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Tide/Tigers continue their pursuit of the Final Four today and Sunday

Bruce goes for his second Final Four at Auburn after leading his team there in 2019 only to lose a heartbreaker to Virginia where a missed double dribble call kept the Tigers from playing in the National Championship Game. (Photo courtesy of WSFA-Montgomery).

Alabama and Auburn continued their stellar play Thursday and Friday Night respectively as both teams inched closer to the Alamodome and San Antonio for the Final Four, which would be the second Final Four for both teams and both coaches as Bruce Pearl took his team there in 2019 and barely missed out on a shot at the national championship due to a missed double dribble call on Virginia’s Ty Jerome with seconds winding down in regulation in the semifinals. After Jerome double dribbled with 7 seconds left, he took dribbled down the floor and tossed it to Kyle Guy in the left corner and Guy shot a potential game tying three which he missed. However the Tigers were called for a foul on Guy’s shot, which was also controversial. Guy sank all three free throws and Virginia won the game in overtime and went on to capture the national championship the following Monday over Texas Tech. Tough one for Bruce and the 2019 Tigers. However, they have another shot in 2025. Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide made it to the Final Four last year only to fall to unstoppable UConn in the semis. UConn went on to win it all and win back to back national titles in 2023 and 2024.

Now both Alabama and Auburn face major tests as they home in on advancing to the arena all 352 schools in Division I aspired to be at in November; the Alamodome in San Antonio sire of the 2025 Final Four, which commences next Saturday, April, 5th on CBS with game times to be determined. Most likely a 5:09 P.M. CT tip and a 7:49 P.M. CT tip.

Here are previews and predictions for the Elite Eight games today and Sunday.

White’s World’s 2024 Sweet 16 through Championship Records

SU: 11-4; ATS: 11-4

This Postseason, 2025: Sweet 16 record:

SU: 7-1; ATS: 5-3; O/U: 6-2

Overall 2025 record including the SEC Tournament

SU: 15-7; ATS: 12-9; O/U: 9-7

Today’s Games

West Regional Final

No.3 seed Texas Tech (28-8) vs. No. 1 Florida (33-4)

Chase Center, SF, CA. 18,064

5:09 P.M. Central Time

TBS/truTV

Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi, Gene Steratore-Rules

Gators by 6 1/2, O/U, 157 1/2

I like the Gators to show the country once again what a prolific team they have led by their stellar guards, Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard, and big men Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Hough.

Florida 83, Texas Tech 75

East Regional Final

No. 2 Alabama (28-8) vs. No.1 Duke (34-3)

Prudential Center, Newark, 16,755

7:49 P.M. CT

TBS/truTV

Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce, Gene (rules analyst throughout).

Duke by 7 1/2; O/U 174 1/2

Nate Oats had a premonition for his backcourt on Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark telling Mark Sears, Labaron Philon, Chris Youngblood and Aiden Holloway before the game that, “We’re going to rain threes.” Coach Oats was a prophet. The Tide drained trifectas to the tune of 25-of-51, 49%, the most made threes in NCAA Tournament history surpassing Loyola Marymount’s 21 in 1990 against Michigan. Mark and Aiden were knocking down threes from Yankee Stadium; Mark to the tune of 34 points on 10-of-16 from triple, and Aiden to the tune of 23 on 6-of-13 from deep downtown. Youngblood added 19 on 5-of-11 from three. Mercy, what a performance by those guys. Now the Tide faces the vaunted Blue Devils and player of the year candidate, along with Auburn’s Johni Broome, and soon to be first overall pick in the NBA draft (most likely) Cooper Flagg. Can the 2025 version of the Crimson Tide repeat and make it back to the Final Four? I like them to do that.

Alabama 94, Duke 92

Mark and the Crimson Tide pull off the upset in Newark and head to San Antonio. (Photo courtesy of AL.com).

Sunday’s Games

Midwest Regional Final

No.2 Tennessee (30-7) vs. No.1 Houston (33-4)

Lucas Oil Stadium, Indy, 35,000

1:20 P.M. CT

CBS

Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn, Gene

Houston by 3 1/2; O/U: 124 1/2

Looking for a hard fought, hard-nosed game, with stellar point guard Zakai Zeigler and the Vols outlasting the Cougars.

Tennessee 62, Houston 61

South Region

No.1 Auburn (31-5) vs. No.2 Michigan State (30-6)

State Farm Arena, ATL, 17,044

4:09 P.M. CT

CBS

Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace, Gene

Auburn by 4 1/2; O/U: 147 1/2

The Tigers had a sluggish start in the first half last night versus Michigan, but rallied in the second half with a 20-2 run to defeat the Wolverines, 78-65. Johni Broome finished with 22 points and 16 boards, a huge night. Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones added 20. Jones was 4-of-7 from triple, while Pettiford was 2-of-7. Auburn was 8-of-28 from three on the night. But they out-rebounded the Wolverines 48-33, held the Wolverines to 21-of-59 from the field, 36%, and 5-of-17 from trifecta, 29%. The Tigers were also 14 of 18 from the stripe, 78%. They really amped it up in the second half. In Michigan State, Auburn plays a similar hard hat, lunch pale team that plays terrific defense, hits the boards and can be prolific from three when they’re on. But I’ll take Johni and the Tigers to punch their ticket to San Antonio.

Auburn 75, Michigan State 72

Johni and Auburn want to keep on playing. I like them to do just that with a victory over Michigan State. (Photo courtesy of WHNT-Huntsville).

Sweet 16 Predictions

Miles Kelly will try to shoot the Auburn Tigers to the Elite 8. (Photo courtesy of Auburn University).

The Sweet 16 commences Thursday featuring 7 SEC teams that are competing, including the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers, which is tremendous for both the conference and the state. The 2nd seeded Crimson Tide (East Region) kicks off the spectacle Thursday as they square off with the 6th seeded BYU Cougars. The South Region’s No.1 seed, the Auburn Tigers, face the 5th seeded Michigan Wolverines on Friday. Brownie and EHS ’80 will have later nights watching their team. I’ll be joining them in that pursuit. I’m not an Auburn fan per se, but very interested in the Tigers and Tide always. Pretty excellent teams to be interested in.

Here’s a breakdown of the games along with White’s World’s Sports Confidential’s predictions on which teams will emerge from this round and matriculate to the coveted Elite 8, and move one step closer to the Alamodome in San Antonio for the Final Four Saturday, April 5th.

Record so far

SEC Tournament: SU-8-6, ATS: 2-6, O/U: 3-5.

Picked Florida to win it all, which they did, and Walter Clayton Jr. to win the MVP of the tournament, which he did. Used numbers for the games I had teams competing in. Bracket struggling so far, but there’s still hope.

Thursday’s games

East Region

No.2 Alabama (27-8) vs. No.6 BYU (26-9)

Prudential Center, Newark, NJ., 16,755

6:09 PM CT

CBS


Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce


Bama by 5 1/2, Over/Under 175 1/2

I like Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Mouhamed Dioubate, Chris Youngblood and the emerged rim protector and

offensive weapon 6’11”, 250 center Clifford Omoruyi to lead the Tide to victory and enable them to advance to

Saturday and the Elite 8.

Alabama 92, BYU 86

West Region

No.4 Maryland (27-8) vs. No.1 Florida (32-4)

Chase Center, San Francisco, 18,064

6:39 PM CT


TBS/truTV

Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehad
i

Gators by 6 1/2, O/U, 156 1/2

It’s too bad the Crimson Tide and the Gators are on at roughly the same time. You either can jump, unless

you’re exclusively a Bama fan or Gators fan, or get Youtube TV on your computer and watch Florida or

Alabama that way when they run over each other on their respective broadcasts.

Gators 82, Terps 75

East Region


No.4 Arizona (24-12) vs. No.1 Duke (33-3)

Prudential Center, Newark

8:39 PM CT

CBS

Same announcers as above in East.


Duke by 9 1/2, O/U, 153 1/2

Duke is a juggernaut right now and looks unstoppable. They can be stopped, but it’ll take a heroic effort.

Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel and company are going to be tough to knock off. It can be done with a physical,

hard-working effort, but it’ll be a major task.

Duke 80, ‘Zona 70

West

No.10 Arkansas (22-13) vs. No.3 Texas Tech (27-8)


Chase Center, SF

9:09 PM CT

TBS/truTV

Texas Tech by 5 1/2, O/U 148 1/2


Give me Cal and the Hogs in the upset.

Hogs 72, Red Raiders 70

Friday

South Region

No. 6 Ole Miss (24-11) vs. No.2 Michigan State (29-6)


State Farm Arena, Atlanta, 16,888


6:09 PM CT

CBS

Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace

Mich. State by 3 1/2, O/U, 143 1/2


This is a tough one because I think the Rebels have a real shot here. However, I’ve got Tom Izzo and his

Spartans advancing to the Elite 8, so I’ll take them in a slugfest.

Michigan State 70, Ole Miss 68

Midwest

No.3 Kentucky (24-11) vs. No.2 Tennessee (29-7)

Lucas Oil Stadium, Indy, 67,000, maybe not that many allowed in game.

6:39 PM CT

TBS/truTV

Tennessee by 4 1/2, O/U, 144 1/2

The Vols lost not once, but twice to the Wildcats, 78-73 at home, and 75-64 on the road. They’re a better

team now. It’s hard to beat a team three times as the old basketball adage goes, so I like the Vols to move on

to the Elite 8. The Vols’ defense, which is prolific, should be the difference.

Tennessee 73, Kentucky 70

South

No.6 Michigan (27-9) vs. No.1 Auburn (30-5)

State Farm Arena

8:39 PM CT

CBS

Tigers by 8 1/2, O/U, 154 1/2

I like Johni Broome, Miles Kelly, Denver Jones, Chad Baker-Mazzara and the star studded company to get the

job done for the Auburn Tigers. Willie and Hamilton will be chanting, “It’s Great to Be..” loudly Friday

Night/Saturday morning? at Otey’s.

Auburn 78, Michigan 75

Midwest

No. 4 Purdue (24-11) vs. No.1 Houston (32-4)

Lucas Oil

9:09 PM CT

TBS/truTV

Houston by 7 1/2, O/U, 132 1/2

The Cougars are one team that can definitely hang with Duke. There are some others, but Houston really

sticks out to me as one of those teams. They are highly athletic, they can score and are elite defenders and

rebounders.

Houston 67, Purdue 59

Saturday, Elite 8 Predictions





















Bracketology 2025

Will Grant Nelson be healthy enough to suit up for the Crimson Tide on Friday. (Photo courtesy of On3.com).

The Alabama Crimson Tide, the No.2 seed in the East Regional, the Auburn Tigers, the No.1 overall seed and in the South Region, the Florida Gators, the SEC Tournament Champion and the No.1 seed in the West Region, and 11 other SEC teams for a total of 14 compete in the NCAA Tournament starting Tuesday Night with the First Four.

The Crimson Tide faces No.15 seed Robert Morris Friday in Cleveland at 11:40 A.M. CT on truTV, while the Tigers square off with the winner of the Alabama State/Saint Francis winner Thursday in Lexington at 1:50 P.M. CT on CBS. The Gators face No.16 Norfolk State Friday, at 5:50 P.M. CT in Raleigh on TNT.

After months of hikes and fishing in Oak Mountain State Park while contemplating my future
bracket, hours of transcendental meditation with a sports psychologist, acupuncture to relieve the stress of trying to figure this out, White’s World has come up with a bracket for 2025. Should be another epic tournament as it always is. What a time of the year for sports. Here’s my 2025 bracket.

2025 White’s World Bracket

The S-E-C Men’s Basketball Tournament, Previews/Predictions

Grant Nelson, after scoring 23, pulling down 8 boards and sinking three trifectas versus Auburn in a Crimson Tide 93-91 victory at Neville Arena in Auburn, leads his team into Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Friday. (Photo courtesy of FOX Sports).

The 65th edition of the SEC Basketball Tournament tips off at 12 P.M. Central Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. This will be the 12th time the event has been held at Bridgestone, and the competition will be prolific as the heavyweights in the conference battle for the championship and the coveted high seeding in the NCAA Tournament that goes with it while the underdogs try to shock the conference.

The No.1 seed and third-ranked Auburn Tigers are the favorite, at 2/1. No.2 seed and fourth-ranked Florida is 3/1. The No.3 seed and 5th-ranked Crimson Tide, fresh off a tremendous victory at the Jungle last Saturday, is 4/1. Fourth seeded and 8th ranked Tennessee is 6/1. No.15 Kentucky is 22/1, No.14 A&M is 25/1, as is No.21 Missouri.

Can Auburn capture both the regular season and conference championship or can Alabama, Florida, Tennessee or a Cinderella crash the Tigers’ party? Should be fun to witness.

ESPN’s Joe “Brackets” Lunardi, in his pretty darn accurate Bracketology he puts out every Tuesday and Friday mornings, has the Tigers as the No.1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and playing in the South region. Barring an upset in the quarters or semis, which would go along with No.1 ranked and the No.2 overall seed in the NCAA’s Duke capturing the ACC Tournament Championship, Auburn should maintain its spot as the No.1 overall seed. But this tournament, the SEC, is unpredictable, so the Tigers will need to be locked and loaded in order to be successful on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Florida is the No.2 seed and is playing elite basketball right now. Lunardi has them as a No.1 seed in the West Regional. It has defeated both the Tigers and the Crimson Tide on the road. The Crimson Tide is presently a 2 seed in the Midwest, where Lunardi has Houston as the No.1 seed. The Tide is gunning for a possible run all the way to a championship and making the selection committee think really hard about them as a No.1 seed. It’s not extremely likely, but could be a possible scenario if the Tide can win out in Nashville and get help in the Big 12 Tournament with Houston not winning it, or in the ACC Tournament with Duke not winning that. The Crimson Tide did defeat Houston, 85-80, on Tuesday, Nov. 26th at Las Vegas in the Players Era Festival Tournament, so that’s something for the committee to definitely contemplate if the Tide wins it all in Nashvegas.

Lunardi has the SEC with 13 teams in the NCAA Tournament, but it’s fluid as always and can also depend on these conference tournament’ outcomes. These Cinderella teams in the smaller conferences can steal a bid from an SEC team by winning their respective conference tournament championships, if these lower seeded SEC teams lose early in the SEC Tournament. Auburn and Florida are 1 seeds according to Lunardi. The Crimson Tide and Tennessee are 2 seeds-Tennessee in the East region. Kentucky is a 3 seed. A&M is a 3 seed. Mizzou is a 7 seed. Ole Miss is a 7 seed. Mississippi State is an 8 seed. Georgia has vaulted to a 9 seed with their good play lately. And Vanderbilt, Arkansas and Oklahoma are each 11 seeds. OU is considered one of the ‘Last 4 in” teams according to Lunardi, so there situation is tenuous, and they’ll most likely need a victory in the first round to solidify their NCAA Tournament participation. Texas is on the third line of the “First Four Out” in Lunardi’s bracket, so they’ve got to win one if not two games in this tournament.

So, there are some really interesting scenarios set to transpire in Nashville. Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas have work to do. Georgia may be safer, according to Lunardi, but they want to win at least one game to ensure their entry into the NCAA’s.

This is all Lunardi, and he’s not 100 percent accurate, but the guy is highly knowledgeable and is pretty close to accurate on what the committee will decide on Selection Sunday. So, I like his stuff. A lot of people do.

It’ll be electric action in Nashville with major repercussions on the line for several teams.

Here are predictions for the games and which team White’s World likes to cut down the nets on Sunday around 2:30-45 P.M. Central.

****All times Central.**** All numbers in front of the teams are SEC Tournament seeds

Wednesday

No. 16 South Carolina (2-16 SEC,12-19) vs. No.9 Arkansas (8-10, 20-11)

12 P.M.

SEC Network

Arkansas by 3 1/2, O/U: 138 1/2

I like Arkansas to move on and further solidify their spot in the NCAA Tournament. It’ll be defensive game, and a little ugly.

Arkansas 61, South Carolina 53

No.13 Texas (6-12, 17-14) vs. No. 12 Vanderbilt (8-10, 20-11)

25 minutes after Game 1, 2:30-45 ish, maybe later if there is OT in first game

SEC Network

Vandy by 2 1/2, O/U 148 1/2

I like the Dores to solidify their NCAA Tournament aspirations.

Vanderbilt 77, Texas 74

No.15 LSU (3-15, 14-17) vs. No.10 Mississippi State (8-10, 20-11)

6 P.M.

SEC Network

State by 8 1/2, O/U 147 1/2

Liking State to get it done, but closer than anticipated.

Miss. State 75, LSU 70

No. 14 Oklahoma (6-12, 19-12) vs. No.11 Georgia (8-10, 20-11)

8:30-9 approximately

SEC Network

UGA by 2 1/2, O/U 148 1/2

I like the Dawgs to enhance their resume and make them a very marketable team to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

Georgia 74, Oklahoma 70

Thursday, Day 2

Arkansas vs. No.8 Ole Miss (10-8, 21-10)

12 P.M.

SEC Network

I like the Hogs to pull off what might be considered a slight upset, but not really.

Arkansas 67, Ole Miss 65

Vanderbilt vs. No.5 Texas A&M (11-7, 22-9)

25 minutes after first game

SEC Network

Give me the Dores to clinch their spot in the NCAA’s.

Vandy 78, A&M 77

Mississippi State vs. No.7 Missouri (10-8,21-10)

6 P.M.

SEC Network

I’ll take the Bullies to pull off an upset and advance to the quarters.

State 80, Missouri 78

Georgia vs. No. 6 Kentucky (10-8, 21-10)

25 minutes after State/Mizzou concludes

SEC Network

I’ll go with the Wildcats to move on in front a mass of Big Blue nation as their fans take over an SEC Tournament venue once again.

Kentucky 69, Georgia 67

Friday, Quarterfinals

Arkansas vs. No.1 Auburn (15-3, 27-4)

12 P.M.

ESPN

Arkansas will have secured their spot in the NCAA’s, but they aren’t beating Auburn, however.

Auburn 78, Arkansas 68

Vanderbilt vs. No.4 Tennessee (12-6, 25-6)

25 minutes after Game 1

ESPN

I’ll take the Commodores in an upset city victory.

Vandy 71, Tennessee 70

Mississippi State vs. No.2 Florida (14-4, 27-4)

6 PM

SEC Network

I like the Gators to keep their momentum rolling on.

Florida 78, State 70

Kentucky vs. No.3 Alabama (13-6, 24-7)

25 minutes after FL. vs. State

SEC Network

I’ll take the red hot Mark Sears and Grant Nelson and a star-studded Crimson Tide team.

Alabama 91, Kentucky 89

Saturday, semifinals

Auburn vs. Vanderbilt

12 P.M.

ESPN

The Commodores legs are going to be really tired by this point, and Johni Broome, the SEC player of the Year and possibly National Player of the year if he can beat out Duke’s Cooper Flagg, will have his way with the much smaller Commodores.

Auburn 85, Vanderbilt 73

Alabama vs, Florida

25 minutes after first game.

ESPN

Florida is just so hot right now. I like sharpshooter Walter Clayton Jr. and the Gators to advance in a

barnburner.

Florida 102, Alabama 98 OT

Championship Sunday

Auburn vs. Florida

12 P.M.

ESPN

I’m bullish on the Gators. The Tigers and Tide keep their seeds, and this should be a classic, but give me the

Gators.

Florida 92, Auburn 90 OT

Tournament MVP: Walter Clayton Jr.

Clayton Jr. and the Gators capture the SEC Tournament Championship. (Photo courtesy of AP News).

Three Amigas lead Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball to victory; Men in action Saturday

Iyana Moore led her team to a major victory over Tennessee earlier today in the SEC Tournament. (Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics).

Our trio of superb players, senior guard Iyana Moore, sophomore center Khamil Pierre, and SEC Freshman of the Year Mikayla Blakes, combined for 63 points in leading our Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball team to an 84-76 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., earlier today.

With the victory, the Commodores  moved to 23-9 on the season, while the Volunteers dropped to 22-10.

We now move into the quarterfinals  Friday to face the No.5 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks (27-3, 15-1 SEC) at 11 AM CT on E-S-P-N.

Our awesome senior, Iyana, led us throughout the first half and finished the game with 23 points on 8-for-11 from the field, and 4-for-4 from trifecta. Coach Shea Ralph said in her postgame press conference on SEC Network Live that Iyana is someone who stuck with her program when Coach Ralph came in four years ago, and her dedication to the program has paid off beautifully.

Iyana is also a terrific student and leader on this talented, hard working team.

Our great guard Mikayla Blakes finished with 24, including 7-of-8 from the free throw line. It wasn’t Mikayla’s best shooting game percentage- wise, but she found acrobatic ways to score at the rim. She is a phenom.

Our center, sophomore Khamil Pierre, finished with 16 points and 15 boards! It was Khamil’s 17th double-double of the season, which hasn’t happened in 25 years.

We out-rebounded them 42-34 with Khamil being the major reason for that discrepancy.

Graduate forward Jane Nwab sank a couple of nice buckets and finished with 7 points, while graduate guard Leilani Kapinus finished with 6 and secured a key steal with 18 seconds left to lock down the game. Leilani was fouled after her steal and sank both free throws.

Just a terrific effort from the Women. This is a highly entertaining team to watch. They get after it on the defensive end as well.

 Coach Ralph is doing a phenomenal job. We are still an 8 seed in the Spokane Regional, according to ESPN Bracketologist Charle Creme, playing No.9 seed South Dakota State. 

Creme’s new bracketology will come out Friday morning, so I’ll let you know where we stand.

Everybody knows South Carolina is tough and decorated as a multiple national champion, but I’ll take each of our players in a 40 minute game and take my chances.

We Definitely have a shot. Should be fun. Coach Ralph said in the postgame that we’re not here to just win one game, we’re here to win the whole thing, and take it deeper than any Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball team has ever taken it in March. Love Coach Ralph’s philosophy.

Will keep you posted. Anchor Down.

Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball

We had a tough one Tuesday with a ridiculously late 9 PM start, losing to Arkansas, 90-77. Arkansas is desperate to make the NCAA Tournament as they are squarely on the bubble and we just didn’t play our best.

We’ve got another test Saturday to close out the regular season @ Georgia with an 11 AM tip on ESPNU.

It’s an important game because it’s the next and final game of the season, and we need the momentum for the SEC Tournament, which starts next  Wednesday, 3/12, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. 

We also want to secure a first round bye and not have to play on Wednesday. We’re 20-10 overall and 8-9 in the SEC and Georgia is 19-11 and 7-10, so we need the victory to clinch the bye and play Thursday.

So, tremendously important game for the team. Need A.J. Hoggard, Devin McGlockton, Chris Manon, Jason Edwards, Tyler Nickel, Tyler Tanner and MJ Collins and company to really ramp it up on Saturday. I expect them to.

Joe “Brackets” Lunardi has us as a 9 seed in the East Regional in his ESPN Bracketology.

Joe has us playing No.8 seed Connecticut in Raleigh.

Joe will come out with his updated bracketology Friday morning, so will let you know  where we stand when the bracket is released.

Thanks a ton, and Go Commodores. Our Men and Women always compete hard. Fun groups to watch.

Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball: We just want more

The awesome A. J. Hoggard was spectacular on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of On3.com).

When my father’s best friend, who was like a second father to me after my dad passed away in 1977, was eulogized at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, the minister said, “We know he’s in a better place, but we just wanted more.”

That’s the way I feel about our Vanderbilt Mens’ Basketball team. We all just want more of them, and we want watch these guys all the way till the night of Monday, April 7th in the Alamodome in San Antonio at the National Championship Game. This group of players are 100 percent class in everything they do. Their heart, their dedication, their competitiveness, and their personal integrity shines brightly out on the floor. And that has been enhanced even more the past three games we’ve been victorious in against then-No.23 Ole Miss on Saturday, February 22nd; then @ No.12 Texas A&M last Wednesday Night, February 26th, and, most recently, in a spellbinding victory at Memorial on Saturday, a 97-93 overtime victory over No.19 Missouri.

March is here and our team is locked, loaded and homed in on winning every basketball

game that is in front of them starting tonight with a 9 o’clock tip against Arkansas on the

SEC Network. But let’s look back at Saturday versus Mizzou for a minute. It was epic.

Jason Edwards sank a critical trifecta with 12 seconds left to keep us in the game, cutting

the deficit to 79-78, Tigers. After Caleb Grill, a terrific shooter for Missouri

who poured in 28 points, sank both free throws to put the Tigers up 81-78, Memorial Magic

struck again in the person of Tyler Nickel, our great small forward, who drained a three with

four seconds left to tie the game at 81, unbelievingly. The clock ran out, we went into

overtime and won it from there, a 97-93 final. There were several heroic performances. Our

awesome undersized, but does it matter? (That’s a flat out NO), power forward Chris Manon

scored 23 and pulled down 11 boards. Chris has been terrific lately. Our phenomenal point

guard, A.J. Hoggard finished with 21 and 6 dimes. A.J. is always an awesome distributor of

the basketball and if he can shoot like that, we’re a very dangerous team. A.J. is a leader

and a difference maker. Edwards finished with 17 points and four assists and sank two huge

free throws. A.J. was 8-of-8 from the line. We were 21 of 24 from the stripe, 88%, which

was major because Mizzou was 28-of-35, 80%, and shot 11 more free throws than we did.

So every point from the stripe mattered. Nickel finished with 12 points, sank 3 triples and

was 3-of 4 from the line. Manon was 7-of-8 from the line in his spectacular performance.

Jaylen Carey and Devin McGlockton only finished with 7 points each, but Carey finished

with 10 boards and Devin added 8. We out-rebounded them, 39-28, always a major stat.

Tyler Tanner only had four points, but they were both critical floaters that were clutch plays

during the game. MJ Collins finished with 7, but connected on a critical 3 in the second half

towards the latter part of the game.

So, a total team effort by a team that exemplifies just that,. It’s a team game and our player understand that. Just spectacular.

But we want to keep the winning going. Lunardi has us as a 9 seed in the East playing the

No.8 seeded UConn Huskies in Raleigh. But the goal right now is to defeat Arkansas

tonight at 9. It’s been a thrilling year with this team, and it’s hopefully going to keep getting

better. Gotta take care of business tonight. Then it’s @ Georgia Saturday at 11 AM CT on the

SEC Network.

From there it’s the SEC Tournament in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena, Wednesday, March

12th through Sunday, 16th.

We are now 20-9 overall and 8-8 in the SEC, tied for 8th in the

conference. There’s more work to be done and I can’t wait to see these guys

do more work. I know we all are.

Women’s Basketball homes in on the Postseason

Khamil Pierre is a major part of our team’s success (Photo courtesy of Instagram).

Our Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball season finished off the regular season with a

resounding 100-59 victory over Missouri at Columbia.

We now head into the SEC Tournament as the No. 8 seed. The tournament starts

Wednesday at Secours Wellness Arena ihn Greenville, S.C. We’ll play Thursday at 10 AM CT

versus the winner of No.16 Texas A&M and No.9 seed Tennessee. The game will be

broadcast by the SEC Network. The Championship Game is Sunday, March 9th, at 2 PM CT

on ESPN.

We compiled a regular season record of 21-9 overall and 8-8 in the SEC, good for

a tie for 8th in the conference. We finished tied with Tennessee in the standings, but

prevailed in a tiebreaker by virtue of our 71-70 victory over the Vols on Sunday, January

19th at Memorial.

In our Missouri victory, our tremendous freshman Mikayla Blakes poured in 29 points on 11-

of-17 from the field and 6-of-10 from trifecta. Senior guard Iyana Moore added 18 and 7

assists and sophomore forward Khamil Pierre added 16 points and 10 boards. So, awesome

effort from the team.

According to ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme, we are an 8 seed in the Spokane Regional

and would face 9 seed South Dakota State in the first round. That’s fluid, of course.

Got a lot of work left and I know our women are excited about it. Coach Shea Ralph is

building a powerhouse program on the West End, just like Coach Mark Byington is, and the

next step is going deep this March; both in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.

As Coach Corbin says, we just want to have a good practice today and be successful on

Thursday. I’ll be in touch soon.

Vanderbilt Men’s Basketball tremendous/Bracketology, VU Baseball cookin’, VU Women’s Basketball’s dynamic duo strikes again/Bracketology; Men’s/Women’s Golf/Tennis

Tyler Nickel was terrific from behind the arc against A&M in our team’s massive victory. (Photo courtesy of Instagram).

Our men’s basketball team secured a phenomenal victory at College Station on Wednesday Night as we defeated the 12th ranked Texas A&M Aggies, 86-84, to move to 19-9 overall and 7-8 in the SEC. The No.12 Aggies (AP Poll) fell to 20-8 and 9-6.

To say it was a mild surprise might sound like an understatement unless you understand the makeup of this group, which we all do. They’re warriors and were not going to be denied at Reed Arena. Our terrific marksman guard/forwardTyler Nickel sank 7 of 10 trifectas and finished with 21 points. Guard MJ Collins had a big night with 16 points and four boards. Our super combo point guard/shooting guard, Jason Edwards, we’re kind of a position-less group, finished with 15 and was iron from the charity stripe sinking 8-for-8 at the stripe. We were 28-for-36 as a team from the line, 78%, and that was massive down the stretch.

The game took 2 hours 40 minutes with excessive foul calling and reviews. It was out of control. But our guys responded to those adverse conditions (the road and the refs) and emerged with a major resume building victory. Our terrific freshman point guard, Tyler Tanner, finished with 9 points and four assists, and was 4-for-4 from the line. These were all highly clutch free throw conversions in the last two minutes of the game. Big man Jaylen Carey sank a couple of key free throws late as well. Jaylen and our awesome other big man, Devin McGlockton, were saddled with foul trouble throughout the game. It was a very questionably officiated game. Devin fouled out, but pulled down 10 boards before he did. He always gives us superb minutes, even if he doesn’t score a ton of points. He usually gives us good offense though, and he’ll give us great effort every time out. One of the key moments in the game was when JaQualon “JQ” Roberts, our 6’8″, 230 inside guy, came in late with Devin and Jaylen in foul trouble. JQ gave us 8 valuable minutes. He pulled down four boards, had a massive dunk off a beautiful dish from MJ, and played awesome defense. JQ, one of the two holdovers from Stack’s program, along with Jordan Williams, which you gotta admire and appreciate, will be a valuable piece for us down the stretch if Jaylen and Devin get into some fouling issues or they just need a break. I love what JQ did for us Wednesday and what he can do for us going forward. Last season, towards the end of the 2024 year, JQ was coming on for sure as a freshman. So I really believe that he can be a factor for us. He’s tough, physical, is a very good rebounder, and give us some offense.

A.J. Hoggard, Chris Manon and Grant Huffman weren’t major factors in the outcome, but did some good things, and we always need those guys to play well in order for us to be successful. They are all three highly valuable pieces to this team’s success. Definitely need them to give us their usual quality minutes going forward. Manon put together an awesome performance against No. 24 Ole Miss last Saturday in our 77-72 victory at Memorial. He finished with 16, 7 boards, 4 steals and 3 blocks against the Rebels. He’s such a superb athlete, and brings so much energy to the court. A.J. is always an important player for us distributing and leading our offense along with some scoring and solid D. Grant brings hustle and talent. We’ll need everybody.

So where do we stand? We are now 19-9, and 7-8 in the SEC, tied for 9th in the conference. Auburn has been excellent this year at 14-1 and 26-2 and are the clear No.1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and Heat Check’s Lukas Harkins, another accurate brackelogist. Auburn is projected No.1 in the South by both Lunardi and Harkins. Auburn’s only two losses are @ Duke, much earlier in the season and at home versus Florida a couple of Saturdays ago. We are seeded 9th by Joe in the South playing in Lexington versus 8th-seeded Illinois. Lukas has us 9th in the West playing No.8 BYU in Wichita. So riveting stuff going on with our team, and if we keep playing like this, we’ll get a higher seed going forward by both Joe and Lukas. I’ll keep you apprised on those developments as they transpire. Both Bracketologists release their projections each Tuesday and Friday, and these brackets are completely up to date as they both released their respective ones this morning.

We’ve got No.14 Missouri Saturday @ home @Memorial at 5 PM CT on the SEC Network. Need an electric crowd to help us knock off a very good team and enhance our resume even further. Missouri is 21-7 and 10-5 in the conference and is coming off a 101-71 home victory over South Carolina. They are presently tied for fourth with Tennessee in the conference standings and are a 5 seed by Joe in the East, and a 5 seed by Lukas in the Midwest. They are talented and can do damage in the NCAA Tournament, so we need to bring everything we’ve got. They defeated us in Columbia on Saturday, January 11th, 75-66. We can get this done, but it will take another stellar performance. We’ve got it in us though. Love the way we’re competing. Will give you a recap on Monday.

Vanderbilt Baseball

RJ Austin is knocking the cover off the ball. (Photo courtesy of The Tennessean).

Our 13th/14th ranked Vanderbilt Baseball team is on a roll right now after sweeping Saint Mary’s last weekend at the Hawk and defeating Tennessee Tech handily this past Tuesday. We won 11-4 last Friday, 2/21, we won 13-7 on Saturday, 2/22, and 10-0 Sunday, 2/23, in 7 innings with the 10 run rule in effect after 7– top of the 7th at home, bottom of the 7th on the road. Then, for good measure, we defeated Tennessee Tech 16-3 at the Hawk in 7 on Tuesday.

RJ Austin is the heart and soul of this baseball team. Our junior from Atlanta is hitting .455 with 2 doubles, 3 triples, a homer and 9 Ribeyes. RJ is also 6-for-6 in stolen bases. Jacob Humphrey, who has found a home in the corners of our outfield, is hitting .440, and is 3-for-3 in stolen bases. Love what we’re getting from transfer Riley Nelson (Western Texas College/Yavapai College, Texas). Riley is hitting .406 with a double, a homer and 12 Ribbies. Freshman Rustan Rigdon is hitting .360, and I’m liking what I’m seeing out of freshman Brodie Johnston. He’s a slick fielding third baseman and was a highly ranked recruit in the class of 2024. Brodie hits and fields at a high level. He was 2-for-4 Sunday against Saint Mary’s with a pair of runs driven in. Like what we have there. Mike Macini, a transfer from James Madison, is going to be stellar at second base. With steady, reliable junior Jonathan Vastine leading the charges at short, we’ve got a good makeup in the infield with Nelson a nice fielding first baseman as well. The SEC is tough, but our 13th/14th-ranked team (Baseball America, D1 Baseball rankings, respectively) is shaping up well. We are now 8-1. Pitching has been pretty solid. Still some room for improvement. Really like what I’m seeing out of our present Sunday starter Cody Bowker. Cody is 1-0 with an 0.00 ERA. Can’t get any better than that. Cody, a Georgetown transfer, is a strike thrower. He’s walked four and struck out 12. JD Thompson and Ethan McElvain are still rounding into form on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Corbs will see how the guys develop before settling into an SEC weekend rotation. The bullpen has been very solid. Miller Green looks like a shutdown closer and we’ve got great arms in middle relief and for midweek starts.

We have UCLA tonight in L.A. in the Southern California College Baseball Classic. First pitch is a 7 PM CT and it’ll be streamed on BIG Ten Network+.

Saturday, we play USC in Irvine, CA. at 4 PM CT on the BIG Ten+ Network.

And Sunday, we face UConn at 12 PM in L.A., again. Today’s game is at Jackie Robinson Stadium, Saturday’s game is at Great Park, and Sunday’s game is again at Jackie Robinson Stadium, all in Southern California. So, two true road games today and Saturday. UCLA is 7-2, USC is 7-1, and UConn is 1-5. So, some challenges this weekend that will be good for getting us mentally tough for the SEC, which starts in two weeks @ Auburn. We’ll open @ Auburn Friday, 3/14, and play there through Sunday, 3/16. Will have much more on that after we get through this non-conference schedule. Major challenges this weekend starting today versus the Bruins.

Women’s Basketball

Khamil Pierre filled it up last night in our victory over A&M. (Photo courtesy of ESPN).

Sophomore Khamil Pierre poured in 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field and added 6 boards, and freshman standout Mikayla Blakes finished with 18 points and 5 assists as our women defeated Texas A&M, 91-58, at Memorial Thursday Night. Khamil is from Phoenix, and Mikayla is from Somerset, New Jersey, 40 miles from the Big Apple. Justine Pissott added 14, going 5-for-5 from the field and 4-of-4 from the stripe. Justine is a junior from Toms River, New Jersey. It’s 75 miles from Toms River to Manhattan. We moved to 20-9 and 7-8 in the SEC. We’re now 9th in the conference and are an 8 seed in the Spokane Bracket in the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN Bracketologist Charlie Creme. Charlie is the expert in projecting the tournament bracket for the women’s game, and he’s pretty darn accurate as are Joe and Lukas in the men’s game. Mikayla is now averaging 23 points per game, and Khamil is at 20.9. Khamil also averages 9.5 boards per game. Iyana Moore is at 11.9 points per game. Coach Shea Ralph knows we have a lot of work left if we want to reach our goals of playing much deeper into March. We finish out the season this Sunday @ Missouri for a 2 PM CT tip on SEC Network+. The Tigers are 14-16 overall and 3-12 in the SEC. The SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament starts Wednesday, March 5th at Greenville, S.C. So, exciting stuff for the women’s team as well. Will have more on the SECT on Monday after we play Missouri, and, hopefully, get the job done.

Coach Mark Byington and Coach Ralph are doing absolutely tremendous jobs with the men’s and the women’s teams, respectively. Love our coaches. Of course, Corbs is doing his usual phenomenal job. He just keeps getting it done. Love what all three teams can do going forward with both the Men’s and Women’s bball teams heading into March and our baseball team setting its sights on the rest of the non-conference, and then homing in on the SEC in mid-March. Extremely exciting stuff going on for our programs.

Men’s and Women’s Golf; Women’s and Men’s Tennis

Will have a lot more for you on our three respective teams on Monday along with our Men’s and Women’s golf teams and our Men’s and Women’s tennis teams. All four teams are matriculating well.

The Men’s Golf team, which is ranked 14th in the Clippd rankings, the premier rankings in men’s and women’s golf, opens play at the Cabo Collegiate in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico this coming Monday with a loaded field competing. Should be a great measure on Coach Scott Limbaugh’s team Monday through Wednesday on the Twin Dolphin Course. Will have more as the team competes next week.

Coach Greg Allen and his 12th ranked Women’s Golf team (Clippd rankings as well) play in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Monday through Wednesday versus a talented field as well. More on the Women as well next week.

Our 19th ranked women’s tennis team (ITA Rankings), 8-1 on the season after opening SEC play with a 7-0 victory @ Missouri last Sunday, plays Mississippi State today @ the Currey Tennis Center in Nashville at 2 PM, and hosts No.17 Alabama Sunday at 1 PM. So huge weekend for the women’s tennis team.

The Men’s team is ranked 32nd by the ITA Rankings, and is 8-3 overall. After defeating LSU on the road this past Monday, 4-3, we play @Auburn today at 2 PM CT, and we are @ No.25 Alabama Sunday at 1 PM.

I love what Women’s Tennis Coach Aleke Tsoubanos is doing for our team, and what Coach Scott Brown is doing for our men. We have another Scott Brown, who is our pitching coach. So we two have Coach Browns on our respective staffs.

I’ll check back in Monday with a lot more on where all of our teams stand heading into the week. God Bless, have an awesome weekend, and Anchor Down!

Mikayla Blakes goes off…again; Men’s bball in major tilt up north; Baseball cookin; Men’s Golf nice showing in Florida

Mikayla did some serious work on Sunday @ Auburn. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia).

Our terrific McDonald’s All American freshman Mikayla Blakes made history again on the basketball court as

she set a freshman record this time for any freshman, true or redshirt, as she poured in 55 points and led her

Vanderbilt Commodores teammates to an amazing 15 point comeback in the fourth quarter at Neville Arena in Auburn as the Commodores defeated Auburn 98-88 in overtime to move to 19-7 overall and 6-6 in the SEC. Coach Shea Ralph was not only happy for Mikayla, she was ecstatic for her team as we had lost three in a row. But what a performance by our young freshman out of Somerset, New Jersey and Rutgers Prep. Mikayla was 15-of-28 from the field, 2-of-7 from trifecta and 23-of-24 from the stripe. She is now averaging 23 points per game and is second in the SEC and sixth in the country in scoring. She was voted SEC Player of the week and SEC Freshman of the week. There was no doubt that was going to happen. The team is now tied for 8th in the conference, and Charlie Creme, the Bracketologist for ESPN, has us as a No. 7 seed and playing 10th seeded Richmond in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Los Angeles. Our next game is Thursday at 6 PM @ No.16 Oklahoma. OU is 19-6 and 7-5 in the SEC, so they’ll be a tough out. Mikayla and the women will have to step up once again. I like them to do just that.

Men take on the Cats in Rupp

Jalen Carey leads the Dores into Rupp Arena today at 6 PM (Photo courtesy of the Nashville Post).

Our men’s team is in a huge contest today at 6 PM today on the SEC Network at Rupp Arena versus Kentucky. We fought so hard against Tennessee and almost pulled off the upset, but are looking ahead to today in a massive game at Rupp. We are 17-8 overall and 5-7 in the conference, and Joey Brackets has us as an 11 seed and in the West Regional playing in Cleveland in the first round and facing No.6 seeded Clemson. Gotta excel here in our last six games. We’re getting very good play from Jalen Carey, Devin McGlockton and Jason Edwards, among others. Need everybody to step up tonight, Tyler Nickel, AJ Hoggard, Chris Manon, MJ Collins (so athletic) and Grant Huffman will HAVE to do their part as well for us to emerge with the victory. Coach Byington knows it’ll take a total team effort to come away victorious. I don’t gamble, but I do predict against the spread, and we were a 6 1/2 point underdog yesterday, and now we’re 5 1/2. So trending in the right direction. It was 4 1/2 earlier today. Just gotta lock in.

Baseball

JD Thompson gave us an awesome start on Friday versus Grand Canyon, a true road game in Phoenix, at the 2025 MLB Desert Invitational. (Photo courtesy of Baseball America).

We’ve gotten some pretty solid pitching so far in our first five games as our No.15 Commodores (D1 Baseball Rankings) are 4-1 with victories over Grand Canyon, UC Irvine and two over Air Force. Our only loss is to No.23 Nebraska on Saturday Night, and that seemed like a road game in the MLB Desert Invitational. Really like what we got from JD, who pitched 4.2 against Grand Canyon, and allowed just 3 hits, 0 runs, with a walk and 6 K’s. JD is our Friday Night guy for now, but that’s still being determined. Sure like our chances with him on the mound. Cody Bowker, a transfer from Georgetown, was super Sunday against Cal-Irvine. Cody went 4, gave up 0 runs, 2 hits, with a walk and, also like JD, six K’s. Nice efforts from a lot of our pitchers. Like the way our pitching is rounding into shape. We play Saint Mary’s in a weekend set this Friday-Sunday. Hitting is coming along. New addition Rusty Rigdon, kind of a utility player for us in the infield and outfield, is leading us at .467. Jacob Humphrey, whom I’ve always been bullish on since he arrived on the West End from Duke in 2024, is hitting .455. And our electric center fielder RJ Austin, who can do everything, kind of an Enrique Bradfield with a little more power, is hitting .391. We’re fielding at a .989 clip with just a couple of errors, so pretty solid. I’m sure Corbs is pretty pleased with the start. Gotta keep improving every practice, every game as Corbs always preaches. Our goal is Omaha and getting it done there. That never changes.

Jackson Van Paris with a nice showing at the Watersound Invitational at Panama City (Photo courtesy of The Vanderbilt Hustler).

Nice showing by Men’s Golf

Our 11th-ranked Men’s Golf team (CLIPPD Rankings, premier college men’s golf ranking service) finished in 5th place at the Watersound Invitational in Panama City Beach, FL. on the Shark’s Tooth Golf Course. We had a rough day in day one shooting 9 over as a team. Then we came back and shot 6 under, and, in round 3, we finished 14 under to post an 11 under score for the tournament. Florida State won it at 26 under par. We did get a terrific effort from senior Jackson Van Paris who finished tied fourth individually shooting 6 under par. Luke Clanton of FSU won it at -10. Nice comeback by the squad. Need some more guys to step up if we want to reach our goals this year in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. Next is the Cabo Collegiate Sunday, March 2nd through Tuesday, March 4th. It’ll be 3 rounds with a loaded field. I will let you know more about it when it’s time to get to work in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at the Twin Dolphin Club.

I’ll have more coming up next week. I will be out of pocket the rest of this week working on another project here in town, so will check back in the middle of next week or so with intel on Men’s basketball, baseball, Men’s golf and women’s basketball and anything else that transpires in the VU sporting arena. Thanks a lot.

No. 1 Auburn @ No.2 Alabama or….

Nate Oats leads his Crimson Tide onto their home floor at Coleman Coliseum for the biggest regular season game of the year and the biggest this decade in the SEC and nationally (Photo courtesy of Alabama Rivals).

…No.1 Alabama versus No.2 Auburn, whether you’re following the AP Poll, which has the Tigers at No.1, or the

the ESPN Coaches Poll, which places the Crimson Tide atop the national rankings. Regardless, this is a

major clash of the Titans in college basketball with massive implications nationally and for the NCAA

Tournament purposes, for now, and for the No.1 in the SEC standings. And it’s the Iron Bowl. So does it get

any better than this? The Iron Bowl football game is usually the sports event of the year in

Alabama, and nationally. But this year, it’s the basketball teams that are commanding the attention both in this

state and throughout the country. The Tigers are 22-2 overall and 10-1 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide is 21-3

and 10-1. Both teams are prolific.

Auburn will be led by their massive trio of 6’11” players, who weigh anywhere from 230 to 250 in the great

Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell and Chaney Johnson, respectively. Broome is averaging 18 points and almost 11

boards per game, and is the heart and soul of this basketball team. Joe Rexrode of The Athletic wrote a very

nice story on Johni, which elaborated on his not being recruited much at all in high school and playing a

couple of years at Morehead State before Bruce Pearl and Auburn discovered him. He’s taken off for the

Tigers and looks to be a possible first round pick in the NBA draft in June. Johni said the beauty of the NIL is it

kept him in school, and he’s not playing for a G League team in Maine right now as Bruce Pearl commented to

Rexrode in the story. So, it’s a massive front wall for the Tigers. Johnson dominated the Vanderbilt

Commodores on Tuesday Night, finishing with 20 points and 5 boards. Broome posted 17 and 7, and the

Tigers’ great guard Denver Jones finished with 21 points, which included 5-of-7 from trifecta country.

Miles Kelly is a superb guard as is Tahaad Pettiford and Chad Baker-Mazara. It’s a loaded, deep team that has

a real shot at winning it all. It’s potentially Bruce’s best team in his tenure, which started in 2014-15,

though his 2019 team that reached the Final Four only to lose on a non call on a Virginia walking in the Final

Four, is right there, too.

The Crimson Tide counters with its own stellar cast of players. Grant Nelson and Mark Sears are the leaders,

and, because of NIL, decided to stay and try to win a national championship this year for their Crimson

Tide, much like Broome is trying to accomplish at Auburn. Sears averages almost 18 per game and close to 5

assists. Nelson adds 12.7 and 8.1 rebounds. But there is plenty of help. Chris Youngblood is a transfer from

South Floria, and, before that, Kennesaw State and is a terrific leader as well. Youngblood averages 9. 7 per

game. Jarin Stevenson, a sophomore from Chapel Hill, N.C. averages 5.5 , but showed his massive ability

Tuesday Night with a 22 point effort @ Texas, in a 103-80 Tide victory.

Aden Holloway, the transfer from Auburn, is averaging 11.8 and is shooting 41 percent from trifecta. Labaron

Philon averages 10.4. And Clifford Omoruyi gives the Tide good size underneath at 6’11”, 250. He averages

7 points and 6 caroms. Mouhamed Dioubate is a physical, aggressive player at 6’7″, 215, who averages

6.6 and 5.4. He’s electric and highly athletic.

No.1 Auburn (22-2, 10-1 SEC) @ No.2 Alabama (21-3, 10-1)

Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, 15,383

3 PM CT

ESPN, Dan, Jay, Jess

Crimson Tide by 1 1/2

Over/Under 172 1/2

Final Analysis and Decision

These are two outstanding basketball teams with two of the best coaches that have ever coached in this

conference, and likely, the best two coaches in the country. There are extremely high aspirations for both

these squads. It’s SEC Championship, Final Four and national championship ambitions in Auburn and in

Tuscaloosa. I can’t tell which team is better. Auburn may have the most talented team in the country barely

But the Tide is right behind them. It just depends on where this game is played .

It’s in Tuscaloosa today. It’ll be at Auburn’s Neville Coliseum, the Jungle, Saturday, March 8th at 1 PM to close

out the SEC regular season, so that’ll be tough for the visitor as well.

But i’ll take the Crimson Tide at Coleman in a hard fought, intensely hard played contest. The

talented Tide just outlasts the juggenaut Auburn Tigers and claims the No.1 spot in the country in both of next

week’s polls and the No.1 overall seed in Joey “Brackets” Lunaurdi’s Bracketology, the premiere NCAA

Tournament Predictions’ Bracket. But Auburn is not going anywhere. If these two teams meet on a neutral

floor in the SEC Championship Game in mid March or the NCAA Tournament in late March or early April, all

bets are off on who’ll win. But you gotta try to predict’em, and I’ll give it everything I’ve got then to pick a

winner between these two electrically talented teams.

First off is this classic today in T-town.

Alabama 88, Auburn 86

The superb Sears and the Tide survive the prolific Broome and the Tigers in a monumental contest featuring the best two squads in the country. (Photo courtesy of Sportskeeda).

National Championship tonight, Gonzaga vs. North Carolina

The awesome pair of Justin Jackson (above, photo courtesy of Keeping It Heel) and Kennedy Meeks (below, photo courtesy of GoHeels.com) will need to have big games for the Tar Heels  

The awesome pair of Justin Jackson (above, photo courtesy of Keeping It Heel) and Kennedy Meeks (below, photo courtesy of GoHeels.com) will need to have big games for the Tar Heels  

Zach Collins (above, photo courtesy of CBS Sports, Spokane, Wash.) and Jordan Mathews will try to be explosive offensively, and Collins on the glass

Zach Collins (above, photo courtesy of CBS Sports, Spokane, Wash.) and Jordan Mathews will try to be explosive offensively, and Collins on the glass

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Gonzaga (37-1) vs. North Carolina (32-7)

University of Phoenix Stadium, 75,000

8:20 PM CT/9:20 PM ET

CBS

Talent: Jim, Grant, Bill, Trace; Pregame, halftime: Ernie, Clark, Kenny, Sir Charles

Line: UNC by 1 1/2

Record since Sweet 16: 7-7 overall

 Against the Spread: 9-5

This is a classic showdown between the top seed in the West and the top seed in the South with prolific players and excellent coaches all over the court. I was a litte hard on Roy Williams on Saturday, but he’s won 2 national championships at Carolina, in 2005 and 2009, so that speaks for itself. Mark Few is outstanding, too. Classic matchups of players and coaches. Gonzaga features the awesome Nigel Williams-Goss at guard, 6’3″, 195, who poured in 23 against South Carolina on Saturday in a 77-73 Zags victory and averaged 17 points and 6 boards this season, along with almost 5 assists. He’s a spectacular player. Jordan Mathews is a superior marksman. He sank 4-for-8 from 3 on  Saturday and sank close to 40% of his 3’s this season. When he gets it going, he’s a sharpshooter from trifecta. I know that 7’1″, 300 pound Przemek Karnowski gets a lot of the credit, as he averaged 12.3 ppg and 6 rebounds this season and had 13 big points and 5 rebounds on Saturday, but I like 7’0″, 230 pound freshman Zach Collins better. Collins played 23 minutes Saturday coming off the bench and scored 14 points and yanked down 13 boards. He’s their best guy inside. Karnowski is good, but Collins really makes them go underneath. This is an excellent basketball team with one of the top 5 coaches in the country at the helm. I’d put Mark Few in the top 4 with Roy, Cal and Pitino . He’s a difference maker.

UNC counters with the best player in the country in Justin Jackson. The 6’8″, 210 pound junior didn’t win the Naismith Award this season given to the top player in the country, Frank Mason III of Kansas won it. But Jackson was more deserving. He is the key cog, along with Kennedy Meeks, that makes this Tar Heels team go. Jackson averaged 18 points and 5 boards this season, and was sensational Saturday against Oregon in a 77-76 UNC semifinal victory, finishing with 22 huge points. He’s superbly clutch. Jackson was 4-for-9 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free throw line playing 38 of the 40 minutes. He’s almost a flawless player in my opinion. So smooth. Just a highly skilled, outstanding player. Six-foot-10 inch, 260 pound Kennedy Meeks was just as terrific  Saturday Night. In 30 minutes, Meeks scored 25 points on 11-of-13 from the field and grabbed 14 boards. Wow. He’s also a superb young guy. He was very humble and gracious after the game and respectful of Oregon. Really like Kennedy. Justin is  a super guy also. Point guard Joel Berry II has been battling ankle issues, but is playing through it with courage, and giving it max effort. The junior point guard averaged 14 points and 4 assists this season and posted 11 points Saturday battling against a tough opponent in Oregon for 35 minutes, and just his presence for UNC makes the team better. He’s a stud. Isiaiah Hicks, 6’9″, 242 pounder, battled some injuries Saturday, and wasn’t his true self, but he’s another stellar frontline player for the Tar Heels. I expect Luke Maye, the super 6’8″, 235 pound 6th man for the Tar Heels to have a good game tonight. He wasn’t as big a factor Saturday, but he is a spark plug for this team off the bench. Six-foot-six, 211 pound junior Theo Pinson is excellent. He had 8 points and 8 boards on Saturday. So is 6’1″, guard Nate Britt. 

“The Decision” 

I’m very bullish on both of these teams. UNC has massive talent and they were in the championship game last year and lost on a last second 3 pointer by Kris Jenkins of Villanova in the national championship game. Most of those players are back as this is an upperclass team. The Tar Heels still played superbly in that game. It was an extremely high level game. The score was 77-74.

 Gonzaga is outstanding as well, and is confident and has a superb coach on its bench. 

But so does North Carolina in Roy Williams. Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks andJoel Berry II are all 3 stellar, and UNC has unfinished business from last year.. This is going to be another epic like last year, but I expect the Tar Heels to win their 6th national championship in their storied history, and 3rd in 13 years under 15 year coach Roy Williams.

UNC 76, Gonzaga 75 

 

 

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