Alabama Slays Michigan

Alabama 68, #15 Michigan 66
The Tide did a great job of fighting in this game, coming back from a double digit first half deficit to grab the lead late, and then holding off a late Michigan rally. I assumed that even with their new young coach, Anthony Grant, they'd be a year or two away from making the NCAA Tournament, but he's accelerated the development of the guys he inherited. I was particularly impressed with JaMychal Green, who seems to be emerging as the leader of the team. He led the team with 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting, and also had four blocks, none more important than a block of a Darius Morris layup as time expired. Green hadn't showed this type of explosiveness and leadership this season, but if he can continue this play then you have to consider the Tide a legitimate bubble team. Michigan, meanwhile, needs to go back to the drawing board, because they have shown this past week that they struggle down the stretch of games if you can take the ball out of the hands of Manny Harris. I do still think that they're a Top 25 team and that they shouldn't panic, but if they don't take care of business next week against Boston College then that might be a sign of real problems with this team.

Iona 63, Creighton 55
Iona had been scratching the surface of a big win throughout the Old Spice Classic, losing in the final moments to Florida State, then losing in overtime against Baylor, before finally taking out Creighton here. I continue to really like Alejo Rodriguez, and was particularly impressed with a play that he made late in the game when he stole a pass and dribbled down the length of the floor for a dunk. Schools like Iona don't usually get 6'8", 235 pound athletes who can make plays like that. All in all, Iona is a young team that is probably a year or two away from being a potential bubble team, but the way they've fought against elite teams this week proves that they'll be tough competition for anybody in the MAAC. Considering how underwhelming Siena has been so far this season, it's not totally out of the question for Iona to make a run at the MAAC title. As for Creighton, this tournament has exposed their team. If they can make the necessary fixes then they can still contend for a Missouri Valley title, but they've got a long way to go to get back into the bubble discussion. P'Allen Stinnett has been particularly disappointing this year, and will have to improve his play (only 2 points in 18 minutes here). The Blue Jays were counting on a quality win at this tournament to have a scalp for the resume. They don't have much left on their out-of-conference schedule.

Nebraska 51, USC 48
This was a pretty ugly game between two fairly mediocre teams. It was also an interesting contrast of styles, with USC blowing Nebraska off the boards, but then being utterly incapable of taking care of the ball on offense. For Nebraska, this is their best win of the season, and they get their next shot at a quality win when they head to Creighton in about a week. They also play Oregon State and Tulsa before Big 12 play begins. It's not out of the question for Nebraska to make a run toward the middle of the Big 12. As for USC, they actually have been a better team this year than I thought they would. I thought that the Kevin O'Neill hire was a good one under the circumstances, and he appears to have done a pretty good job salvaging what little talent there was to be had at USC. Of course, they're still not a particularly good team, and with a 2-2 record heading into road games at Texas and Georgia Tech, and with Tennessee ahead, as well as possibly one or two quality teams at the Diamond Head Classic, there's a pretty good chance that they'll be below .500 when Pac-10 play begins. But if Kevin O'Neill can get this team to close to .500 for the season, including Pac-10 play, then that has to be considered a success. They never had any realistic chances of being a bubble team this season anyway.