TideSports.com - Up and coming: Christion Jones

This spring, Jones will compete among a group of receivers that includes Kenny Bell, Kevin Norwood and DeAndrew White as UA looks to replace its top two pass-catchers in the graduating Maze and Darius Hanks. A few others who have yet to play in a game for UA - youngsters Marvin Shinn and Danny Woodson Jr., along with junior college transfer Duron Carter - will also vie for a role. "Just coming in, the game is faster than it is in high school, but you just have to adjust on the fly and be quick on your feet," Jones said. "That's what my high school coach always taught me - always be able to learn."

Iron Bowl rivalry takes to the mat | The Crimson White

Fans like to brag about winning streaks in a rivalry series, and Tide gymnastics fans certainly have a lot to be proud of: 103 straight victories against Auburn. Patterson tries to downplay the streak, saying that the team should focus on what they have to do to win, rather than winning by itself. "You just can’t focus on keeping the streak alive, because if you do that, it won’t ever stay there," Patterson said. "You’ve got to focus on doing – each athlete, one through six, on each event – doing the best they can do, and seven, eight and nine pushing one through six." But it still adds pressure to the gymnasts, who want to be remembered for keeping the streak alive, rather than losing it. "I love the streak. You never want to be the class that loses the streak," Sledge said. "But we put that in the back of our minds, because if we do our job, everything will fall the way we want it. We just want to have a great week of practice and go compete against Auburn in their home."

Joe Paterno was a coach like we will never see again - College Football - Frank Deford - SI.com

But simply, for now: Joe Paterno, the coach -- which is what he still was (it's hard to recall this now) barely eleven weeks ago. Will, in fact, any college coach ever again possess the power he did over his university? Well, almost surely not. Paterno's long tenure at an insulated campus, combined with how venerable he became and how upright he was supposed to be in conducting his program, are circumstances unlikely to be duplicated. On the other hand, to suggest that someone like Nick Saban at Alabama or Urban Meyer, who just took over at Ohio State, do not possess authority far beyond their contractual niceties is naive. Big-time football coaches are the Cardinal Richelieu among state university royalty -- or the Rasputin if you are of a more cynical bent.

Alabama Basketball: Tide Hits Rock Bottom | isportsweb

To be honest, with as small as the crowd was at Colonial Life Arena, it’s hard to even justify calling it a road game. It certainly wasn’t a hostile environment. How can a team go from playing arguably their best game of the season on Saturday in a loss to Kentucky on the road, to completely playing flat and uninspired basketball just four days later? What happened to the team that opened the season 7-0 and won the Puerto Rico Tip-Off? Even with a lot of freshmen playing key minutes, it looked like the team had been playing together for years. Now, the chemistry appears to be gone, the offense can’t get on track, and even the defense is playing lackadaisical at times.

91 Athletes Preparing for the NFL Combine and Pro Days at Athletes' Performance | In the News | Blogs | Athletes' Performance

Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama, is one of four athletes from Alabama, the 2012 National Champions training for the NFL Draft at four Athletes’ Performance facilities in the Phoenix area. The others are Courtney Upshaw, Dont'a Hightower and DeQuan Menzie.

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On this very day 29 years ago, Paul W. Bryant passed away at the age of 69. It is with particular sadness we note this anniversary so soon after the death of Penn State’s own legendary head coach Joe Paterno. In the sphere of college football there have been but a handful of men who can boast accomplishments on par with these two and it’s doubtful any can surpass them.

Yesterday, Paterno’s funeral was held in State College and there will be a memorial service today on the Penn State campus. These events have already been compared to those that transpired in January 1982 to mark the passing of Bryant. That should be expected.

There are striking similarities between the two legendary coaches that exceeds the simple parallel of longevity. Bryant and Paterno’s histories are bound together by a multitude of fateful connections and epic football games. Commenting on the congruity has been a staple of sports columnists the past several days.

As Alabama’s head coach, Bryant faced Paterno on the opposite sideline five times – four times as Penn State’s head coach and once as a Nittany Lions assistant. All of the games proved to be memorable, several of them classics and at least two of significant historical significance.

Despite these connections and similarities, it is a great mistake to conflate the legacies of these two coaches. That’s an easy mistake to make due to the immense shadows they both cast over a sport that, in many significant ways, they defined for almost everyone else that followed them.

There may also be clues in the long difficult struggle to cope with the loss endured by Alabama a quarter century ago that can help Penn State navigate the painful journey ahead.

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See and hear Alabama coach Anthony Grant criticize his team after loss at South Carolina (video) | al.com

"We play an entitled brand of basketball, and it's very frustrating as a coach," he said at one point. "I have to self-evaluate what I'm doing as a coach when it consistently feels like winning is not the priority that it needs to be on our team," he added.

Men's Basketball Falls at South Carolina, 56-54 - rolltide.com

In a game that included 13 ties and 12 lead changes, the Gamecocks were able to grab their first SEC victory of the season despite shooting 5-of-31 from beyond the three-point arc and 32.4 percent from the field. "From my vantage point tonight - you had a team, in South Carolina, that played inspired basketball," UA head coach Anthony Grant said. "They played as a team. We didn't. It's been an issue for us and it continues to plague us."

TideSports.com - Tide drops fourth straight

On the bright side for the University of Alabama basketball team, JaMychal Green had a decent look at a 16-foot jumper to potentially tie the game against South Carolina. On the bad side? Pretty much everything else. The Crimson Tide dropped its fourth straight Southeastern Conference game Wednesday night, falling in the final seconds to last-place South Carolina, 56-54. The Gamecocks' game-winning basket came as point guard Bruce Ellington shot right down the lane for a layup with 1.3 seconds remaining.

Gamecocks Defeat Alabama For First SEC Win, 56-54 - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC

The South Carolina men's basketball team earned their first conference victory of the season over Alabama, 56-54, in SEC action on Wednesday night at Colonial Life Arena. The grinding game featured 13 ties and 11 lead changes. The final lead change occurred when Bruce Ellington broke a 54-54 tie on a driving layup with one second to go to give the Gamecocks the win. The Gamecocks (9-10, 1-4) were led by three players in double figures. Senior forward Malik Cooke netted 18 points and pulled in five rebounds. Sophomore guardBruce Ellington and sophomore forward Damontre Harrisboth added 12 points to the winning effort. Freshman forward Anthony Gill tied a season and career high with nine rebounds. Sophomore forward R.J. Slawson also grabbed nine boards.

Courtney Upshaw 2012 NFL Draft scouting report - Mocking The Draft

If there is an NFL team looking for the next LaMarr Woodley, they have it in Upshaw. For a 3-4 team, Upshaw could make an immediate impact on three downs. He's a powerful pass rusher who is hard to block for any period of time. As a senior, Upshaw had 18 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. He often came up big in Alabama's biggest games, eating defensive MVP honors in the national title game against LSU. A 4-3 team will probably look at Upshaw as an end, a position he's being used at during Senior Bowl practices. He may not have the mobility required in a 4-3 linebacker.

Patterson reflects on Bryant’s death | The Crimson White

Twenty-nine years ago, Patterson, then in her fourth year of coaching the Tide gymnastics team, was with her squad on their way to Happy Valley for a meet at Penn State. The team was driving from the Pittsburgh airport when she heard the news of Bryant’s death. It shocked Patterson, to say the least, and she didn’t know what to do. Bryant was an icon and had achieved a level of greatness nobody at Alabama had achieved before. He was also the one who hired Patterson just four years prior. "I just remember, I was in charge of these women. I’m 26, 27 years old and we were driving cars there and trying to figure out what to do," Patterson said. So Patterson called Alabama’s athletic offices. She asked them if she should take the team back to the airport to fly back home. How could her team compete in the midst of such tragedy? But the University told her to stay. "I was like, ‘What do you want me to do?’ and they said, ‘We want you to go to Penn State and we want you to go compete,’" Patterson said. "’That’s what coach Bryant would have wanted you to do.’"

56 Alabama Athletes Earn Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll, Including an SEC-Best 38 Football Players - rolltide.com

The University of Alabama placed 56 student-athletes on the 2011 Fall Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll, the second highest total in the conference, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive announced Wednesday. The Crimson Tide's total included a league-best 38 football players - eight more than the next closest school and included a dozen starters. Among those earning the academic accolade were Trent Richardson, Mark Barron, Barrett Jones, Marquis Maze, Jeremy Shelley, Brad Smelley and Jesse Williams.

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With one week left until National Signing Day, the 2012 Alabama recruiting class currently includes 27 commitments and at this point the class is nearly finished. However, there is at least one greyshirt candidate in the mix, two potential academic casualties, and some room available for backcounters to the 2011 class given the early enrollments of several players, and combined that gives the Tide a small amount of room to operate as the 2012 recruiting season enters its final week. Space is exceedingly limited at this point, of course, and admittedly it is guesswork to a degree, but realistically Alabama can probably add two or three more signees. Let's take a closer look at the remaining targets:

Justin Taylor, the tailback out of Atlanta who is recovering from a major knee injury, remains a soft commitment with a greyshirt offer. As was well publicized weeks ago, Taylor was upset when he received news of the greyshirt and made it publicly known that he was going to open his recruitment back up. One problem: Apparently no programs remotely comparable to Alabama has extended him an offer to enroll this August, and as of now his back-up options to 'Bama are seemingly offers to play at Purdue and Wake Forest. It's possible that the UA staff finds a way to bring Taylor in this summer, but doing so would all but certainly require several key, unanticipated misses on the recruiting trails, and accordingly that is not a likely scenario. Taylor remains miffed, but for the time being the odds look favorable that he sticks with his Alabama commitment, greyshirt and all.

Jameis Winston, the much ballyhooed Hueytown quarterback, continues to the center of a highly publicized recruiting battle. The longtime FSU commitment visited Tallahassee this past weekend and publicly re-affirmed his commitment, but he has taken other official visits, is having in-home visits with opposing coaches, will meet again with Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier before he signs, and, most importantly, has made it publicly known that he will not sign with anyone until after National Signing Day. No one seems to have any real idea of exactly where Winston is headed, whether it's Alabama or Florida State, but it certainly seems that he is a Seminole commitment in name only at this point. A potential MLB career only further complicates the issue. Your guess is as good as mine as to where Winston ends up, but in any event it's reasonable to expect that he fully basks in his moment in the sun before signing with anyone.

Eddie Goldman, the defensive tackle out of Washington D.C., was long considered to an Alabama v. Florida State battle with many thinking that he was a 'Bama lean. In recent days, however, there have been some rumblings that Alabama has backed off Goldman, and it's seemingly intensified recruitment of other defensive line prospects tends to lend support to that theory. Auburn has also emerged as a candidate in recent days, though his high school coach still maintains that 'Bama is a strong contender here. It wouldn't be a major shock if 'Bama landed the D.C. product, but for the time being FSU may be the smart money choice. Goldman will announce on National Signing Day.

Dalvin Tomlinson, the defensive tackle out of McDonough, Georgia, could be the favorite for the Tide to make an addition to the defensive line. This one is a three-team race between Alabama, Georgia, and Georgia Tech, and UGA remains a contender despite Tomlinson having not taken an official visit to Athens. If things aren't expected to work out with Goldman, Tomlinson -- who moonlights as a two-time and defending state champion wrestler -- is believed by many to hold a firm 'Bama offer and to be bound for Tuscaloosa, with many Georgia Tech followers believing the Yellow Jackets are more of a fall-back option. Tomlinson has strong academics to further boost his standing, specifically a 3.7 core GPA, and he will announce on National Signing Day.

Korren Kirven, the defensive end out of Virginia, is down to Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech with one week until Signing Day. He is recovering from a broken leg and will need to bulk up to play end in the 3-4 scheme, but Kirvin has been recruited by Alabama for some time now, though signing him could be somewhat tricky. He is taking another mid-week visit to Knoxville, this time with parents in tow, and he will take an official visit to home state Virginia Tech this weekend. Early playing time could be an issue here. Even so, Kirven also has another in-home visit scheduled with the 'Bama coaching staff, and had nothing but praise after leaving his official visit in Tuscaloosa this past weekend. This one could be the most true toss-up left on the board at this point. Kirven will announce on National Signing Day.

Casey Gladney, the wide receiver commitment out of South Carolina, was known to be a potential academic casualty when he committed several months ago, and unfortunately it seems that the improvement he has seen in his academic standing has not been enough to pass muster with the NCAA Clearinghouse. Consider this a big loss for 'Bama because Gladney is undeniably talented, but this one comes as no surprise, and with recent rule changes placing greater limits on the sizes of recruiting classes, 'Bama is unlikely to waste a spot on someone who will not qualify academically. In all likelihood Gladney will not sign a letter of intent with Alabama come National Signing Day and will most likely enroll in either a junior college or a prep school in the months ahead.

Brandon Hill, the massive offensive line commitment out of Tennessee, is another academically uncertain prospect, and as of several weeks ago it looked like he could end up at Ole Miss or Mississippi State. Roughly ten days ago, though, he re-affirmed his commitment to Alabama and stated he would not be taking any other official visits, which for now largely squelched such innuendo. For the time being it looks like Hill will stick with 'Bama, but it wouldn't be a major shock if in the final week he went the way of Gladney. Keep your eye on this one come Signing Day.

Kwon Alexander, the linebacker prospect out of Oxford, Alabama, is thought to hold a greyshirt offer from Alabama and appears to be heavily considering it. 'Bama was once considered the strong leader for Alexander, but due to his lack of size he was never as highly coveted by the UA coaching staff as he was by several self-proclaimed recruiting experts, and a major knee injury only further lowered his standing. Nevertheless, Alexander has some talent, is widely considered a hard worker and a good kid off the field, and the staff has seemingly tried to find a way to fit him in. Having said that, though, he also has offers from both LSU and Auburn -- both of which are thought to allow him to enroll this summer -- and he would likely be a better fit in their respective defensive schemes than in Nick Saban's 3-4 defense. In the final analysis this one is a very close call, but it's somewhat hard to bet against 'Bama here if the Tide can make room. Alexander will announce on National Signing Day.

Finally, some quick hitters to close: Arik Armstead has received some interest from the UA staff, but he's likely a major longshot candidate. Avery Young could be one to keep an eye on at offensive tackle if Hill fails to qualify. Georgia continues to go hard after Brandon Greene, but he claims he is still firmly committed to 'Bama. There were some message board rumors last weekend that Chris Casher wanted to commit to Alabama but was told there was no room; for the record, Casher has expressly denied such rumors and contends he remains fully committed to Florida State. Dorial Green-Beckham would be the ultimate get for the Tide, but while the star flanker lists Alabama as a favorite he is not expected to take an official visit to Tuscaloosa and will all but certainly sign closer to home. Channing Ward has been mentioned as a possibility at Jack, but given his family ties to Ole Miss don't look for him to renege on his commitment. Deion Belue was officially announced as one of the early enrollments last week, but only time will tell if he can actually pass through UA Admissions. Landon Collins continues to be recruited heavily by LSU and Les Miles, but for the time being there is nothing to suggest he has softened on his commitment to Alabama. Kyron Samuels, a center prospect out of Fairhope and nephew of former 'Bama Outland Trophy winner Chris Samuels, could be a potential greyshirt candidate.

The Crimson Tide basketball team will hit the road yet again tonight in an effort to halt a three-game losing skid in SEC play. The Tide will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. Tip off is set for 7:00 pm CST with the game set to be televised regionally on the SEC Network and streamed outside the region on ESPN3.

Alabama hasn't needed a win all season as badly as it needs this one. After losing to arguably the SEC's three top teams in consecutive games, the Tide now needs to reverse the halt and also take care of business against one of the SEC's weaker teams. As we explained earlier this week, Alabama remains in decent shape for a postseason bid to March Madness, but that position relies heavily on avoiding "bad losses", and losing to a sub-150 South Carolina team that is winless in league play would unfortunately qualify as such. Obviously, the game being on the road makes it far from a sure thing, but it's nevertheless one that Bama desperately needs for the reasons mentioned.

South Carolina began the year in a rough way, dropping two of their first three games to weak Elon and Tennessee State teams. They also went on to drop games to major-conference foes North Carolina, USC, Providence, and Ohio State, although they did get a road win over rival Clemson to go along a handful of wins over mid-major foes to finish 8-6 in non-conference play. Things haven't gone well in SEC play, as the 'Cocks are still winless after four games. Their first three, however, came against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Florida, three teams projected as top-5 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. They lost their most recent game on the road at Auburn.

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TideSports.com - Tide faces must-win game

"What about Alabama's SEC-leading 3-point defense?" Grant was asked by one reporter. "We've lost three games in a row," Grant said. "That's the only stat I care about." That sums up tonight's game succinctly. The Crimson Tide, one of the teams picked as an SEC contender in the preseason, is now 2-3 in the league with a three-game losing streak, having dropped games against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Those are three of the better teams in the SEC, and even though UA is now 13-6, its RPI - currently at No. 24 nationally - has suffered no great harm. But the schedule gets less rigorous now. The Crimson Tide needs to start winning again, particularly against teams like South Carolina. The Gamecocks are 8-10, 0-4 in the SEC and are currently No. 194 in the RPI, so a loss to them would be a vicious blow to UA's NCAA hopes, even with the game being played in Columbia, S.C.

Are Gamecocks the prescription for shooting slump by Tide's Tony Mitchell? | al.com

Grant was asked if shooters are born or made. "Basketball's a game of repetition," he said. "Anything you do that requires repetition, you can get better at." How much of shooting is mental? Is it important for a player to sink one of his first shots to boost confidence? "Well, I was never considered a shooter," Grant said with a grin. "You'll probably have to ask a shooter." Freshman guard Trevor Lacey can identify with what Mitchell is going through. "Slumps just happen," Lacey said. "It could be something we don't know about."

Gamecocks play host to Crimson Tide | The Greenville News

When South Carolina takes the floor at the Colonial Life Arena Wednesday night against Alabama, it does so as the only Southeastern Conference team without a league win. Gamecocks coach Darrin Horn says his team remains confident, but it will have to make sure to clean up a deficiency that surfaced Saturday at Auburn: USC had 23 turnovers. "We had a stretch the other day where they made their run and it was in large part due to turnovers on our part," Horn said. "(We’d have) a great defensive possession, get a rebound, get a ball knocked away from you – little things you can’t let happen. "When those things start to happen, then I think confidence obviously becomes an issue.

Alabama’s Upshaw making transition to defensive end at Senior Bowl, leads Tide contingent - The Washington Post

Upshaw is working at defensive end after playing a hybrid linebacker/end role in the Tide’s 3-4 defense. He already has an impressive resume: Butkus and Lombardi Award semifinalist, defensive MVP of the national championship game against LSU, second-team AP All-American. He has been in demand in Mobile. Officials from several teams stopped to chat after Monday’s opening practice, then a security guard dropped by summoning him to visit with Saban. Upshaw said moving up to the line is an easy transition since he spent plenty of time there at Alabama. He said he still wants to prove that he can do more than just use his power and explosiveness to try to plow through opposing offensive linemen with the bull rush.

TideSports.com - Senior Bowl notes: Samuels returning

Former UA cornerback DeQuan Menzie said he has been pleased overall with his performance after two days of practice working against the South receivers. Among them has been former Florida running back Chris Rainey, who has been asked to practice at wide receiver. "It's been a great experience coming down here with all these players, especially after playing against some of them," said Menzie. "It's crazy here." Menzie also revealed he has marriage plans.

TideSports.com - Up and coming: Bradley Sylve

"He called me and asked if I wanted to play (defense)," Sylve recalled. "I was like, 'I don't know, Coach, I'm feeling this wide receiver position.' Then he said, 'I really need you to come on this other side,' and I said, 'I'll go ahead and do this for you' - even though that's what I wanted to do anyway. "He said it was up to me whether I wanted to play DB or not, so I told him that's what I felt comfortable at and that's where I wanted to play. So I moved over, and that's where I'm at now." At cornerback going into 2012, Alabama will be replacing Dre Kirkpatrick, who opted out of his senior season to make himself eligible for the National Football League draft, and both DeQuan Menzie and Phelon Jones, who just completed their senior seasons. The early returns on Sylve's chances to work into the playing rotation are positive. "Bradley did a great job transitioning over," UA defensive coordinator Kirby Smart said before the BCS game. "He didn't go to camp with us. He was a wideout, and now he's becoming a good corner for us, taking a lot of reps.

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