Alabama Basketball: Trend or Blip on the Map?

Yes, it's Iron Bowl week here in Tuscaloosa, but take notice; Alabama basketball is getting things started off on a good note. Head coach Anthony Grant's squad looks like a legitimate team in the SEC so far, but are they for real, or is it just a flash in the pan?

We all know the story last season: just 13 wins and not a single one away from Coleman Coliseum. A tough year for any basketball program's standards. However, this year's team seems to have a much different identity than last year's. In fact, it looks eerily similar to some of Coach Grant's teams from his days at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Grant had a couple future NBA players on his three teams at VCU: Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders. Maynor was an average sized guard at 6'2", but a scrappy defender and, moreover, a threat to score the basketball from anywhere on the court. Those teams were good enough on the offensive end, but were always one of the most active defensive units in the country. In Grant's three years there, the Rams never allowed more than 66 points per game in a season.

Here in Tuscaloosa, his style has been consistent, but this year's team looks an awful lot like the 2008-2009 VCU Rams, Coach Grant's final team in Richmond, Virginia. Maynor was the Rams senior leader. VCU's scoring often ran through his hands, and not enough can be said about his leadership on the court. 6'4" Alabama guard Levi Randolph is the Tide's on court leader, and has developed quite the offensive arsenal himself, scoring 18.8 points per game thus far in the season, and snagging seven rebounds per game to boot. His motor doesn't stop, so don't expect his production to slide come SEC play.

Neither the 2008-2009 VCU Rams nor this year's Tide have a lot of size, with only one player on each roster at 6'10", but the athleticism of the perimeter players is how they both win games. The Rams forced 12.76 turnovers/game that season, and Alabama has forced 15 per game this season. Offensive output will fluctuate (that's basketball), but defensive intensity is the foundation of any Anthony Grant coached team.

The tallest players on these two teams are just 6'10", being Larry Sanders for VCU and Jimmie Taylor for the Crimson Tide. Sanders is an integral piece for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA now, and while Bama center Jimmie Taylor may not be drafted after his days at The Capstone, his size and length is enough to protect the rim and keep shots outside the paint. Any time a team can decrease the opposition's odds of making shots is a good thing.

On the opposite side, however, the competition level hasn't been good yet, let alone elite, and perhaps the lack of size will be detrimental against big teams such as Kentucky and Florida, but sheer athleticism can keep any team in any game. Pair that with young talented players such as Rodney Cooper, Justin Coleman, and Shannon Hale, and you've got yourself a good basketball team.

Should Coach Grant and the Tide pull off a couple upsets in non-conference play and handle business in the SEC, we could be talking about a possible 7-9 seed come NCAA tourney time, ranked slightly higher than the #11 seeded VCU Rams in 2009.

The Tide fell to the #13 Iowa State Cyclones last night, 84-74, but the final score isn't a true indicator of the level of play from the Crimson Tide. There were plenty of ties and lead changes throughout, but desperation time for Alabama allowed the Cyclones to pull away at the end. Even so, Tide senior Rodney Cooper showed off his range and proved he has the offensive firepower to help Alabama consistently score in the low to mid 70s each game.

Alabama will take on the Sun Devils of Arizona State tonight at 6:00 PM CST in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic.