To their credit, the basketball fans of the University of Alabama — an often-overlooked breed that survives on a thin diet of success and a great deal of glory-day reminiscing — has been loyal to this year’s Crimson Tide.
Stoically bearing disappointment and nurturing hope as the slow-working chemical reaction turns a group of talented individuals into a team, they turned out in sellout numbers again on Saturday. The marquee value of Oklahoma’s Trae Young might have helped the crowd number (15,383) but a great part of the pull was the continued desire to see this Alabama team become the finished product that sparked so many dreams in the offseason.
The team responded.
It wasn’t the first time — after all, this team has beaten league-leading Auburn, among others. There are more challenges ahead, starting with a visit from Missouri on Wednesday. But the 80-73 victory over Oklahoma in one of the nation’s marquee games might have been the closest glimpse yet of what Alabama can be with all its diverse elements working together.
Click HERE for the rest of the story on TideSports