2018-19 SEC preview: Will Mississippi State or South Carolina prevail?
Alabama Crimson Tide
Last season: 20-14 (7-9, 8th)
Predicted finish this season: 11th
Key returners (last season’s stats)
G- Jordan Lewis, 5’7, JR- 9.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 33% 3pt, 33.2 MPG
G- Shaquera Wade, 6’0, SR- 6.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.4 SPG 38.8% FG, 23.5 MPG
Biggest losses (last season’s stats)
G- Hannah Cook, 6’0- 11.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 38.2% FG, 32% 3pt, 28.8 MPG (graduated)
F- Ashley Williams, 6’0- 11.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 49.1% FG, 27.4 MPG (graduated)
Newcomers
G- Hannah Barber, 5’6, (Homewood, AL), FR- Ranked #117 in 2018 class, #26 point guard
F- Allie Craig Cruce, 6’1, (Killen, AL), FR- Ranked #136 in 2018 class, #20 small forward
G- Megan Abrams, 5’9, (Lafayette, LA), FR- Ranked #184 in 2018 class, #43 point guard
G- De’Sha Benjamin, 6’0, (Augusta, GA), FR- Ranked #225 in 2018 class, #61 shooting guard
G- Taniyah Worth, 6’1, (Flowery Branch, GA), FR- Ranked #287 in 2018 class, #53 small forward
G- Grace Pelphrey, 6’1, (Tuscaloosa, AL), FR
G- Cierra Johnson, 5’10, (Shelton State CC/ Mobile, AL.), JR- Ranked #1 in 2018 JUCO class, JUCO Player of the Year, averaged `17.6 PPG, 5.9 APG, 5.7 RPG, 47.6% FG
Head Coach- Kristy Curry, 6th season
After dropping in conference wins from year one to year two of her reign in Tuscaloosa, Kristie Curry has increased her SEC win totals each season. A 7-9 mark last year put Alabama alone in 8th place, a good enough performance to earn themselves a bid to the WNIT where they made it to the quarterfinals before bowing out to eventual runner-up Virginia Tech. Curry is one of those coaches who has had more success than you might realize: she took Purdue to the national championship game in 2001, went 179-51 in seven seasons for the Boilermakers, missed the postseason just twice in seven seasons at Texas Tech, and has now taken her Alabama team to three straight WNITs. Now sure, the level of success (NCAA Finals to WNIT) isn’t on the same level, but Curry owns a career winning percentage of 63.3%. She lost two big pieces from last year’s squad so she has her work cut out for her, but there is a chance she and her team make this projection look far too low when it’s all said and done.
Key non-conference games
Nov. 13- at Utah
Nov. 27– v. Stetson
Dec. 2- Arizona State*
Dec.16- at Ohio State
Dec. 20- Virginia (Orlando, FL)
Dec. 21- Miami (FL) (Orlando, FL)
*Potential matchup in Arizona State Classic
Outlook
A season ago, Alabama was one of the middle-of-the-pack teams that beat almost everyone they should but didn’t beat teams they shouldn’t (with two exceptions). Of their seven SEC wins, five came against teams in the bottom half of the conference and the other two were against LSU who was bounced out of the first round of the NCAA tournament and a Tennessee team who left everyone scratching their heads for the second straight year. A look at their advanced stats shows why they finished where they did.
Their true shooting % (154th), effective field goal % (231st) and possessions per 40 minutes 172nd) all add up to show that if you aren’t scoring at a high percentage and aren’t getting a lot of shots, your results will be blah. They lost their two go-to scorers in Cook and Williams, but JUCO Player of the Year Cierra Johnson should be able to make up for the lost points. The newcomers are solid but I just don’t see how this team is much different from last year’s squad.
Best Case Scenario- Johnson stuffs the stat sheet just like at the JUCO level, while Jordan Lewis and Shaquera Wade lead this young team to a 7th place finish. Two wins in the SEC tournament guide the Tide to their first NCAA tournament since 1999.
Worst Case Scenario- Too many newcomers equal too many losses. Johnson struggles to adapt to SEC play, and Lewis and Wade don’t make the jump. Team fights to stay out of the seller and misses the postseason altogether.