Two years ago, I wrote a book titled, A Man of Character, which was about a young coach who took on a program in inner city Los Angeles and through hard work, integrity and leadership led his team to the pinnacle of high school basketball: the state championship. It was a fictional piece based on my many years of covering inner city basketball for the Birmingham Post Herald where I observed some high character coaches who led programs like Parker, Phillips and Woodlawn.
Ronald Nored is a young man who lives a life of character. He also happens to be one of the key players on a Butler Bulldogs basketball team that is going to their second straight Final Four, this time in Houston where they will face Virginia Commonwealth, a team that has made an improbable run through the tournament as has Butler once again. Butler and VCU will square off at 5:09 P.M.CT on CBS Saturday. Kentucky will play Connecticut in the second semifinal at 7:49 P.M.

But this is just as much a personal story as it is a basketball story. Nored, a junior guard at Butler, is a young man from Homewood High School in Birmingham who led his team to the state championship his senior year. He did it for his father, Ron, who passed away in 2003 from pancreatic cancer. Ron was a minister at Bethel African Episcopal Church in Ensley, and dedicated his life to helping people. Ronald said his dad would be “super proud,” not only for the accomplishments he’s achieved on the court, but for how he has helped other people off the court. Ronald is coaching a group of kids right now in 11th grade and plans on getting into college coaching when he graduates next year. He is going on a mission trip this summer to Nicaragua to help kids there. He’s all about helping people just like his father was. Ronald’s mom, Linda, and his brother, Randall, a freshman at Carson Newman College in Tennessee, will be there Saturday to see if their son/brother can help his team move on to the national title game Monday Night.

If you want to know what kind of player Ronald  is, here is what his Homewood High School coach, Tim Shepler, said about him.

“There’s an old saying that when you’re best player is your hardest worker, you’ve got a chance,” Shepler said. “I couldn’t have asked any more of Ronald. He was a natural leader and the kids just followed him. Butler is a great fit for Ronald and Ronald is a great fit for them. He’s living a dream.”

Butler Associate Head Coach Matthew Graves echoes Shepler’s comments.

“Ron is a very important part of the success of our team through his leadership and passion on the court,” Graves said. “He has a great presence about him and he has great ability to communicate to his teammates. Ron gives us a great spark off the bench with his ability to impact the game on the defensive end of the floor. Ron is one of the most charismatic individuals I have ever met and his ability to relate to anyone is simply amazing.”

Ronald is not only a solid leader and outstanding person, he’s also pretty clutch.

Last year against Michigan State in the semifinals of the Final Four with the game tied and Nored at the free throw line with five seconds left, he showed his mental toughness by sinking both free throws and sealing  the game for the Bulldogs. Butler lost to Duke in the finals when junior Gordon Hayward just missed a half court shot that would have won the national title for the Bulldogs. But without Nored, they would not have been in that position.

Fast forward to this past Saturday and the Elite Eight game with Florida. Nored was at the line with 2:43 left in overtime and the Bulldogs leading 65-64. He was shooting a one and one. He sank both shots to put Butler up by three. Then with 1:53 left he got to the line again for two shots with the game tied at 67. He sank both shots.

“I didn’t feel the pressure, I just knew I had to knock’em down for my teammates,” he said. “I just relaxed. I had missed a couple of free throws earlier in the season against Xavier that lost the game for us and I wasn’t going to do that again.”

Humility is a virtue, and for Nored it comes naturally. “I know being at Butler and having the kind of success we’ve had here is no coincidence. I owe it all to God.”

And that’s not some sound bite statement. Nored says it and means it. He lives it. He has an unyielding faith. His coach, Brad Stevens, is the same type of person. At 34, Stevens has won 116 games as Butler coach in four years. That’s better than any coach in a four year span ever. He is 116-24.

“He is a great X’s and O’s guy and he never gets frustrated,” Nored said. “Some coaches lose their way when things aren’t going well, but Coach always stays calm and knows we have a job to do. He always keeps us together and he and our whole coaching staff do a great job of preparing us.”

The Bulldogs faced adversity losing three straight in the middle of the season and that’s when Nored, junior Shelvin Mack and senior Matt Howard talked to the team about not letting this season get away. The Bulldogs have since won 13 in a row.

Now it’s on to the Houston, Reliant Stadium, and a shot to play for the national championship again. First up is VCU, a tough opponent that can drain threes from everywhere and plays tenacious defense. They beat No.1 seeded Kansas on Sunday in the Southwest Regional to advance. Butler has their hands full.

“Obviously they’re a good team to get to this point,” Nored said.

After the Final Four, Nored and his mother plan on going down to see Randall in a play at Carson Newman. His brother is a masculine guy–he was a fine defensive end for the Homewood football team–but likes to act. Ronald just likes seeing him and he’s excited for his brother’s performance.

Nored, along with Stevens and other older players, has laid the foundation at Butler  for the  program to be preeminent in the next several years. Stevens seems committed to the program at this point.

But most importantly, Ronal Nored has his life together and he’s a charismatic young man with the highest integrity. And he’s “living a dream.” If anyone deserves that, Ronald Nored does.

(Ronald Nored is all about character. He’s also a fine basketball player.)

East Regional, Newark; 2 games
Numbers are seeds in region not rankings

No.11 Marquette (22-14) vs. No.2 UNC (28-7); 6:15, CBS

Marquette Key players:

Darius Johnson-Odom: 16 ppg; 3.9 rbg

Jimmy Butler: 15.8 ppg; 6.1 rbg

Joe Crowder: 11.8 ppg

69.5% FT team

North Carolina:

Harrison Barnes: 16.5 ppg; 5.7 rbg

Tyler Zeller: 16.2 ppg; 7.1 rbg

John Henson: 11.9 ppg; 10.1 rbg

FT team: 67%

Analysis: I kind of see the same thing happening to UNC that happened to Duke last night. They’re playing an aggressive group of fighters who are relentless and hungry. Carolina gets a little soft some times and this team they’re playing is a tough, physical bunch. I like the Golden Eagles to pull off the upset in this one.

Prediction:Marquette 76, UNC 70

No.1 Ohio State (34-2) vs. No.4 Kentucky (27-8); 8:45 CBS

Ohio State Key Players:

Jared Sullinger: 17.1 ppg; 10 rbg; 54 field; 70% FT

William Buford: 14.6 ppg; 4 rbg; 60-135 3’s (roughly 45%) 83% FT

Jon Diebler 12.6 ppg; 110-220 3’s (50%); 83% FT

David Lighty: 12.1 ppg; 50-115 3’s (43%)

Aaron Craft: 175 assists

Team FT: 70%

Kentucky:

Brandon Knight: 17.4 ppg; 78-203 3’s (38%); 142 assists; 80% FT

Terrence Jones: 16.1 ppg; 8.7 rbg

Doron Lamb: 12.6 ppg; 61-130 3’s (46%)

Darius Miller: 11.2 ppg; 54-121 3’s (45%)

Josh Harrelson: 7.3 ppg; 8.8 rbg; 129 offensive rebounds

FT Shooting team: 71%

Analysis: I’m going completely against the grain on this one. Ohio State is many people’s pick to win it all and they’re loaded. But Kentucky basketball, to me, is a lot like Alabama football. When they’re a heavy underdog they seem to step up to the plate. Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb are all exceptional players and Josh Harrelson is the best rebounder in college basketball; at least on the offensive glass. Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins are solid players, too. If Kentucky can defend the three, Harrelson holds his own in the paint with Sullinger and they shoot it well from trifecta, I like the ‘Cats to pull off a big upset. Also like John Calipari over Thad Motta in the coaching aspect of the game.

Prediction: Ky 82, Buckeyes 78

Southwest Regional: San Antonio; Two games

No.1 Kansas (34-2) vs. No.12 Richmond (29-7); 6:27, WTBS

Kansas Key players:

Marcus Morris: 17.3 ppg; 7.4 rbg

Markeiff Morris: 13.9 ppg; 8.3 rbg

Tyrel Reed: 9.8 ppg

Tyshawn Taylor: 9.3 ppg. 4.5 assists per game

Josh Selby: 8.1 ppg

Brady Morningstar: 7 ppg; 3,3 rbg

68% FT team

Richmond:

Justin Harper: 17.9 ppg; 7 rbg; 73-157 3’s (46%) 54% field; 78% FT

Kevin Anderson: 16.5 ppg; 67-157 3’s (43%); 111 assists; 74 % FT

Dan Geriot: 9.9 ppg; 3.8 rbg; 32-76 3’s (42%)

69% FT team

Analysis:

Richmond’s marksmanship may keep them in the game. They can really shoot it. But stopping the Morris twins is just too much to ask for a team that is undersized. Richmond should give the Jayhawks a good game, but like the Morris brother to carry the Jayhawks to the Elite Eight on Sunday.

Prediction: Kansas 70, Richmond 64

No.11 Virginia Commonwealth (26-11) vs. No. 10 Florida State; 8:57, WTBS

VCU Key players:

James Skeen: 15.2 ppg; 7.3 rbg

Bradford Burgess: 14.1 ppg; 6.4 rbg

Joey Rodriguez: 10.7 ppg; 3.3 rbg; 185 assists

Brandon Rozzell: 11.6 ppg

Florida State:

Derwin Kitchen: 10.6 ppg; 5.6 rbg

Analysis: This may not seem to be a great matchup, but it really is. VCU has been impressive beating USC, Georgetown and Purdue convincingly. They’ve got a good team and they put up some pretty good numbers offensively. Florida State has beaten Texas A&M and Notre Dame to get here. The Notre Dame win was convincing. This should be a good matchup, but I like the way VCU is playing a little better than Florida State. Not much.

Prediction: VCU 68, FSU 66

I thought Arizona was a pretty good team after they beat Texas last week in the third round of the tournament. Had watched them play this year and was pretty impressed. Now I think they can win it all.
Derrick Williams, the dominating sophomore center for the Wildcats, was unstoppable and he had a lot of help from his teammates in the second half, as ‘Zona outscored Duke 55-33 in the second half, to oust the Blue Devils, 93-77, in the Round of 16 and advance to the Elite Eight where they’ll face UConn on Saturday.

Williams poured in 32 for the game with some impressive inside play and five-of-six from trifecta. He scored 25 of his points in the first half. He also added 13 boards. Lamont Jones and Solomon Hill came on in the second half for the Wildcats. Jones finished with 16 and Hill added 13. It was total domination of a Blue Devils (32-5) team that looked like they might be unstoppable with the return of Kyrie Irving. Irving did his part scoring 28, but senior Nolan Smith was held to eight points on 3-of-14 shooting and 0-of-3 from trifecta. The Duke big men, the Plumlee brothers along with Kyle Singler and Ryan Kelly, were dominated in the post by the bigger, more physical ‘Cats. Duke was only five-of-14 from three and when they’re not hitting their threes, they struggle.

‘Zona (30-7), to me, was the most impressive team of the night. Sean Miller, their coach, is doing an exceptional job getting this team to play like the one that won the national championship in 1997. It doesn’t have the All-American point guard like Mike Bibby was in ’97, but the team has very good guard play. They can shoot, they can rebound and they can play defense. This team has it all and has a chance to go all the way. But they have to beat Kemba on Saturday and that’s no gimme. We’ll see how that shakes out.

Florida 83, BYU 74 (OT)

Florida got incredible balance in their scoring with Alex Tyus leading the way with 19 points and adding 17 boards. Kenny Boynton added 17 and Chandler Parsons and Erving Walker chipped in 16 apiece. Florida sank 11 3’s, but was only 10-for-22 from the free throw line (45.5%). That could hurt them if they don’t correct that in the next round against Butlet. The Gators moved to 29-7 overall.

Jimmer had 32 and was effective somewhat driving the lane and scoring, but was only three-of-15 from trifecta. He was seven-of-seven from the line, but was held scoreless in overtime. BYU finished the season at 32-5. Tyus was just too much inside for a team that sorely missed suspended power forward Kyle Davies. If Davies had played the Cougars might have pulled out the victory. But the Gators advance to play Butler Saturday.

UConn 74, San Diego State 67

The Huskies go as Kemba Walker goes and if there has ever been a guard that’s been as dominant a player in the postseason, I haven’t seen him in a while. Walker scored 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting from the floor including four-of-eight from trifecta and eight-of-10 from the line. Jeremy Lamb also scored big for the Huskies getting 24 and hitting a huge three down the stretch that put the Huskies up by four. The Huskies moved to 29-9.

San Diego State (34-3) was led by D.J. Gay who had 16 points. Kawhi Leonard had 12 points and nine boards for the Aztecs. San Diego State made some mistakes in the game particularly when one of their players laid a shoulder into a UConn player during a timeout which led to a technical, two made Kemba free throws and the ball that seemed to totally turn the momentum of the game. UConn moves on. They’ve got a tough matchup with ‘Zona on Saturday, but it’s hard to bet against Kemba. He’s really special.

Butler 61, Wisconsin 54

The Bulldogs kept it going with Matt Howard leading the way with 20 points on four-of-eight from the field including three-of-five from trifecta and nine of 10 from the line. Shelvin Mack added 13 as Butler (26-9) moves on to face Florida on Saturday. Jordan Taylor led the Badgers (25-9) with 22 points but was only three-of-10 from trifecta. Wisconsin was only seven of 29 from trifecta for the game. Butler was five-of-18. It was kind of an ugly game, but Butler can play ugly and win.

(Derrick Williams was dominant in the paint as ‘Zona crushed Duke.)

There are some tremendous matchups in the Sweet 16 tonight and tomorrow night. Great teams, great individual players and some outstanding coaches. I wanted to get everybody set for the games tonight and will preview tomorrow night’s games tomorrow morning. Here’s a look at the matchups and predictions on the outcomes for tonight’s four games.
Tonight (Thursday)

SouthEastern Regional-New Orleans; Two games

No.2 (seeded) Florida (26-7)  vs No.3 Brigham Young (32-4); 6:27 P.M. CT, WTBS

Florida Key Players:

Erving Walker: 14.7 ppg; 75-191 3 pt fg (39%): 78% Free Throws; 116 assists-82 turnovers; 39 steals.

Kenny Boynton: 14 ppg; 75-226 3pters (33%); 82% free throws.

Chandler Parsons: 11.4 ppg; 7.7 rbg; 39-104 3-pters (37%); 49% from field; 55 percent free throws.

Vernon Macklin: 11.3 ppg; 5.4 rbg; 45% FT.

Alex Tyus: 8.6 ppg; 5.7 rbg.

Patric Young: 3.5 ppg; 3.8 rbg.

Team Free Throw %: 67%

Brigham Young:

Jimmer Fredette: 28.8 ppg; 45% field; 121-298 3’s (41%); 89% FT (245-275). 155 assists to 125 turnovers.

Emery Jackson: 12.6 ppg; 148-346 field (42%); 89-248 3’s (36%).

Noah Hartsock: 8.6 ppg; 5.9 rbg; 25-56 3’s (44%); 82% free throws

Team FT shooting: 76%

Analysis: A great way to start off the Sweet 16 with two teams that play outstanding offensive ball and pretty solid defense. Both teams can shoot trifecta though Jimmer shoots it consistently the best. If BYU had Kyle Davies, their kid whom they had to suspend, I would give the Cougars a good chance at pulling off the upset. But Florida can shoot with BYU. When Walker, Boynton and Parsons are on they’re tough to beat. Like the inside game of Florida to tilt the game in the Gators’ favor. Patric Young is a man at 6″9″, 250 and the five star frosh really came on at the end of the season and in this tourney. Macklin and Tyus are pretty good, too, and Parsons does everything. Look for Jimmer to get 30 or more, but he doesn’t have enough help. He can almost do it single handedly,and if it comes down to the free throw line I like BYU, but I like Florida to prevail due to better talent all around.

Prediction: Gators, 80-76

#8 Butler (25-9) vs. No.4 Wisconsin (25-8); 8:57  P.M. TBS

Butler Key players:

Matt Howard: 16.7 ppg; 7.7 rbg; 49% field; 152-194 3’s (43%); 78% free throws.

Shelvin Mack: 15.6 ppg; 4.4 rbg;124 assists; 74-211 3’s; 80% FT.

Andrew Smith: 8.9 ppg; 5.4 rbg; 61% field.

Shawn Vanzant: 8.1 ppg; 3.1 rbg; 36-76 3’s (47%).

Ronald Nored: 5.5 ppg; 84 assists.

Wisconsin:

Jon Leuer: 18.7 ppg; 7.3 rbg;53-140 3’s (37%); 48% field; 84% FT.

Jordan Taylor: 18.0 ppg; 159 assists; 72-165 3’s (43%); 85% FT.

Analysis: These are both two very good teams. Butler has come on late in the season and had two huge victories in the first two rounds including a wild one against Pitt. Matt Howard is such an incredible competitor and Shelvin Mack can light it up from three. Taylor and Leuer are very good shooters so it ought to be an exciting game to watch if the shooters are on. Just can’t go against Butler. I did some last year and they proved me wrong. Not going to do it this year. They are as good as they were last year and hot at the right time.

Prediction: Butler 68-64

Tonight: West Regional: Anaheim; Two games

No.3 UConn (26-9) vs. No.2 San Diego State (34-2); 6:15 CBS.

UConn Key players:

Kemba Walker: 23.6 ppg; 5.4 rbg; 69-203 3’s (34%); 167 assists; 82% FT

Jeremy Lamb: 10.5 ppg; 4.4 rbg.

Amex Oriakhi: 9.8 ppg; 8.7 rbg

FT shooting team: 76%

San Diego State

Kawli Leonard: 15.6 ppg; 10.6 rbg; 44%field.

Malcolm Thomas: 11.4 ppg; 8.1 rbg.

James Rahon: 52-120 3’s (43%).

FT line team: 70%

Analysis: I’ve got UConn in my Final Four so I have to pick them. San Diego State is very athletic, but can’t shoot that well. I’m going with Kemba. He’s carried his team in the Big East tournament really winning it single handedly for the Huskies and has kept it going in this tourney. He’s the ultimate warrior. Lamb and Oriahki feed off Kemba and can really board and bang with the Aztecs’ bigs. Like UConn to move on.

Prediction: UConn 72-66

No.1 Duke (32-4) vs. No.5 Arizona (29-7); 8;45 P.M. CBS

Duke Key Players:

Nolan Smith: 21 ppg; 57-160 3’s (35%); 46% field; 81 FT.

Kyle Singler: 16.9 ppg; 6.8 rbg; 60-190 3’s (31%); 80% FT.

Kyrie Irving: 16.4 ppg; 16-35 3’s 46%.

Seth Curry: 9.2 ppg; 64-116 3’s (44%); 78% FT.

Mason Plumlee: 7.1 ppg; 8.4 rbg.

Team FT%: 75%

Arizona:

Derrick Williams: 19.,1 ppg; 8.2 rbg; 35-62 3’s (58%).

Lamont Jones: 9.5 ppg.

Team FT: 64%.

Analysis: Duke just has too much fire power for ‘Zona. There are just too many shooters with Smith, Curry, Irving and Singler. Arizona’s best hope is if Williams just dominates in the paint over the Plumlee brothers (Mason and  Miles) and Ryan Kelly. I just don’t see that happening. With the return of Irving from a season long injury, this team is a real threat to win it all. I don’t see ‘Zona getting in their way.

Prediction: Duke 76-68

Thoughts on Mike Anderson:

Well he’s going to another program; this time to a place where was an assistant coach for 17 years: Arkansas. I know this is probably a good fit for him, but is this guy going to ever be loyal to anyone? Missouri was good to him and was going to offer him 2m a year to stay. Arkansas must have upped the ante. Haven’t seen any details on his deal, but we’ll probably find out soon.

Loyalty works both ways, and if Anderson keeps showing that he’s going to take a job he thinks that can advance his career, who can trust him? If he struggles at Arkansas for a couple of years, I would fire him. He is just not a guy you can trust. He may be looking at an even bigger job if Arkansas is not fulfilling. And it takes a lot to fulfill this guy. Money and winning a national title are his keys. Nothing wrong with that, but at some point, you’re going to have to settle down and stay with a program. Will he ever do that? Maybe this is  the place he will. It makes sense with his previous stint there and it’s a program capable of winning national titles. But the guy needs to stay longer than four or five years at one place. You just can’t trust him. He needs to make a big splash at Arkansas. He seems to be a good coach, but he’s headed against some pretty good coaches in the SEC, so we’ll see how he does. He has a good place  to make it work at Arkansas. They support basketball if they’re winning and Nolan Richardson, Anderson’s mentor, won a national championship in 1994 at Arkansas. So the ability to win big is probably there. John Pelphrey recruited a top flight recruiting class, so Anderson’s first job is to keep them with the ‘Hogs. I think the guy’s a good coach, but I’m getting tired of all this moving around. He needs to settle down and just coach and quit looking for what he thinks are better opportunities.

(Chandler Parsons of Florida and Jimmer Fredetter of BYU go at it tonight for the right to play in the Elite Eight.)

After extensive research and development, soul searching and some deep thought, I’ve come up with my 2011 bracket picks. Not picking a lot of upsets for the lower seeds as I don’t think they’re as strong this year. But I do have some upsets in the later rounds. Presenting the 2011 White’s World bracket. Enjoy the tourney!
(Expect big things from Doron Lamb, John Calipari and Brandon Knight of Kentucky in tourney (pictured left to right).

2011 Bracket:

Wow, what a comeback. This team has something special inside of it. They have  a coach who refuses to lose. They have players like Trevor Releford, Charvez Davis, Tony Mitchell and JaMychal Green who won’t quit. They proved it yesterday coming back from 14 down with seven minutes left  to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the SEC tourney and earn a semifinal berth against Kentucky today at noon. Just an extraordinary effort by an extraordinary team. If Davis can sink three or four trifectas, Releford, Mitchell and Andrew Steele can chip in two or three, this team is a dangerous team this month. I think they should be in the tourney. That was an elimination game for the tourney though some people still have Georgia in. I think ‘Bama is in.
Can the Tide play with and beat Kentucky? Well they did it in Tuscaloosa. But this is the tourney and Lexington brought the whole town with them to the Georgia Dome. It’ll be tough, but not out of the question. Releford is going to have to handle Brandon Knight which he’s capable of doing. He’s just as quick. Davis will have to handle Doron Lamb. He can do that. Maybe Mitchell will cover Lamb. Green and Chris Hines will have to contend with Terrence Jones and Josh Harrelson. Harrelson may be one of the best offensive rebounders I’ve ever seen, so the Tide will have to prevail on the defensive glass. They’ve got to control Kentucky’s scorers. They’ll be plenty of ‘Bama fans there, too. It would be an incredible victory if Tide could pull it off.

In the other semifinal the mighty Florida Gators, looking like one of the best teams in the country, take on the hot Vandy Commodores, fresh off their thrilling victory over State last night, 87-81. if John Jenkins and Jeff Taylor continue what they did last night, the ‘Dores have a shot. The Gators have beaten the Dores twice, so Vandy will be hungry. The Gators are an excellent basketball team with stellar senior leadership in Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin and a stellar point guard in Erving Walker and shooting guard in Kenny Boynton.

Should be a classic day in the tourney. All starts on ABC at noon today with Tide-‘Cats. Vandy-Gators at 2:30 or 30 minutes after first game.

Blazers not looking that great for tourney. Needed to win against East Carolina to secure a bid. Joe Lunardi of ESPN has them in the first four out. Could be the case. Hate it for these players and Coach Davis who have worked so hard to make it in. Maybe the committee will surprise us and extend a bid. Let’s hope so.

(Trevor Releford, who has been awesome this year, needs to play big today against Kentucky.)

‘Bama has got to shoot the ball well from the outside to win a couple of games in the tournament, which they will need to do in order to make the NCAA field. Charvez Davis got it done on Saturday against Georgia sinking five of 1o trifectas. He needs to hit around three or four per game and he must get some help from Trevor Releford from the outside as well as Andrew Steele and Tony Mitchell. Three point shooting makes JaMychal Green and Tony Mitchell so much more effective from the inside. Davis and Releford, in my opinion, are the keys to the Tide’s success in this tournament at the Georgia Dome.
Alabama plays the winner of AU-Georgia. I think Auburn stands a good chance of knocking off Georgia in the first round at noon Thursday on the SEC Network. The Tigers have proved to be the most resilient team in the SEC. They came back from a 42-28 deficit at LSU Saturday to win by nine. They have proved to be a pretty special bunch with all they’ve been through. Guys like Kenny Gabriel, Earnest Ross and Rob Chubb have really excelled. But it’s been a collective effort by a group loaded with heart. It’s extemely impressive what Tony Barbee has done with this team. Four and 12 doesn’t look that good on paper, but losing their leading scorer, Frankie Sullivan, having another key player leave the team and with everyone saying the cupboard is totally bare, the Tigers have hung in there and won four more games in conference than most people thought they would. Coming back from 20 down to beat State, beating South Carolina on the road, down 18 to Ole Miss and coming back and winning, it’s been an impressive last half of the season for the Tigers.

So I see the Tigers knocking Georgia out of the NCAA tournament picture and playing the Tide in the second round. Just like the heart and the hustle of this team. Tigers play Tide at noon on Friday, and, from what I’ve seen in basketball, it’s so hard to beat a team three times. The Tide must win their second round game to have a shot at the tourney. The Tide has better talent, but can they beat a relentless Auburn team three times? They barely escaped in Tuscaloosa. I’ll give a slight edge to Alabama, but I’m not totally sure of this pick. It’ll be a war. Auburn will have to beat Georgia, which won’t be easy, but for some reason, the way they are playing, I think they’ll get it done.

If Alabama beats Auburn or if Auburn beats Alabama they’ll most likely be playing Kentucky in the semifinals and Ky is playing well. After beating Tenn on Sunday in Knoxville, the Wildcats have a lot of momentum. I’m not a big fan of Calipari, but he seems to get the most out of the young teams he coaches. It’s not out of the question for ‘Bama to beat Kentucky, but it’ll take some prolific outside shooting to do that. I’ve come to the conclusion that your guards are the key to postseason success. Alabama will get after you on defense and can shut teams down. They just need to make shots. Kentucky has developed some weapons through the course of the season and they seem to be peaking right now. Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb are all stellar freshmen. They are freshmen, but they’ve been through the 16 game schedule finishing 10-6 and now have seasoning. It’ll be hard for the Tide to knock them off. It would be extremely hard for the Tigers to knock them off. Alabama is just going to have to get after it on defense. That’s been their calling card all year. Still like Kentucky to make the finals and face Florida. I wish I could pick Vandy to make the finals, and I’m not ruling it out, but Florida is playing so well on both ends of the floor. They get after you on defense without fouling and Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton and Chandler Parsons can light it up from the outside. Parsons is a terrific player, a next level player. He’s something special. The inside guys Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin are good and feed off the outside guys. Mississippi State is a darkhorse in that side of the bracket. They could knock off Vandy and then knock off Florida and make it to the championship game. There is a lot of talent on that team and they have to win the tourney to get in the NCAA field so they will be focused.

If Alabama wins their first two games in the tourney, I think they’re in. But that requires beating a tough Auburn or a desperate Georgia team and then beating Kentucky. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but it’s going to be hard. I think Davis and Releford are the keys to the Tide. They’ll play defense, but can they score enough on the offensive end? They have to shoot the ball well in Atlanta. Davis needs to do what he did Saturday against Georgia and Releford, Steele and Mitchell will have to make some shots, too. Green will have to be a scorer and stay out of foul trouble. It’s a major challenge.

Like Florida and Kentucky at this point to play for the title with Kentucky winning it. But I give State a shot to make it and I’m not ruling out Tide and Vandy.

In C-USA tourney in El Paso, Blazers looking to improve their seeding in the NCAA tourney. I think they’re in. But it would be nice to win at least a couple of games. They face the winner of East Carolina-Central Florida on Thursday at noon on CBS College Sports Network. They should be OK there, though they need to be ready to play. Then they would probably face the winner of Memphis-Southern Miss on Friday at 3 p.m. on CBS College Sports. Memphis-Southern Miss will be a huge game as both teams probably need to win the tourney to make it to the NCAAs. Either one of those teams would be a hard out for the Blazers. The Blazers have lost 11 straight to Memphis, so it’s time they beat them. They’ve just got to get over that mental hurdle. I think beating Southern Miss on the road helped the Blazers’ confidence a lot. Again, guard play is critical for Blazers. Aaron Johnson will show up; he always does. Jamarr Sanders is like Charvez Davis; he’s a streaky shooter. He needs to be on from the outside. Preston Purifoy is shooting 46 percent from three though he only played eight minutes Saturday against East Carolina which surprised me. I think Mike Davis needs Purifoy in there more. Dexter Fields needs to be more consistent with his shot. Cameron Moore is getting back to his form. He’s stellar. He’s getting a lot of  help from Ovie Soko, particularly on the boards, and Anthony Criswell is doing a good job as well on the inside.

The Blazers have a shot in El Paso.  They are predicted by Joe Lunardi and Jerry Palm, the national bracketologists, as a 12 seed and playing UConn in the first round. They could improve their seeding with a couple of victories in the tournament. A conference tourney title would be even better.

Should be a great week of basketball. I know everyone is very much looking forward to it. Hopefully, our local teams will shine. ‘Bama probably needs to win a couple, Auburn has to win the tourney and UAB probably doesn’t have to win a game, though a run would improve their seeding in the NCAA’s.

(Charvez Davis, left, and Jamarr Sanders have to shoot the ball well for Tide and Blazers to excel in their respective tournaments.)

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Blazers in right now as a 12 seed to play no.5 seed UConn in the Southeast Regional. He does not have Alabama in. But this is a fluid situation. If the Tide wins tomorrow at 12:30 on SEC Network (WTTO-21 in B’ham), they’re right back in the picture. Need to really shoot the ball better for postseason prospects. Need to win tomorrow night and at least one in tourney; maybe even two. They have their backs against the wall, so we’ll see if they respond.
UAB still not out of the woods yet. Have to beat East Carolina tomorrow night at 7 at Bartow. If they lose, they’re back on a very tenuous bubble and would have to win one for sure and maybe two in the tourney. Win tomorrow night and their prospects look a lot better. Probably could get in with a win tomorrow night, though a win in C-USA tourney in El Paso would really help, also. Winning the tournament would improve their seeding.

UAB starting to shoot the ball pretty well. Preston Purifoy is becoming pretty prolific. Dexter Fields needs to keep working at his shooting. He could be a weapon if he starts shooting well. Aaron Johnson is doing everything he can to make this a highly successful season for the Blazers. It’s hard to ask for anything more from him, but they need him to continue excelling for the Blazers’ postseason hopes. He will. Cam Moore looks like he’s back in form; that’s good. Has potential to be a big time player in  this league the rest of this season and next year. He’s already pretty special. Maybe tomorrow night and this postseason he will elevate his game even more. Ovie Soko and Anthony Criswell, particularly Soko, have become excellent players. Soko just a hustler. Really hits the boards and can score. Criswell has good potential. Maybe he can keep improving this month and help Moore and Soko out. A guy like Quincy Taylor could help, too. Blazers need everybody to be hitting on all cylinders right now. This ECU game is critical. Win and will feel a lot better about NCAA’s, but want to win in tourney as well.

C-USA tourney starts Wed. at El Paso. Blazers will play their first game on Thursday. Tide will get a first round bid in SEC Tourney which begins next Thursday in Atlanta at Georgia Dome. Will play first game on Friday.

Auburn at Baton Rouge tomorrow night at 6 on Fox Sports South. AU shown a ton of heart this year. Winnable game tomorrow night. Once they get to the tourney, you never know.

(UAB needs Aaron Johnson to keep on excelling.)

Freshman Preston Purifoy sank the biggest trifecta in the Mike Davis tenure last night with four seconds left to lead the Blazers to an amazing 67-66 victory over a tough Southern Miss squad as the Blazers clinched at least a tie of the Conference USA regular season title with their remarkable effort and victory. The Blazers moved to 21-7 overall and 11-4 in C-USA. They moved closer and  closer to an NCAA tourney bid. A win Saturday at home against East Carolina and maybe a victory in the tournament will get them in. They may only need to win Saturday’s game to earn a bid, but a win Saturday and a win next week in the tourney would get them in most likely. Though knowing this hard working, driven group of players, they want to win the regular season and the conference tourney title which will be held in El Paso starting next Wednesday.
I’m so happy for Mike Davis and Brian Mackin. Both men have worked hard to make this basketball program the best it could be. Really happy for my friend BMac, who has given his heart and soul to the program as Athletics Director and deserved this so much. Davis has been on the cusp of success at UAB and last night’s shot by Preston was like Divine Intervention. It was truly specatacular.

It looked like a busted out of bounds play with 12 seconds left as the inbounds pass to Aaron Johnson, one of the guttiest players in the country, was lobbed and almost knocked away by the Southern Miss defender. Johnson retrieved it and hustled up to the front court. He  saw Purifoy open on the right side. He dished to him and Purifoy didn’t hesitate. My cousin Craft O’Neal, the most avid and dedicated Blazers’ fan I know, had told me that Preston was a terrific shooter and Coach Davis thought he might be the best shooter on the team. There wasn’t any doubt after Preston launched the 24 footer–definitely an NBA three–with a man literally in his face. The shot was highly contested. It was a high arching shot and landed right in the middle of the rim and fell through. It was a beautiful shot. My nephew Edward O was going berserk!

There were three seconds on the clock, but the refs added another full second on the clock. Craft texted me, close to a heart attack–I feel your pain cousin, I’m a Vandy fan– about what would transpire when Southern Miss got the ball. The Golden Eagles called timeout, then inbounded it from just behind the half court line. The Blazers put incredible pressure on Gary Flowers when he got the ball and he walked. The Blazers ran out the clock. It didn’t get any better than that.

Jamarr Sanders lit it up in the second half. He scored 18 second half points. If Jamarr can really toughen up his game, he could get on an NBA roster. Cam Moore looked great scoring 12 and pulling down 11 rebounds. He could be an All-American player before he’s done at UAB. Ovie Soko played so hard, was four-of-four from the field, and, correct me if I’m wrong Blazers’ fans, but I thought he made the hustle play of the game in the second half diving for a loose ball that was going out of bounds and saving it to Johnson that kept the Blazers momentum going. Aaron Johnson was Aaron Johnson. If an NBA team doesn’t take a chance on Johnson, they’re crazy in my opinion. He’s just a winner. AJ had 14 assists and just one turnover. He’s an amazing player. Other guys like Anthony Criswell (four points, five boards), Qunicy Taylor, Dexter Fields and Preston all stepped up. If we can get our three-point shooting improved and get our free throw shooting back to where it was before this game–we were about a 70 percent shooting team before last night’s disastrous 4-of-14–we’ve got a shot to do some good things this month.

What a great effort. Craft told me this team is a great group of guys who want to do well. They, Mike Davis and Brian Mackin should be commended for a job well done. We’ve got to get out and support the guys on Saturday. They’ve played hard all season and deserve a packed house Saturday. This team is bringing UAB basketball to the heights that Mike Anderson and Gene Bartow brought them to. The program is on the rise. It’s an exciting time to be a Blazer.

AU had another amazing comeback victory last night. Down 20 in the first half, the Tigers came back to win 76-73 at Auburn Arena. The Tigers are now 10-19 overall and 3-12 in conference. That doesn’t sound great, but the improvement of this club in Tony Barbee’s first year has been amazing. These Tigers just play so hard. They came back from 19 down a couple of weeks ago at the Arena to defeat Ms. State. Kenny Gabriel finished with 24 and Rob Chubb made some huge plays down the stretch last night.

Very impressed with what Tony Barbee has done. The Tigers are blue collar to the core and that’s a major compliment. They are  a testament to their coach, who has never given up on them. I think the future is bright under Tony. Frankie Sullivan will be back next year, these players, most of whom are coming back, will have a year under their belt, there are two fine transfers who will play next year and a nice group of freshmen coming in. Excited about the Tigers.

‘Bama in a must win situation on Saturday. Have to beat Georgia and probably need to win one or two in the conference tourney. RPI is not great, but they had been playing great in conference until the last couple games. Need to rebound from the Florida game. Just have to shoot the ball better and get back to playing the defense they’ve been playing most of the conference season. Charvez Davis, Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele have to make some outside shots to open it up for Tony Mitchell and JaMychal Green inside. Mitchell could help from the perimeter, also. The Tide was on the verge of a special season. Maybe they can recapture that on Saturday.

Basketball is getting better and better in this state. We need to get out and support our teams. The effort is there and the results are starting to validate the hard work these coaches and players have put in to their programs.

(Preston Purifoy was big time last night.),