I've studied the stats and bios of all the Crimson Tide players, and they are loaded with talent. Bama is 9-0 but has played only one strong opponent, Clemson, at home. Clemson is 5-2 but has lost big (by 33 points) twice. They were crushed on their home court by South Carolina and blown out by Alabama on the road.
It's hard for me to predict the outcome of Thursday's game between this powerful SEC opponent and Cal (7-1) in Berkeley. The Bears have played four NCAA tournament teams and has prevailed three times. Cal played their best game in a 21-point victory at Gonzaga. The other three matchups were competitive games in wins over Auburn and Arizona and a defeat at the hands of undefeated Michigan State (8-0). In their last four games, the Bears have had major difficulties handling the ball. They've turned the ball over more than 20 times in each game. Bama has also turned over their opponents by 20x per contest. I hope that they are not a faster team like Auburn was. The Tigers forced 29 TOs against the Bears.
2024-25 Women's Basketball Stats - Alabama Athletics
Both teams have comparable stats so the turnover issue probably will decide the game. Hopefully, Charmin Smith has worked on this problem non-stop over the seven days off. I'm predicting Cal to pull an upset on Thursday night, 70-67.
The Crimson Tide plays a regular rotation of six players between 21.3 and 28.7 minutes per game. They also have substituted four others into their one-sided victories between 9.1-13.9 mpg. Alabama has had four double-digit scorers in virtually every game. Out of these ten, six are grad transfers and four are recruits.
The two stars are fifth year players, 6-0 SG Sarah Barker & 6-0 wing Aaliyah Nye. Barker is perhaps their best all-around performer. She earned 1st team all-Big Ten honors last season. This year she leads her team in scoring (16.6 ppg) & steals (23). Sarah is second in rebounding (7.0 /g) & assists. The wing Nye set the Alabama record for three pointers last season w/ 108! She consistently has shot greater than 40% on her treys and averages 14.4 ppg in 2024-25. She earned 2nd team all-conference last season. Aaliyah has averaged 3.5 treys per game so far through nine games.
Their primary ball-handler is a grad transfer from Arkansas Pine Bluff, 6-2 Zaay Green, who also contributes 14.4 ppg. She has been the most accurate shooter, making 58.2% of her field goal attempts. She is averaging just short of 5 assists and a bit over 2 TOs per ball game. Their fourth double-digit offensive threat is their center, 6-4 soph Essence Cody, who averages 11.2 points and 7.3 boards per outing. She also leads the team in blocked shots with 18. Their fifth starter is 5-11 junior, Karly Weathers, former Miss Tennessee basketball.
She is second in steals, second in three-point baskets, third in assists and fourth in rebounds on the team.
2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster - Alabama Athletics
The University of Alabama has slightly superior stats compared to Cal but I believe that can be explained by the strength of schedule of the respective teams. Bottom line will be how these two good teams perform on Thursday night. Bama has created 20.4 turnovers (which includes 12 steals) on average this season. The Bears will need to clean-up their act to prevail over the Crimson Tide. GO BEARS!
It's hard for me to predict the outcome of Thursday's game between this powerful SEC opponent and Cal (7-1) in Berkeley. The Bears have played four NCAA tournament teams and has prevailed three times. Cal played their best game in a 21-point victory at Gonzaga. The other three matchups were competitive games in wins over Auburn and Arizona and a defeat at the hands of undefeated Michigan State (8-0). In their last four games, the Bears have had major difficulties handling the ball. They've turned the ball over more than 20 times in each game. Bama has also turned over their opponents by 20x per contest. I hope that they are not a faster team like Auburn was. The Tigers forced 29 TOs against the Bears.
2024-25 Women's Basketball Stats - Alabama Athletics
Both teams have comparable stats so the turnover issue probably will decide the game. Hopefully, Charmin Smith has worked on this problem non-stop over the seven days off. I'm predicting Cal to pull an upset on Thursday night, 70-67.
The Crimson Tide plays a regular rotation of six players between 21.3 and 28.7 minutes per game. They also have substituted four others into their one-sided victories between 9.1-13.9 mpg. Alabama has had four double-digit scorers in virtually every game. Out of these ten, six are grad transfers and four are recruits.
The two stars are fifth year players, 6-0 SG Sarah Barker & 6-0 wing Aaliyah Nye. Barker is perhaps their best all-around performer. She earned 1st team all-Big Ten honors last season. This year she leads her team in scoring (16.6 ppg) & steals (23). Sarah is second in rebounding (7.0 /g) & assists. The wing Nye set the Alabama record for three pointers last season w/ 108! She consistently has shot greater than 40% on her treys and averages 14.4 ppg in 2024-25. She earned 2nd team all-conference last season. Aaliyah has averaged 3.5 treys per game so far through nine games.
Their primary ball-handler is a grad transfer from Arkansas Pine Bluff, 6-2 Zaay Green, who also contributes 14.4 ppg. She has been the most accurate shooter, making 58.2% of her field goal attempts. She is averaging just short of 5 assists and a bit over 2 TOs per ball game. Their fourth double-digit offensive threat is their center, 6-4 soph Essence Cody, who averages 11.2 points and 7.3 boards per outing. She also leads the team in blocked shots with 18. Their fifth starter is 5-11 junior, Karly Weathers, former Miss Tennessee basketball.
She is second in steals, second in three-point baskets, third in assists and fourth in rebounds on the team.
2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster - Alabama Athletics
The University of Alabama has slightly superior stats compared to Cal but I believe that can be explained by the strength of schedule of the respective teams. Bottom line will be how these two good teams perform on Thursday night. Bama has created 20.4 turnovers (which includes 12 steals) on average this season. The Bears will need to clean-up their act to prevail over the Crimson Tide. GO BEARS!
