COLUMN: Tide answers critics, naysayers with trip to Final Four

Guard Mark Sears led Alabama to its first-ever regional title last weekend in Los Angeles. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide attempts to win its first Final Four contest against UConn in Phoenix. (Courtesy Unv. Alabama Media Relations)

By GRAHAM DUNN

Allow me to introduce you to a few fellows (and a lady).

It’s doubtful you know these people but I feel the need to put their names out there.

Consider them cynics, naysayers, or even better, imbecilic.

One more - indolent, as in lazy, inert, apathetic.

Dare I call them bias but there is little proof of that.

And no, I didn’t recently swallow a dictionary or a thesaurus, but it’s really difficult to find the perfect word for a group of nine media members who at regular season’s end, found it unnecessary to include the University of Alabama men’s basketball team in their final vote for the Associated Press.

According to CollegePollTracker, com, they are (with their media affiliation)… Dylan Sinn (Ft. Wayne, Ind.Journal Gazette); Chris Murray (Nevada Sports Net, Reno); Dave Borges (New Haven (NH) Register); Mark Berman (Roanoke (Va.) Times); Scott Richey (News-Gazette, Champaign, IL); Dave Preston (WTOP Radio, Washington, D.C.); Breanna Greene (KOIA, Portland, OR); Andrew Quinn (KREM TV, Spokane WA); Luca Evans (O.C. Register, Irvine, CA)

It doesn’t really matter now and the expression that hindsight is 20-20 fits perfectly for this thought.

With the West Region title and a trip to the Final Four in the bank, Bama has proven to be much better than prognosticators’ foretelling, no matter what anyone was thinking prior to the Dance beginning.

So, why does it matter how media members voted in the final AP poll, which had Bama 21st overall?

Is it petty to consider that a few of the 61 voters had little or no respect for the Tide, even though the NCAA committee thought enough of their resume to include them as one of the top 16 teams in the field? Maybe.

The facts give credence to the the idea that maybe Alabama wasn’t in such great shape prior to the NCAA tournament having lost four of its last six games with the two wins coming against conference bottom feeders.

But it should be noted that a few other teams limped into the tourney either on a losing streak or needing a boost to become motivated to make a splash. Wisconsin, South Carolina and Kansas all come to mind.

Yet, there seemed to be a sense of disrespect for the Tide, which had battled all season for the SEC title only to let it slip away in the final few games.

Doubt lingered when the NCAA tournament opened two weeks ago. Despite owning the fourth seed, it was chic to put Bama in the “early exit” category.

The AP poll means very little, if anything at all (the NCAA Selection Committee does not use it for any of the formulas to select at-large teams). But the actions of a few may have been a sign of what others are thinking.

The rally cry of “Bama is a football school” rang true even during pregame press conferences when Nate Oats was asked if he felt pressure playing second fiddle to the almighty football team.

He handled it the same way he has since he arrived five years ago, calling Alabama a “championship school.” He embraced the idea and told tales of following Nick Saban around campus like a puppy, soaking in everything he could to help his cause to make the Tide better.

Apparently, it worked.

Still, the expectation for this weekend is a double-digit win for UConn in Saturday’s matchup. Given the Huskies’ performance thus far, that’s a no brainer.

But Alabama has proven a few times that it can compete with anyone on any stage. Oats is the catalyst. He should now be considered one of the best coaches in the country, particularly in close games where it seems as though the Tide shines the greatest.

In games decided by less than 10 points, Alabama has won all but two contests, dating back to the start of conference play. The record is 9-2 including the last two wins in the NCAA Tourney. Both of the losses came back-to-back against Tennessee and Florida in early March. Both were without sharpshooter Latrell Wrightsell, Jr., who is expected to return for Saturday’s game.

Win or lose Saturday, one certainty exist - Alabama basketball is back to being a national contender and should be among the discussion for SEC titles for years to come.

Maybe that will change their reputation among AP voters.

But don’t count on it.