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Stadium:
Coleman Coliseum
Coleman Coliseum is a 15,043-seat multi-purpose arena in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The arena opened in 1968 as a replacement for Foster Auditorium. It is home to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball teams. In addition to sports, Coleman Coliseum is used for other events including concerts (seating capacity 16,000), commencement exercises, alumni gatherings, student convocations, operas, ballets and orations by political figures. President Ronald Reagan visited Coleman Coliseum during the mid-1980s, the Coliseum has been used as an annual bass tournament weigh-in spot, and a Travis Tritt music video was filmed here. The stadium hosted the NCAA Basketball Tournament three times, as a regional site in 1974 and as a sub-regional in 1975 and 1981. Coleman Coliseum was named for Jefferson Jackson Coleman, a prominent alumnus. Until his death, in 1995 he was the only person that had attended every Alabama bowl game, starting with the Rose Bowl game on January 1, 1926. Jeff went on to serve the university in many capacities, from Business Manager of the football team to Director of Alumni Affairs, for almost 50 years. He was one of the first pledges at the Delta Chi Fraternity at Alabama and "AA" Emeritus for the National Fraternity.

Team History:
Alabama's men's basketball program has been overshadowed for most of its history by football even though it trails only Kentucky in SEC basketball wins, SEC tournament titles and regular season titles. In recent years, the men's basketball program has again risen in stature nationally under head coach Mark Gottfried, achieving a No. 1 national ranking briefly in 2003. Further, UA has once again become a regular conference basketball contender, much as it was in the 80s and early 90s under the direction of Wimp Sanderson and the 70s under C. M. Newton. Alabama has 7 NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and in the 2003-04 season, the men's team reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament; they ended up losing to eventual champion, Connecticut.

Season Preview:
Everyone associated with the University of Alabama, from its administration to its fans, knew hiring Nick Saban would put the Crimson Tide football program back in the national spotlight. Of course, they probably never expected that spotlight to be quite so glaring so soon. In the month leading up to Saban's hiring, he made repeated denials about his connection to the Alabama job and stated his intention to remain as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, only to take the job and its $4 million annual paycheck, incurring the wrath of national media and the mockery of rival fans. Over the next few months, Saban managed to alienate both national and in-state media with his restrictive interview policies; LSU fans with his "coon-ass" joke, LSU football coaches with his reminder that LSU was still winning with his recruits; and other SEC coaches with his alleged illegal contacts with recruits in the Miami area.

Official Site:
rolltide.com