring from all three levels and taking the best shot you can at any level, not just from three or at the rim. There is no great team in the SEC, but there are a bunch of really good teams. Texas A&M, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee are probably the best teams in the league. Up next: Alabama plays Texas A&M at home on Wed, Feb 4 at 6 pm. Bucky ball is up next. That will be another tough test for Alabama. Bama needs to beat the Aggies to stop the bleeding and to improve its seeding for the tournament.

E116 BH Alabama loses at home to Tennessee 79 73 Quick Reaction in Hoops Alabama playing without two starters loses to Tennessee at home 79 to 73 in tough loss where Bama fails to score in the last 3 mins of the game to run its record to 3-3 in the SEC and 13-6 overall as Bama fails to execute on offense and rebound on defense at the end of the game. Alabama played without Aden Holloway and Amari Allen who both sat out with injuries, and at crunch time, it showed. The big story pre-game was Charles Bediako playing, but the bigger factor was Bama not having Holloway and Allen. And Nate Oates has a Rick Barnes and TN problem as Alabama has now lost 5 in a row to TN. It is another bad home loss to drops Bama to projected seed of 5 or lower for the tournament. The Tennessee Volunteers defeated No. 17 Alabama 79-73 on January 24, 2026, at Coleman Coliseum. Despite leading 39-36 at halftime, the Crimson Tide struggled offensively in the second half, get outrebounded by TN and shot just 34.5% from the field and going scoreless over the final 3:11 of the game. During the key last four minutes of the game, Alabama missed six 3-pt attempts and made only one three (going 1 for 7 in the last 4 mins) and attempted zero 2 pt shots in that time period and let Tennessee outrebound Alabama as well. Alabama’s three point shots during those last four mins of the game were not clean, good looks, but rather contested shots. And Bama failed to run its offense to just get a good open shot from where ever to get points. Second half – Tennessee outscored Alabama 43-34 in the second half to secure a 79-73 comeback victory. The Volunteers erased a 39-36 halftime deficit by opening the period on an 11-2 run, taking a 47-41 lead just minutes into the half. Decisive Run: With 7:34 secs left, TN led 64-63, Tennessee responded to Alabama's with a 6-0 run burst, fueled by Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Ament, to extend their advantage to 70-63 with 6:34 to play. • Bama then went on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 72-70 with 4.42 left. Then TN scores 5 consecutive points to take a 77-70 lead with 4 minutes to go. • The Closing Drought: Alabama then cuts the lead to 77-73 following an Aidan Sherrell three-pointer at the 3:11 mark, the Tide's offense completely stalled and went scoreless to the end. Alabama went scoreless for the final 3:11, missing their last five field goal attempts while Tennessee's defense, anchored by Felix Okpara, sealed the game with late blocks and rebounds -- LaBaron Philon with 26 pts, 4 rebs, 7 assists, but had 3 TO’s and only shot 2 for 9 from three. Other notables: Latrell Wrightsell had 14 pts Charles Bediako had 13 pts, 3 rebs, 2 steals, and 3 blocks - TN only had two players in double-figures Led by Nate Ament with 29 pts, 7 rebs, and 3 assists as Ament made clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch in the 2nd half to lead TN to victory over Bama And Ja’kobi Gillespie had 24 pts, 3 rebs, 4 assists, and 2 steals in a strong performance Bama is not playing like a final four or even elite 8 team if you judge them by the way Bama played against Oklahoma. Bama still on pace to make the tournament, but their ability to get a top four seed in a region is slipping. Need to start stacking wins again. There is no great team in the SEC, but there are a bunch of really good teams. Up next: Alabama (13-6, 3-3 SEC) will next face Missouri at home on Tuesday, January 27.

Alabama wins a tough road game 83 to 81 over Oklahoma in Norman to run its record to 3-2 in the SEC and 13-5 overall as Bama holds on and does just enough to win. It is another Big road win to keep Bama in pace for a top 4 seed in the tournament. Labon Philon was again the star of the game with a career high 23 pts to lead the Tide as he made clutch plays down the stretch to lead Bama to victory in real nail-biter. First Half Recap Stars of the Game LaBaron Philon with 23 pts, 5 rebs, 4 assists, but had 3 TO’s and missed 4 free throws. Other notables: Amari Allen with 12 pts, 8 rebs, 2 assists, 3 steals, but 2 TO’s Aiden Sherrell with 21 pts, 9 rebs, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block Aden Holloway with 9 pts, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 TO’s in a quiet night for him Houston Mallette with 12 pts, 6 rebs, 2 assists, and 1 steal, but missed a key Free throw at the end of game Bama rebounded as a five-man team on the defensive end in the MIA’s Keitenn Bristow – did not play – ankle injury TBB with wrist injury – not effective London Jemison struggled Noah Williamson not much Jalil Bethea scored 4 pts and had 2 rebs in 7 mins Davion Hannah out with Key Performances Oklahoma had 4 players in double figures led by Xzayvier Brown’s 21 pts. Derrion Reid had 16 and 9 – former Bama player Tae David had 14 and Nijel Pack had 12 Former Bama player Mohamed Wague had 6 pt, 6 rebs, and 2 blocks The Stats Key Team Stats Bama outrebounded by OK 45-43 Bama had 11 TO’s to just 9 for OK. Bama shot 44% from the field, just 30% from 3, and made 15 FT’s shooting 58% from the charity stripe and missing 11 Free Throws that helped allow OK to stay in the game. Tough shooting night for Bama and the free throw shooting was bad This win is a big road win when Bama was not at its best, but got a win nonetheless. Highlights Philon with a game high 21 pts making key plays in the 2nd half when needed as he scored 15 pts in the 2nd half Bama outrebounded OK in the 2nd half after being outrebounded in the first half to win the rebounding battle 45-43. When dialed in and focused, Bama can be a decent rebounding team. Best four are Philon, Holloway, Sherrell, and Amari Allen Who is that fifth player? Who will bring effort and consistency of performance game in and game out Mallette had a solid night. We need this type of effort from him every game. Issues Issue – Why did Bama close out the first half so poorly? Bama has little depth in the front court. TBB is hurt. Bristow is hurt. And Williamson is not reliable. Need TBB healthy and to play well game in and game out Need Bristow to step up and contribute. Don’t know what he will do and how he will play game in and game out. Williamson played and contributed very little in this game, but need more from him if Bama wants to be a great team. I know who our best four players are, but who is the fifth starter? Bethea contributed a bit in 7 minutes, but we need more from him. Alabama is now 13-5 on the season and 3-2 in the SEC. Bama needs to figure some things out and keep winning games or their seeding in the NCAA will slide. And let’s hope it doesn’t get so bad that they risk not making the tournament. Bama is not playing like a final four or even elite 8 team if you judge them by the way Bama played against Oklahoma. Up next: Alabama plays Tennessee at home on Saturday, Jan 24 at 7.30 pm. Tennessee is struggling, but Rick Barnes will have them ready to play against Alabama. Will be a tough game. Bama must play with the kind of effort and focus game in and game out they played with against Oklahoma in the 2nd half if they want to be a sweet 16 team again this year. I am cautiously optimistic that Bama can make the elite 8.

Cignetti's - who is he? Why is the best coach in college football? where did he come from? What are his roots in football? What is his philosophy? What is the Cignetti Way? How is he tied to the Bear? To Bowden? To Saban? Part 1 or mulitpart podcast on Curt Cignetti and why he is the best coach in college football now. And his ties to Alabama and how those ties influenced him. Also, how he is the son of a coach and influenced by his father who had ties to Bowden and Alabama as well.

Alabama’s takes its first bad loss on the season at home 92-88 as this loss hurt its chances to get a top four seed in the NCAA tournament and makes Bama just 1-2 in the SEC and 11-5 on the season. Bama is on the struggle bus in SEC play. What the heck?? After a big loss to TN, Texas came in hungry and motivated and put it to Alabama. They were aggressive all night on both ends of the court. Coach of Texas Sean Miller gave it to his players before the game challenging them to step up and play hard and play well or they could find another school. His team responded as he hoped and took it to Alabama. • Final Score: Texas defeated Alabama 92-88 [1]. Stars of the Game LaBaron Philon with 21 and Aden Holloway with 18 Other notables: Amari Allen with 11 pts, 5 rebs, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks Aiden Sherrell with 13 pts, 5 rebs, 1 steal, and 1 block TBB with 11 pts, 10 rebs, and 2 blocks Jemison with 9 pts, 5 rebs, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block MIA’s Keitenn Bristow – what has happened to him, no impact Noah Williamson - little impact with 2 pts, 3 rebs, and 1 block Houston Mallette – no impact with 2 rebs and no pts Jalil Bethea – 3 pts and no other stats in 4 mins Emphasis on guarding Philon hard and not leaving him to help. Also doubling him on drives to the basket to force contested shots, force turnovers, or force the ball out of his hands. Kept a defender at the rim to challenge Holloway and others at the rim. Key Team Stats Bama missed key free throws down the stretch and was 19-27 from the free throw line Although Tx missed 10 FT’s, Tx scored 22 FT’s to Bama’s 19. Tx outrebounded Bama by 10 48-38 Tx scored 36 pts in paint to Bama’s 32 pts. Small things led to the Bama loss. When it mattered most in the last four minutes of the game, Tx got the defensive stops, made enough free throws, and scored in the post. Also, Alabama didn’t run its offense effectively to get good shots from 2 or from 3 when needed. Too many highly contested shots from two and from three that Alabama could not make This loss stings badly and puts Bama in a bad position if they want to be a top four seed in the NCAA tournament. Issue – Costly turnovers by Philon. And Philon has to be better on defense. He seems to be OK, but nothing special on defense at times this year. Not being a shutdown defender. Holloway also was getting beat too much by the man he was guarding. Bama fell behind by 13 pts in the first half before cutting the margin to 1 at half and then by 11 pts in the 2nd half before getting it back to just 1 late in the game. But Bama didn’t have enough to grab the lead and when. Bama cannot keep falling behind in the games and then try to dig themselves out of these holes. Ball movement on offense is not always good. Need to move the ball better and find better shots from both 3 and from 2. Lack of low-post offense threat – None of the Bama post players can easily or efficiently in the low post. It is a problem and probably cannot be fixed this season. And Bama cannot win a natty without low post scoring threat and having an effective low post scorer. Got no production from Mallette, Bethea, or Bristow and little from Williamson although no one expects much from him game to game. Alabama is now 11-5 on the season and 1-2 in the SEC. Bama needs to figure some things out and get back to winning or their seeding in the NCAA will keep sliding. And let’s hope it doesn’t get so bad that they risk not making the tournament. Bama is not playing like a final four or even sweet 16 team if you judge them by the way Bama played against Texas. Up next: Alabama goes on the road to Mississippi State on Tuesday, Jan 13 at 8 pm. Look for Bama to rebound and play better. But this loss is worrisome. Bama must play better if they want to be a sweet 16 team again this year.

Alabama goes on the road in the SEC and loses to Vandy 96 to 90 as Labaron Philon sat out the last 15 mins of the game with some undisclosed injury and Center Aiden Sherrell did not play at all, and Bama could not find a way to win without Philon in the 2nd half and without Sherrell for the whole of the game. What happened? Star of the Game – Amari Allen 25 pts, 11 rebs, and 4 assists to lead the Tide in the loss. Other key performers Holloway - 22 pts, but had 4 TO’s. Philon – 18 pts, but 4 TO’s and sat out the last 15 mins of the game Wrightsell – 13 pts, 4 rebs, 1 assist, and 1 steal Jemison had 11 rebs and 5 pts in a spirited effort MIA’s TBB – had 3 pts and 7 rebs Jalil Bethea – 2 pts, 3 rebs, and 1 assist in 11 mins Houston Mallette – normal solid, but quiet night with 2 rebs Keitenn Bristow – 2 pts and 2 rebs Noah Williamson – reverted back to a no impact performance as his stellar Kentucky performance was a one-off Injuries Philon – out last 15 mins with undisclosed injury Sherrell – did not play Davion Hannah – did not play Bama was led by Amari Allen with 25 pts, 11 rebs, and 4 assists. Aden Holloway had a strong 2nd half and scored 22 pts, but had 4 TO’s. Philon who sat out most of the 2nd half had 18 pts. And Latrell Wrightsell added 13 pts in the losing cause. Alabama hosts Kentucky in its SEC opener on Saturday, January 3rd in Tuscaloosa. Team Stats Bama shot poorly hitting just 37% from the field vs 36% for Vandy 22% from 3 vs 35% for Vandy Bama shot 76% from the FT line vs 70% for Vandy Bama made 29 FT while Vandy made 35 Bama did outrebound Vandy – 49 to 38 which allowed Bama to stay in the game despite poor shooting Bama 13 To’s to 8 for Vandy Issues Injury to Philon Injury to Sherrell – knee - how bad? Davion Hannah still out with injury Could not pull out a win without Philon Holloway unable to make key plays down the stretch to get Bama in the lead No one on Bama could stop Tyler Tanner. He did what ever he wanted to do. And Duke Miles was impressive as well playing 2nd fiddle to Tanner. Alabama is now 11-4 and 1-1 in the SEC on the season. Next up for Bama is Texas at home on Saturday Night, Jan 10. Bama needs to get a bounce back win to stay in the SEC race and avoid a 2-game losing streak