SEC Basketball Final Grades for 2014-15 season

Alabama Crimson Tide: D

Under former head coach Anthony Grant, Alabama had the second best defense in the SEC, holding opponents to 64.1 points per game. Playing a mixture of man-to-man and zone defense frustrated the Crimson Tide’s opponents, but their offense wasn’t able to keep up with the intensity the defense displayed, thanks in part to injuries.

On Jan. 27 Alabama’s second leading scorer Ricky Tarrant, who averaged 13.1 points per game, suffered a ruptured plantar fascia. He would miss eight straight games and his team would muster a 4-4 record during his absence.

Then Tarrant suffered another injury, this time to his left knee on Feb. 26 that would sideline him for the remainder of the season. Tarrant only played in 19 games. Levi Randolph was the only positive and full strength player for the Crimson Tide, averaging a team-high 15.4 points per game. Rodney Cooper, who averaged 11.1 points per contest, was also a positive, for Alabama, but caught the injury bug late in the regular season, but managed to play 33 out of the team’s 34 games. Outside of Cooper and Tarrant, Shannon Hale, Michael Kessens, and Jimmie Taylor also suffered minor injuries that kept them from playing a full season.

All of those unfortunate injuries led to the Crimson Tide finishing the regular 19-15 overall, including an 8-10 record in the SEC. Alabama failed to make the NCAA Tournament and had to settle for the NIT, which was a blurred memory, falling to Miami 73-66 in the second round.

The Crimson Tide couldn’t get any higher than a D, because of the injuries suffered throughout the season. If Alabama was at full strength, there could have possibly been a different outcome for the 2014-15 season, which also could have kept coach Grant in the coaching seat for another season.

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