Creg Stephenson

2 weeks ago | al.com | Creg Stephenson

Score one for those who believe defense wins championships. That was certainly the case in our 16-man bracket to determine the greatest Alabama football player of the modern era. No. 3 seed Derrick Thomas won the title, handily beating No. 1 seed DeVonta Smith in the championship round, scoring 66% of the vote. Thomas, who played at Alabama from 1985-88, is the school’s all-time record-holder in sacks with 52, as well as tackles for loss with 74.

2 weeks ago | al.com | Creg Stephenson

Auburn’s 79-73 loss to Florida in the Final Four on Saturday night in San Antonio left Charles Barkley disappointed but not surprised. The Tigers led 46-38 at halftime, but saw its season end behind a second-half barrage by the Gators. Barkley said at halftime that Bruce Pearl’s Auburn team played a “perfect” first half, but they could not hold on. “The best team won,” Barkley said in his post-game remarks on CBS. “Our guys played valiantly. It was a heck of a game.

2 weeks ago | al.com | Creg Stephenson

Troy’s quest for its first postseason basketball tournament championship fell short in an 88-84 loss at Buffalo in the championship game of the Women’s NIT on Saturday night. The Trojans led 44-34 at halftime, but could not hold on as the Bulls (30-7) scored 54 points in the second half. Troy’s season — which ironically began with an 80-78 loss at Buffalo as part of the Sun Belt-MAC Challenge on Nov. 4 — ends at 24-14.

2 weeks ago | al.com | Creg Stephenson

Auburn leads Florida 46-38 at halftime in the Final Four in San Antonio, an effort that certainly impressed its most-famous alum. The Tigers controlled the tempo against the high-scoring Gators, who came in averaging more than 85 points per game. Florida shot 44% from the field and 40% from 3-point range, but took only 27 shots in the first 20 minutes. “I hated the first five minute of the game; man, we don’t want to play at that pace,” Barkley said during halftime on the CBS broadcast.

2 weeks ago | al.com | Creg Stephenson

South Alabama’s second football scrimmage of the spring featured plenty of highlights in the running game. The Jaguars’ first-, second- and third-team offenses piled up 388 yards* and four touchdowns rushing, part of a 714-yard, 28-first down day by the offense. South Alabama had several explosive plays on the ground, breaking off runs of 95, 40, 36, 30, 26 and 23 yards during a scrimmage that totaled approximately 112 plays at Hancock Whitney Stadium.