This is an opinion column.
Not even the Great Charles Bediako was enough to beat Tennessee.
Does Brandon Miller have any more eligibility?
Latrell Sprewell?
Antonio McDyess?
Keith Askins?
Alabama coach Nate Oats just put a lot of pressure on himself and his team with that embarrassing 79-73 loss to Tennessee. If the Crimson Tide can’t win with its NBA G-League ringer, then maybe Oats shouldn’t even be Alabama’s coach anymore.
That might be an overreaction, but so was all the hype about “Back to School” Bediako.
Alabama gave the finger to the NCAA on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, so that’s always a good time. But the other thing? Actually playing well with controversial midseason pickup Charles Bediako? No signs of that just yet.
This team still needs more toughness and grit against good teams.
“I’m just a new addition,” Bediako said “I got to continue to get better with these guys.”
Bediako had 14 points and three rebounds in his return to Alabama after nearly three years in the pros. They gave him about one standing ovation for every board in Coleman Coliseum.
Hold the applause until Alabama wins, though. If seven-footer Bediako can’t grab rebounds for Alabama, then what’s the point?
If three rebounds is all he’s got in him, then Bediako should probably just go back to the G-League. Three rebounds a night isn’t worth the risk of Alabama being blackballed from the NCAA Tournament.
Don’t think that’s going to happen?
Think the NCAA Tournament selection committee always operates on the up and up? Clearly you don’t remember Auburn’s path to the Final Four in 2019. Those Joeys at the NCAA are begging for any reason to sabotage the Tide’s at-large bid.
And you already know that Alabama’s getting sent to Portland, Ore., for the first two rounds. That’s a given.
Why did Bediako want to return to Alabama anyway? This whole grand plan to cheat a broken system isn’t exactly a great look.
“Just the relationship I had with Oats,” Bediako said. “When that opportunity came, it just felt it was right.”
Maybe get some defensive rebounds, Chuck. Does that feel right?
When Alabama big Aiden Sherrell picked up his third foul in the second half, I made the mistake of thinking that Bediako was going to check into the game and clean up the glass. Boy, oh, boy, am I a dolt. Bediako played heavy minutes in the second half, but Tennessee out-rebounded Alabama by 12.
“We didn’t do one thing different in terms of our scouting report,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said.
Sick burn, coach.
“Obviously not the outcome we were looking for,” Oats said.
It was so bad for Alabama that Oats wasn’t even the best Nate in the building. The problem for the Tide against Tennessee was that no one could guard 6-10 small forward Nate Ament. He was easily the best player on the court, and he might be developing into the top prospect out of the SEC. Ament went off for 29 points.
Why couldn’t Alabama buy that guy?
The NCAA doesn’t want Bediako playing for Alabama on account of him being a pro basketball player. It’s an understandable position. Most people around the country agree. Personally, I think Bediako should be allowed to play based on the fact that so many European pros are running around college gyms these days. There are no enforceable eligibility rules in college sports anymore, so Bediako goes to court on Tuesday (like, an actual court of law) to see if his emergency injunction against the NCAA is going to be extended.
But enough about Alabama’s fifth straight loss to Tennessee. While everyone was getting ready to watch Bediako’s return to Alabama, the big story on Saturday in the SEC suddenly became Auburn and its 76-67 victory at Florida.
It was the Tigers’ first win in Gainesville, Fla., since 1996. And Auburn didn’t even need the return of Mamadou N’diaye to get it done.
Bruce Pearl never won at Florida with Auburn. Son Steven, the Tigers’ first-year coach, is already outdoing his dad.
Steven now has three victories this season against national championship coaches. First it was Rick Pitino at St. John’s. Next came John Calipari at Arkansas. Now it’s Steven’s close friend, Florida coach Todd Golden.
Steven Pearl emphasized after the game that Auburn probably would have lost to Florida by 20 points if the two teams had played three weeks ago. Crazy concept, that one. The Tigers are improving, and they don’t even need G-League ringers.
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