Crimson Tide Roll Call: March 4, 2021

Your daily briefing on what's going on with Alabama athletics, and how to watch the Crimson Tide

Today is ... National Sons Day

BamaCentral Headlines

• Crimson Tikes: Second Wind

• Nate Oats: "We’re a better defensive team than I’ve ever coached"

• How to Watch No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball at Georgia Bulldogs

• Crimson Corner: The Path to a No. 1 Seed for Alabama Basketball

• No. 23 Alabama Baseball Downs Troy, 9-1

• Alabama's Montana Fouts Strikes Out a Career-Best 16 in 4-0 Shutout Over Mississippi State

• In case you missed it: Make Way for Alabama Quarterback Mac Jones as a Top Pick

Crimson Tide results

• Baseball: No. 23 Alabama 9, Troy 1

• Softball: No. 2 Alabama 4, Mississippi State 0 

• Women's golf: The 21^st-ranked Alabama women’s golf team carded a final-round 296 to finish 10^th at the Gamecock Intercollegiate on the par-72, 6,297-yard Columbia Country Club. With inclement weather in the forecast, the Crimson Tide played 27 holes on Tuesday to put themselves in position to be able to finish the tournament. Alabama posted rounds of 299, 294 and 296 to finish at 25-over-par 889. “We got off to another slow start, which has to change, but we were pretty solid after that,” Alabama head coach Mic Potter said. “This was a very challenging field of teams on a good golf course and that tends to separate teams pretty fast, so we have some work to do. We have a talented team, but we have to stop making silly mistakes, eliminate our mental errors and clean up our short game.”

Crimson Tide schedule

• Soccer: Montevallo at Alabama, 6 p.m, SEC Network+, Live Stats

• Women's basketball: Alabama vs Missouri, SEC tournament in Greenville, S.C., 5 p.m, SEC Network, Watch, Listen

Did you notice?

• Despite the loss to the Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton shined yet again and dropped 32 points and dished out a career-high 10 assists. 

• Alabama women's tennis is nationally ranked:

• Alabama's Riccardo Roberto was named the Southeastern Conference Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week. He posted a huge singles win against Kentucky’s Joshua Lapadat (#123) in straight sets (6-1, 6-3) and came back from being down 40-0 at match point at No. 1 doubles vs. Cesar Bourgois and Gabriel Diallo with doubles partner Patrick Kaukovalta to force a tiebreaker and eventually win the match and secure the doubles point for Alabama on the way to upsetting the No. 15-ranked Wildcats. Against Vanderbilt, he once again combined with Kaukovalta to win at No. 1 doubles in a tiebreaker, giving UA the doubles point. In singles, he downed Jeremie Casabon 6-7, 6-3, 6-1.

• In his final game before enrolling at the Capstone, Alabama signee and Calhoun High School superstar JD Davison poured in 45 points in loss to Midfield in the AHSAA Class 2A semifinals.

• Jaylen Waddle said he prefers Mac Jones over Tua Tagovailoa:

• Alabama's rowing program is ranked No. 16 in the country, which is the highest in school history.

Countdown to the Crimson Tide's 2021 opener:

184 days

On this date in Crimson Tide history:

March 4, 1939: Walter Merrill, a 220-pound sophomore tackle, drew praise from Coach Frank Thomas for his play during spring practice. Center Carey Cox is also performing well, says Thomas, while young back Jimmy Nelson is drawing cautious optimistic praises. "If he can learn to throw the ball, he might have the ability of Dixie Howell."

March 4, 2002: Director of Athletics Mal Moore officially launched the Crimson Tradition Fund, an initiative that ultimately raised more than $150 million for athletic facility upgrades. Nearly every facility was upgraded following the campaign, which was completed in 2006. It also served as a key precursor to eventually hiring Nick Saban as head coach of the football program.

Crimson Tide quote of the day

March 4: "Coach Moore is somebody that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. First, for giving us the opportunity to come to the University of Alabama and the great job he did on selling us on this University and what could be done here. Then, all of the support he has given to our program. He certainly deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the success we have had because of the way he sets the table and serves us so well. Most things that you would see, he has had some hand in making all of the athletic facilities what they are, first class in so many ways. More than that, he is a class gentleman, probably as fine as you are ever going to meet. He has been a great friend and his support has certainly been appreciated.” — Nick Saban

We'll leave you with this...