Mark Gottfried is adding some punch to the 2007-08 basketball schedule. Though it hasn't officially been released yet, bits and pieces have been leaking out over the last few months.
A game against Georgetown in Birmingham has been officially announced as part of a Big East/SEC challenge that will begin this year. Clemson will visit Tuscaloosa this year and Alabama will face Texas A&M on the road. Other out of conference teams mentioned in a recent Birmingham News article included Southern Miss, George Washington and Belmont. The Crimson Tide will also travel to a Las Vegas based tournament featuring Iowa State and Purdue.
Gottfried said the Alabama schedule is almost complete but that he's working on one more headline grabbing opponent.
We've had solid out of conference opponents in the past few seasons in basketball including Notre Dame, NC State, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, etc. Too bad the football program hasn't gotten the memo that this type of schedule is what the fans want to see.