South Carolina 56 - Alabama 54 | Morning Roundup

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.

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. Overall, South Carolina led the way with 66 honorees followed by Alabama and then Georgia with 51.

Trent Richardson lands with CAA | ProFootballTalk

CAA beefed up its agent stable last year with the addition of Jimmy Sexton. They’re now beefing up their portfolio of clients with Alabama running back Trent Richardson. Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal reports that Richardson has signed with Sexton and Ben Dogra of CAA.

Agent selection a mixed bag for former Alabama stars Trent Richardson and Courtney Upshaw | al.com

"Man, people say recruiting is hard," Richardson said last week. "Choosing a college is hard to go through. But this right here is probably the hardest thing ever because everybody tells you what you want to hear. It ain't nothing but deja vu, for real."

Alabama's embarrassing lawsuit against artist Daniel Moore continues | al.com

Alabama's PR nightmare continues while fighting art as free speech and a popular artist whose paintings since 1979 helped shape the Crimson Tide's storied history. Even Alabama President Robert Witt acknowledged in his 2008 deposition that university supporters he heard from "predominantly" opposed the lawsuit. Instead, Alabama used deep pockets to try to bleed Moore, who said his defense has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. He's not exactly broke. For instance, five paintings from Alabama's 2009 championship yielded more than $1 million in gross sales before employee and overhead costs, Moore said. Alabama's legal expenses have cost approximately $1.4 million, with funding coming from revenue from the self-sustaining athletics department, university spokeswoman Deborah Lane said.

You Just Signed A Blue-Chip Running Back! Now What? - SBNation.com

In the NFL, people are slowly coming to understand that the running back position is one of almost mix-and-match capability. The great ones don't necessarily stay great very long, and the replacement-level options are seemingly limitless. That doesn't stop teams from freaking out and overpaying for backs sometimes, but the conventional wisdom has certainly shifted a bit toward rusher parity at this point. To an extent, at least, the same holds true for running backs at the college level. While 2011 was a banner year for freshman receivers, the most highly-ranked running back signees did not exactly achieve at an amazing level.

NCF - Alabama-bound safety Landon Collins picked Tuscaloosa over LSU to his mother's dismay - ESPN The Magazine - ESPN

FOUR DAYS AFTER the biggest moment of his life, Collins pulls up to his mother's driveway and gets out of the Cherokee. He and Justin have agreed to pose for photos for this magazine, and she's standing outside waiting for him. Collins appears at ease. That is, in hindsight, one of two remarkable things about this visit: He has moved past the episode that made him famous. They exchange hellos, and Collins lets her fuss over him and joke with him; she's clearly trying to apologize in her own way. Justin brings up when her son got some muck on his face recently. "Landon won't even let me wipe his face," she says. "I can't be Mama to him." "I'm old," Landon says. "You're still my baby," Justin says. "Always." "That's it," Landon says, smiling. "Mom issues." The photographer makes Collins hug his mother, and there it is, the second remarkable thing about this day: Justin has chosen to wear purple pants and a gold T-shirt. LSU colors. She explains that they're the colors of Gerald's school too, which is true. But alongside Landon's Alabama hat, Alabama sweatshirt and Alabama necklace, it's true in a willfully provocative, mom's-not-letting-this-go kind of way. Yes, she has her reasons for doing what she did. But she doesn't need to explain anymore. The poses tell you everything you need to know: A mother in purple and gold, hanging on; her child, in full Alabama gear, breaking free of her grip, smiling as he goes.

Nick Saban and the Alabama Juggernaut Lifts All Boats - Bama Hammer - An Alabama Crimson Tide Fan Site

Saban’s treachery was – as always in the Atlanta media – contrasted with the virtue of Georgia coach Mark Richt, whose official title seems to be "Good Christian Man." I have no idea the condition of Richt’s soul, any more than the Georgia fanbase knows Saban’s ultimate destination. But I do know this: if Richt had quit coaching to become a missionary the day Saban was hired nearly six years ago, he’d have the same number of SEC and BCS titles he does now.

BBVA Compass marks Crimson Tide triumph with check card | al.com

Birmingham-based BBVA Compass said today it is making available a check card with the familiar Crimson Tide football helmet emblazoned with the number 14, signifying the number of national championships claimed by the team. "As an Alabama headquartered financial institution, we have a great deal of pride in the Crimson Tide," Jon Mulkin, consumer segment director for BBVA Compass, said in a statement.