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Alabama Basketball: Alabama Crimson Tide 2015-16 Season Preview

By Bryce Bennett

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Alabama Crimson Tide

2014-2015 Record: 19-15 (8-10, SEC)
Postseason: NIT – Second Round

The Avery Johnson-era begins in Tuscaloosa. Johnson comes from the NBA and TV analyst desk to take over a program that plateaued under former coach Anthony Grant.

The Crimson Tide never met expectations last season, suffered debilitating injuries and finished around the .500 mark. This season could offer more of the same due to the departures of 60% of Alabama’s 2014-15 scoring averages.

However, Crimson Tide fans should be excited about the hire, and Coach Johnson has already landed a “statement recruit” for the 2016 class. 

But this upcoming season may require some patience. Let’s check out some of the key returning players and non-conference match-ups for Alabama this season.

 Newcomers

G – Dazon Ingram
F – Brandon Austin
F – Donta’ Hill

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 17 at Dayton – The Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to face-off against Archie Miller’s squad in Dayton in this early season showdown. The Flyers will try to slow down the game, play tough defense and rebound. Indications have been out there that Avery Johnson will look to speed up Alabama’s style of play, so this should prove to be a good test of that approach and philosophy.

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A win for the Tide will raise a few eyebrows within the conference and make a statement that Johnson isn’t messing around.

Nov. 26-29 Advocare Invitational – After the matchup against Dayton comes an early-season tournament featuring a strong field in Orlando, FL.

The Advocare Invitational features a line-up of five 2014-15 NCAA Tournament teams (Wichita State, Iowa, Xavier, Dayton and Notre Dame).

Alabama will play Xavier first, who offers a style of play similar to Dayton and then could have a fun matchup against Wichita State awaiting next.

A 2-1 record in these games would be a fantastic indicator of progress for Alabama.

Dec. 21 vs Oregon (in Birmingham, AL) – Just before the start of SEC play comes a fun neutral-site game in Birmingham against Oregon. Expect a high-flying and high-scoring affair in Birmingham. Oregon coach Dana Altman has built a sleeper out west in Eugene as Oregon could be a trendy pick to challenge Arizona’s grip on the Pac-12. This one will be tough for the Crimson Tide. A strong pro-Tide influence in Birmingham will help Alabama’s cause, but expect them to be the underdog in this one.

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    • Key Players

    Retin Obasohan – The 6′ 1″ senior guard will be a key cog in the Alabama operation this season. Alabama’s leader in steals last year averaged over 12 points a game over the last 10 games. Obasohan will need these types of numbers all season and be the leader on defense for Avery Johnson’s demanding pressure defense. The projections look aligned that this could be a big year for Retin; injuries may be the only thing standing in his way.

    Shannon Hale – Hale’s season ended prematurely last season as Shannon broke his foot and was lost for the last six games of the season. Before that point, the then-sophomore forward put up a solid sophomore season of over eight points per game, six rebounds and was second on the team in steals. This is a big year for Hale. Foot injuries for big men are never a good thing. He needs to show complete healing from Jones fracture he suffered and grow as an upperclassman and leader for the new Tide.

    Season Outlook

    This season will probably look a lot like last season. That might not be comforting for Alabama Crimson Tide fans expecting improvement under Avery Johnson. However, the talent-level right now is just not there yet. What you will see from this team is hard aggressive play on both ends of the court, close games and an upset or two. Expect bigger things from the Crimson Tide the following season and on the recruiting trail.

    Next: Arkansas Razorbacks 2015-16 Season Preview

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