From the Sideline — Alabama Adds Huge Non-Conference Win

Plane rides home are always more fun after a win. Tuesday was the first time in awhile I’ve been able to experience one of those with the Alabama men’s basketball team.

While a win over 13^th ranked Iowa State would have been really big, the CBE Hall of Fame Classic third place win over Arizona State may loom almost as large by season’s end.

I say that because of the fact Alabama HAD to win Tuesday against the Sun Devils.

No, the season wouldn’t have been over if the Tide had gone 0-2 in Kansas City. I know that there are other big non-conference games to be played. But the confidence needed to win those games had to have gone up considerably with the Tide’s 76-71 victory over ASU.

This game had an NCAA Tournament feel – even though the level of play may not have matched it at times in the first half.

Levi Randolph’s transformation from a player who was afraid to shoot, to one who calls for the ball and averages over 20 points per game, is nothing short of remarkable.

The maturity of freshmen Justin Coleman and Riley Norris - both on and off the floor – has been great to see.

This team has to get better in order to have a shot at Xavier or Wichita State, or at home against UCLA.

But they showed they in Kansas City that they can get key stops late, hit big shots when they need them (both from the field and the line), and close out a game with a lot on the line.

I’m looking forward to seeing if they can do that on a consistent basis.