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CECIL HURT
BOXING | WBC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Tide no match for No. 1 ’Cats
Recent Tide loss part of a long pattern
By Cecil Hurt Sports Editor
The Alabama men’s basketball team had a brief moment on Saturday — a steal and layup by Levi Randolph, a lead that lasted for a few seconds, a roaring sellout crowd — and then faced reality. Wave after wave of reality. The No. 1-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, using superior size, skill and execution, smothered Alabama for the rest of the fi rst half and cruised to a 70-48 victory at Coleman Coliseum. Any of several statistics would reflect Kentucky’s dominance, but consider this one. The Wildcats won by the largest margin of any visiting team in Tuscaloosa in more than seven years without a single UK starter scoring in double figures, although three reserves did. “Give Kentucky credit,” Alabama head coach Anthony Grant said. “They are obviously the No. 1 team in the country for a reason. It’s difficult to fi nd good shots against them. I thought that was the difference in the game, in the fi rst half. They’ve got a platoon of bigs they can throw at you.” With the score tied 4-4 after two minutes, UK went on an 8-0 run and Alabama never really got back into SEE NO M ATCH | 3C
I
f you take Saturday’s AlabamaKentucky basketball outcome as a referendum, it might be wise to consider a couple of things. First, this Wildcat team is outstanding, maybe historically good, capable of fi nishing an amazing 40-0 season. Yes, they have had a couple of close shaves in SEC play, overtime wins against Ole Miss and Texas A&M in which they were hampered by their own motivation level as much as anything else. But when the Wildcats are sharp, there is not a great deal the opponent can do. Look at it this way: Bill Self, Roy Williams and R ick Pitino are Hall of Fame coaches with very good players and not one of them came close against Kentucky this season. So to single out Anthony Grant and his Alabama team for taking a drubbing is to ignore that they’ve had, and will continue to have, some pretty good company on that account. That doesn’t mean you can’t be critical. Could Alabama have employed different strategies, or played with more efficiency and energy? Probably so. That is usually the case in college basketball. Would it have altered the outcome on Saturday? Probably not. Taken as a singularity, the result wasn’t unexpected. But it’s part of such a long pattern — 20 straight losses to ranked teams stretching back to a 2011 win over Kentucky that seems like it was decades ago. For the most part, Alabama fans have stuck with the team, too. For all the stories about dwindling attendance and disgruntlement, for all the jokes about football-only supporters and the glaring presence of Kentucky fans in prime seats at Coleman Coliseum, there really is a loyal core of Alabama fans who keep giving this team a chance to do something special. They were optimistic on Saturday, although Kentucky quickly dunked that hope away. Those fans have recognized improvements and taken such consolation as there is in wins like Arizona State and UCLA, Texas A&M and Tennessee. They don’t fall into the lazy criticism about how Alabama is “terrible” or “the worst team in the SEC,” which is not the case. But the SEC is waiting for a team or two to step up and join Kentucky and Arkansas as NCAA contenders and not simply go through an 18-game league schedule of NIT play-in games. This time last week, a lot of national observers, were giving Alabama a look. This week, they’ll probably shrug and move on. Grant, unflappable as always in his postgame comments, said the loss to Kentucky would not cause panic. “We’ve got a program we believe in and we’ll prepare for our next game,” he said. That “next game” is at Arkansas, which will be a 21st chance to knock off a ranked team. Despite the slim chances of winning in Fayetteville, some fans will keep believing. That’s what loyalists do. And they do get a predictable return on investment: solid effort and a disciplined program off the court. But there never seems to be a pleasant surprise. It’s like 20 straight Christmases as a kid where you get crew socks and a pack of T-shirts. There’s never that moment where you unwrap the package and get the keys to a sports car or an Xbox or something. Never. Just crew socks and T-shirts. Every time. Some people can live with that. But it’s a rare person who can live with that forever.
Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil@ tidesports.com or 205-722-0225.
KENTUCKY 70, ALABAMA 48
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tuscaloosa’s Deontay Wilder celebrates after defeating Bermane Stiverne in their WBC heavyweight title boxing bout Saturday in Las Vegas. Wilder went 12 rounds with Stiverne and won by unanimous decision.
NO DOUBT Tuscaloosa’s Wilder goes the distance; wins title by unanimous decision
COMING MONDAY Chapter 9 | Resurgence
50 seconds and change
By D.C. Reeves Sports Writer
LAS VEGAS | The champ now resides in Tuscaloosa. Deontay Wilder, a 29 -year-old Tuscaloosa native, won the World Boxing Council world heavyweight championship with a dominating performance, beating Bermane Stiverne by unanimous decision at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night. Concerns about Wilder’s ability to go deep in a fi ght, his chin and his quality of prior opponents on the way to an undefeated record followed him into the ring. Wilder (33-0, 32 knockouts) doled out answers in spades against the more experienced Stiverne, Wilder’s toughest test to date. “I think I answered a lot of questions tonight,” Wilder said as the green WBC belt was wrapped across his chest. “I already knew we could go 12 rounds, I knew we could take a punch.” When the fight ended, Wilder turned toward the media. “Who can’t box?” he yelled. Wilder dictated the action from the outset in front of a packed house of 8,453, utilizing his jab that continuously split Stiverne’s hands. Wilder threw 621 punches to Stiverne’s 327. Wilder connected on 227 to Stiverne’s 110. “I’m not going to say he’s not a good fighter,” Stiverne said. “I congratulate him.” With the win, Wilder is expected to give the heavyweight division a much-needed injection of excitement in America. Before Saturday, the last 13 times an Americanborn heavyweight fought for a world title, he left the ring unsuccessful. Wilder is the fi rst American-born heavyweight champion since Shannon Briggs won the World Boxing Organization ( WBO)
STAFF PHOTO | ERIN NELSON
Alabama guard Riley Norris (1) and forward Shannon Hale, right, block a shot by Kentucky forward Trey Lyles during the second half of Saturday’s game at Coleman Coliseum.
Crimson Chapters is an oral history of the University of Alabama’s football season, as told by the people who lived it THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deontay Wilder, right, throws a punch against Bermane Stiverne during their WBC heavyweight championship boxing match.
crown in 2006. He held the title for seven months. Chants of “USA, USA” rained down throughout from the pro-Wilder crowd during the fight. Even the purse reinforced Wilder’s marketability. He earned a $1 million purse while Stiverne, the defending champion, took home $910,000, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. With the WBC belt in hand, Wilder shares the division’s spotlight with W ladimir Klitschko, the owner of the sport’s three other major alphabet titles ( WBA, IBF, WBO). On this night, he shared center stage with no one. It was the night Tuscaloosa’s champ became the world’s champ. “I’m excited to bring this belt back to America officially,” Wilder said. “I told my daughter when she was 1 year old that I would be world champion and I’m bringing it home to Tuscaloosa.” Reach D.C. Reeves 205 -722- 0196 or dc.reeves@tuscaloosanews.com.
By Aaron Suttles Sports Writer
The University of Alabama entered its Nov. 8 date with LSU fresh off a bye week and prepared to enter the gauntlet that was the final third of its regular-season schedule, which included three key SEC West showdowns. First up was LSU in Tiger Stadium. Things looked dire when Alabama fumbled inside its own 10-yard line with 1:13 remaining in the game. Instead of allowing a touchdown, the UA defense held LSU to a fi eld goal. For a video look T.J. Yeldon, back at junior running back: the stretch My teammates picked me up a lot. I run of didn’t expect to fumble the ball, but it Alabama’s happened. I just had to move on from 2014 that. football season, go Brian Vogler, to www. senior tight end: tuscalooA lot of us thought just for a second sanews. there right when we fumbled the ball com or that it might be over. www. tidesports. Jalston Fowler, com senior fullback: At the moment that T.J. fumbled I was like, “Oh man.” SEE 50 SECONDS | 4C