AP
It's always pleasant to have a conference record, although the mark that the University of Alabama men's basketball problem will set tonight is something of a back-handed compliment to itself.
The Crimson Tide will appear in the NIT tonight, giving UA a Southeastern Conference record 14 NIT appearances in its basketball history. That's a double-edges sword since it means that it's the 14th time that Alabama has been good but not quite good enough, under the circumstances, to get an NCAA bid.
But as a first-year head coach, Alabama's Avery Johnson is undaunted.