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One of Avery Johnson’s many positives as the University of Alabama’s head basketball coach has been his willingness to play a strong non-conference schedule, building his team and his team’s brand simultaneously.
You have to wonder, though: would Johnson have been quite so ambitious if he had known that two of the key components of the 2017-18 Crimson Tide would be in limbo on Nov. 9 with the first challenge — a neutral site game against Memphis — just three days away? This isn’t expected to be a vintage Tiger team but any club coached by Tubby Smith will be a tough out, especially when your most versatile frontcourt player is on crutches and one of your illustrious freshmen is still waiting (as of Tuesday night) for the NCAA to respond to Alabama’s request for his reinstatement.