2014–15 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team

The 2014–15 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team (variously "Alabama", "UA", "Bama" or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Crimson Tide, led by 6th year head coach Anthony Grant played their home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 19–15, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They lost in the second round of the SEC tournament to Florida. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Illinois in the first found before losing in the second round to Miami (FL).

2014–15 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
NIT, Second round
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	19–15 (8–10 SEC)
Head coach	Anthony Grant (6th season) John Brannen (interim)
Assistant coaches	Antoine Pettway (3rd season) Reggie Witherspoon (1st season)
Home arena	Coleman Coliseum (Capacity: 15,316)
Seasons ← 2013–14 2015–16 →

2014–15 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 1 Kentucky †	18	–	0		1.000			38	–	1		.974
No. 21 Arkansas	13	–	5		.722			27	–	9		.750
LSU	11	–	7		.611			22	–	11		.667
Georgia	11	–	7		.611			21	–	12		.636
Texas A&M	11	–	7		.611			21	–	12		.636
Ole Miss	11	–	7		.611			21	–	13		.618
Vanderbilt	9	–	9		.500			21	–	14		.600
Alabama	8	–	10		.444			19	–	15		.559
Florida	8	–	10		.444			16	–	17		.485
Tennessee	7	–	11		.389			16	–	16		.500
South Carolina	6	–	12		.333			17	–	16		.515
Mississippi State	6	–	12		.333			13	–	19		.406
Auburn	4	–	14		.222			15	–	20		.429
Missouri	3	–	15		.167			9	–	23		.281
† 2015 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

On March 15, after losing in the SEC Tournament, head coach Anthony Grant was fired.^[1] He compiled a record of 117–85 in six seasons. Associate head coach John Brannen served as interim head coach during the Tide's two NIT games.

Off-season

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Algie Key	0	G	6'4"	175	Junior	Decatur, GA	Transferred
Carl Engström	4	C	7'1"	285	RS Junior	Ystad, Sweden	Play professionally in Europe
Trevor Releford	12	G	6'0"	195	Senior	Shawnee Mission, KS	Graduated/Undrafted in 2014 NBA draft
Julian Goode	13	F	6'7"	225	Senior	Atlanta, GA	Graduated
Nick Jacobs	15	F	6'8"	265	Junior	Atlanta, GA	Transferred to Georgia Tech
Isiah Wilson	33	G	6'3"	175	Senior	Troy, AL	Graduated

Incoming transfer

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
John Gibson	41	F	6'7"	215	Sophomore	Marietta, GA	Transfer from Xavier University of Louisiana.

• Note: Redshirt senior Christophe Varidel transferred to Alabama from Chaminade during the 2014 offseason and would have been eligible to play immediately at the beginning of the 2014–15 season because he had already graduated school and had one year of athletic eligibility remaining, but due to lingering injuries from his time at Chaminade, Varidel made a joint decision with head coach Anthony Grant to end his college basketball career before the start of the season.

Class of 2014 signees

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Justin Coleman PG	Birmingham, AL	Wenonah High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	Jul 31, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Riley Norris SF	Albertville, AL	Albertville High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Aug 5, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Devin Mitchell SG	Suwanee, GA	Collins Hill High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	Aug 7, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jeff Garrett SF	Gadsden, AL	Oldsmar Christian High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Apr 19, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Alabama Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved August 9, 2013. "2014 Alabama Basketball Commits". Scout. Retrieved August 9, 2013. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved August 9, 2013. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved August 9, 2013. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved August 9, 2013.

Roster

2014–15 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G/F 1 Riley Norris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Albertville, Alabama G 2 Ricky Tarrant  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Pleasant Grove, Alabama F 3 Michael Kessens 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Nyon, Switzerland F 4 Jeff Garrett  6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Gadsden, Alabama G 28 Jason Williamson (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Chicago, Illinois F 10 Jimmie Taylor 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Greensboro, Alabama F 11 Shannon Hale  6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Johnson City, Tennessee G 20 Levi Randolph (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Madison, Alabama F 21 Rodney Cooper 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Hurtsboro, Alabama G 23 Devin Mitchell 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Suwanee, Georgia G 32 Retin Obasohan 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Antwerp, Belgium F 35 Dakota Slaughter 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Fishers, Indiana F 41 John Gibson (i) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Marietta, Georgia	Head coach Anthony Grant (Dayton) Assistant coach(es) John Brannen (Marshall) Antoine Pettway (Alabama) Reggie Witherspoon (Wheeling) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: April 25, 2015

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
11/10/2014* 7:00 pm		Montevallo	W 81–67		22 – Randolph	8 – Taylor	6 – Coleman	Coleman Coliseum (9,583) Tuscaloosa, AL
Non-conference regular season
11/14/2014* 8:00 pm		Towson CBE Hall of Fame Classic	W 82–54	1–0	15 – Tied	10 – Randolph	5 – Randolph	Coleman Coliseum (10,345) Tuscaloosa, AL
11/17/2014* 8:00 pm, SECN		Western Carolina CBE Hall of Fame Classic	W 80–74	2–0	19 – Randolph	10 – Taylor	2 – Tied	Coleman Coliseum (8,830) Tuscaloosa, AL
11/20/2014* 8:00 pm, SECN		Southern Miss	W 81–67	3–0	23 – Randolph	11 – Hale	3 – Coleman	Coleman Coliseum (9,260) Tuscaloosa, AL
11/24/2014* 8:30 pm, ESPN2		vs. No. 13 Iowa State CBE Hall of Fame Classic Semifinals	L 74–84	3–1	27 – Cooper	6 – Norris	4 – Tied	Sprint Center (8,321) Kansas City, MO
11/25/2014* 6:00 pm, ESPN3		vs. Arizona State CBE Hall of Fame Classic Third place game	W 76–71	4–1	28 – Randolph	9 – Blakes	4 – Justice	Sprint Center (9,034) Kansas City, MO
12/02/2014* 8:00 pm, SECN		South Florida	W 82–71	5–1	20 – Cooper	11 – Taylor	8 – Tarrant	Coleman Coliseum (9,342) Tuscaloosa, AL
12/06/2014* 7:00 pm, CBSSN		at Xavier	L 84–97	5–2	23 – Tarrant	5 – Kessens	4 – Tied	Cintas Center (10,250) Cincinnati, OH
12/13/2014* 8:00 pm		Tennessee Tech	W 65–53	6–2	23 – Cooper	6 – Taylor	5 – Randolph	Coleman Coliseum (9,526) Tuscaloosa, AL
12/16/2014* 8:00 pm, ESPN2		at No. 11 Wichita State	L 52–53	6–3	13 – Tied	5 – Tied	3 – Tarrant	Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS
12/19/2014* 6:00 pm		Stillman	W 69–49	7–3	14 – Coleman	9 – Taylor	3 – Randolph	Coleman Coliseum (9,097) Tuscaloosa, AL
12/21/2014* 5:30 pm, SECN		Appalachian State	W 60–59	8–3	17 – Kessens	10 – Kessens	5 – Randolph	Coleman Coliseum (9,515) Tuscaloosa, AL
12/28/2014* 5:30 pm, ESPNU		UCLA	W 56–50	9–3	24 – Tarrant	7 – Taylor	2 – Tied	Coleman Coliseum (13,472) Tuscaloosa, AL
01/02/2015* 6:00 pm		North Florida	W 76–61	10–3	18 – Kessens	12 – Kessens	6 – Tarrant	Coleman Coliseum (8,821) Tuscaloosa, AL
SEC regular season
01/06/2015 8:00 pm, SECN		Texas A&M	W 65–44	11–3 (1–0)	15 – Tarrant	9 – Tied	3 – Randolph	Coleman Coliseum (10,264) Tuscaloosa, AL
01/10/2015 1:00 pm, SECN		at Tennessee	W 56–38	12–3 (2–0)	17 – Cooper	5 – Tied	5 – Copper	Thompson–Boling Arena (16,695) Knoxville, TN
01/13/2015 6:00 pm, SECN		at South Carolina	L 66–68	12–4 (2–1)	15 – Tarrant	5 – Taylor	4 – Cooper	Colonial Life Arena (11,085) South Carolina, SC
01/17/2015 3:00 pm, ESPN		No. 1 Kentucky	L 48–70	12–5 (2–2)	15 – Randolph	4 – Tied	1 – Tied	Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL
01/22/2015 6:00 pm, ESPN2		at Arkansas	L 91–93 OT	12–6 (2–3)	21 – Tarrant	8 – Randolph	3 – Hale	Bud Walton Arena (11,528) Fayetteville, AR
01/24/2015 7:30 pm, SECN		Auburn Iron Bowl of Basketball	W 57–55	13–6 (3–3)	18 – Randolph	7 – Tied	3 – Coleman	Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL
01/27/2015 8:00 pm, ESPN		Florida	L 50–52	13–7 (3–4)	14 – Cooper	8 – Kessens	2 – Tied	Coleman Coliseum (10,759) Tuscaloosa, AL
01/31/2015 6:00 pm, SECN		at No. 1 Kentucky	L 55–70	13–8 (3–5)	13 – Hale	5 – Kessens	3 – Tied	Rupp Arena (24,351) Lexington, KY
02/04/2015 8:00 pm, SECN		Missouri	W 62–49	14–8 (4–5)	20 – Randolph	8 – Obasohan	2 – Kessens	Coleman Coliseum (9,343) Tuscaloosa, AL
02/07/2015 5:00 pm, ESPN2		at LSU	L 60–71	14–9 (4–6)	17 – Randolph	12 – Norris	2 – Randolph	Maravich Center (10,355) Baton Rouge, LA
02/10/2015 8:00 pm, SECN		at Mississippi State	W 55–51	15–9 (5–6)	14 – Hale	7 – Randolph	3 – Randolph	Humphrey Coliseum (6,386) Starkville, MS
02/14/2015 7:00 pm, ESPNU		Vanderbilt	L 68–76	15–10 (5–7)	15 – Randolph	8 – Norris	2 – Tied	Coleman Coliseum (11,501) Tuscaloosa, AL
02/17/2015 8:00 pm, ESPNU		at Auburn Iron Bowl of Basketball	W 79–68	16–10 (6–7)	19 – Randolph	8 – Taylor	4 – Cooper	Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL
02/21/2015 7:00 pm, ESPN2		Georgia	L 65–66 OT	16–11 (6–8)	16 – Obasohan	12 – Obasohan	3 – Obasohan	Coleman Coliseum (12,141) Tuscaloosa, AL
02/24/2015 6:00 pm, SECN		South Carolina	W 59–51	17–11 (7–8)	17 – Randolph	7 – Norris	5 – Randolph	Coleman Coliseum (8,848) Tuscaloosa, AL
02/28/2015 3:00 pm, FSN		at Vanderbilt	L 66–73	17–12 (7–9)	16 – Obasohan	10 – Norris	3 – Randolph	Memorial Gymnasium (9,928) Nashville, TN
03/03/2015 6:00 pm, SECN		Ole Miss	L 74–82	17–13 (7–10)	32 – Randolph	11 – Taylor	3 – Taylor	Coleman Coliseum (9,184) Tuscaloosa, AL
03/07/2015 1:00 pm, FSN		at Texas A&M	W 61–60	18–13 (8–10)	12 – Obasohan	9 – Randolph	2 – Tied	Reed Arena (9,064) College Station, TX
SEC Tournament
03/12/2015 Noon, SECN	(9)	vs. (8) Florida Second round	L 61–69	18–14	15 – Tied	7 – Norris	4 – Randolph	Bridgestone Arena (10,563) Nashville, TN
NIT
03/17/2015* 9:00 pm, ESPN	(6)	(3) Illinois First round	W 79–58	19–14	20 – Randolph	7 – Tied	5 – Randolph	Coleman Coliseum (2,348) Tuscaloosa, AL
03/21/2015* 11:00 am, ESPN	(6)	at (2) Miami (FL) Second round	L 66–73	19–15	20 – Cooper	8 – Taylor	3 – Coleman	BankUnited Center (1,979) Coral Gables, FL
*Non-conference game. Rankings from AP poll. All times are in Central Time. (#) during NIT is seed within region.

Source: 2014–15 Schedule. Rolltide.com

See also

• Iron Bowl of Basketball
• 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
• 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
• 2014–15 Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball team