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New TV series to be based on bestselling horror novel Swan Song by Alabama author Robert McCammon

Horror fans are conflicted about whether a bestselling novel written by Alabama horror author Robert “Rick” McCammon can be faithfully adapted into a successful TV series. Read some opinions here.

That doesn’t mean McCammon fans aren’t excited to see the results, with many comparing the book to Stephen King’s “The Stand.” MovieWeb.com described “Swan Song” as “one of the greatest post-apocalyptic novels ever written.”

McCammon, who was born in and currently lives in the Birmingham area, is the author of more than 45 novels and short story collections.

But it’s early days for the production and details are scarce. Here’s what we know so far:

The series’ pilot will be directed by Greg Nicotero, a special effects makeup artist and director, who will also executive produce, along with Brian Witten of Monster Agency Productions. Variety reported, “Steve Barnett, Alan Powell and Vicky Patel will executive produce through Monarch Media, together with McCammon.”

Nicotero is best known for his work on “The Walking Dead.” MovieWeb.com quoted Nicotero as saying, “Being a longtime fan of Robert’s novels, his story of survival in a world forever changed by political mistrust and international intrigue intertwined with a supernatural force has always been one of my favorites.”

It will be a series for television with an unknown number of episodes.

The official logline for the show says: “Following the U.S. government’s nuclear showdown with an unprecedented malevolent enemy, the world, as it was, is gone forever. In its place is a society whose remaining citizens are caught in a life and death struggle to stay alive in a wasteland born of rage and fear, populated by monstrous creatures and marauding armies. One small girl offers a glimmer of hope against a supernatural being hell bent on the planet’s destruction.”

Russell Rothberg was named as “showrunner,” Variety says, meaning he has creative control of the project. The latest project for Rothberg, a former TV executive, was as writer and executive producer on the series “Long Bright River,” which debuts on Peacock March 13 starring Amanda Seyfried.

“Swan Song” by Alabama author Robert MccCammon.Simon and Schuster

When contacted recently, McCammon said, “At this point, I don’t know anything about the timeline of the production.” McCammon verified in November 2024 that there would be an adaptation of “Swan Song” but couldn’t say more because he is contractually bound to secrecy on upcoming projects.

MORE: Bestselling Alabama horror author Robert McCammon discusses flourishing career

The listing for “Swan Song” on IMDb initially listed a release date of spring 2026 but there is currently no completion date on the page.

“Swan Song” won the 1987 Bram Stoker award, tying with Stephen King’s Misery. The book was re-issued in paperback by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, in 2023. See it here.

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Who are the top returning offensive players for Auburn football in 2025?

After a disappointing 5-7 season in 2024, Auburn football is under three weeks away from preparations for the 2025 season.

The Tigers start spring practice on March 25 with reasons of optimism on offense. Auburn is returning seven offensive starters and have a number of transfers, including transfer QB Jackson Arnold and other young returners who could be poised to make an impact this season.

Of those seven returning starters, three are underclassmen with plenty to build on after their freshman seasons.

Here’s a look at five of Auburn’s top returners on offense and their potential impact in 2025:

Cam Coleman, WR

Arguably the brightest of a deep group of star freshman last season, Coleman enters his sophomore year with increased expectations.

A five-star and the second-ranked wide receiver recruit out of high school, Coleman caught 37 passes for 598 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. Much of that production came toward the end of the season, tallying 22 receptions, 206 yards and six touchdowns in the final three games of the season.

He’ll have a new quarterback in 2025, likely catching passes from Arnold. Consistent play and another year to develop in the system could create a big sophomore year for the former five-star.

Connor Lew, OL

Auburn returns all five of its starting offensive linemen from last season, creating continuity in addition to the two experienced offensive line transfers it signed.

Lew is one of the leaders of that group, starting all 12 games at center last season. Pro Football Focus recently named Lew the fifth-best interior offensive lineman in the country.

Lew had the highest pass blocking grade among Auburn offensive linemen last season (79.9), according to PFF, and the highest run blocking grade among Auburn’s starters (73.4).

Malcolm Simmons, WR

Playing alongside Coleman, Simmons was another one of Auburn’s most exciting young playmakers in 2024.

As a freshman, he caught 40 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns, finishing second on the team in receptions. His speed was his best attribute, being utilized on everything from jet sweeps to go routes down the field.

This season, he’ll be joined by another one of the fastest players in college football, Georgia Tech transfer receiver Eric Singleton Jr. It will be interesting to watch how Auburn uses both of them together, each fitting similar profiles and having similar skillsets.

Jeremiah Wright, OL

Another member of Auburn’s returning offensive line, Wright was another bright spot on the interior in 2024.

The 2025 season will be his fifth at Auburn, starting all 12 games in 2024. He had the second-highest pass blocking grade among Auburn’s starting offensive linemen, allowing the fewest pressures among the starters.

He’ll likely keep his spot at right guard, giving the group much-needed continuity on the interior next to Lew. The bigger question will be who starts at right tackle between returner Izavion Miller and USC transfer Mason Murphy.

Damari Alston, RB

Alston is the only player on this list who wasn’t a starter last season, playing limited snaps behind star running back Jarquez Hunter.

He rushed for just 276 yards last season, but averaged 5.3 yards per carry. Alston’s best game came against New Mexico, rushing for 80 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

With Hunter’s departure, he’ll finally have a chance to be the feature back in his fourth season with the program. He’ll have to compete for carries with fellow returner Jeremiah Cobb and UConn transfer Durell Robinson, but he has the experience edge over both players.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m

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Beth Thames: As a former Yellowstone worker, don’t let our parks go to waste

This is a guest opinion column

When I called the main number for Yellowstone National Park a few days ago, hoping to plan a vacation, nobody answered. And maybe that’s the problem. With thousands of park rangers, seasonal workers, guides, and desk clerks being fired across the country, nobody knows what to expect when the full tourist season starts in just a few weeks.

Visitors may knock at the door of the venerable Old Faithful Lodge and wonder if anyone will be there to open it. The DOGE cuts have just started, but National Park Service workers must be anxious. Will they get a pink slip, even though their work has been outstanding? Will they be next on the chopping block, the one made of Yellowstone’s Lodgepole Pine? If they manage to keep their jobs, can they do their own work plus take up the slack of those who were let go?

When I worked at Yellowstone between college semesters five decades ago, there were enough people to finish all the tasks. That was a good thing as there were hundreds of tourists to take care of each day. Some had never been out of their cities and into the wild wilderness of our country. We were proud to work in such beautiful surroundings and acted like we owned the place.

Tourists asked lots of questions. They always wanted to know where the bears were, as though they stayed in the same designated place all the time. My work mates and I pointed out that they could be anywhere, and no matter where they were, they were dangerous.

Do not put your toddler on a bear’s shoulder, not if you want that toddler to grow into adulthood, we told them. No matter how many times you’ve read “Winnie the Pooh” or seen Disney movies starring cute bear cubs, bears are animals—wild animals. There were bear traffic jams along the two-lane roads, and we hoped nobody was getting too close to try to get that perfect photo.

Tourists wanted to know where the extra soap was, or the towels for the cabin’s bathroom. They ran out of shampoo and could the cabin girls—which is what we were called—bring them some more? Tourists always need help.

Tourists from New Yawk wanted to know where my roommate and I were from (Alabama and Mississippi) and why we tawked the way we did. They asked us to say certain phrases over and over. We exaggerated our southern accents since that meant bigger tips.

Visitors from around the world came to experience that gorgeous place with its dense forests, bubbling geysers, deep canyons and fast-flowing rivers. The mountain peaks were spectacular; the trails winding through the woods were carpets of brown and green.

Yellowstone Park has been a glorious gift to this country since 1872. My hope is that tourists will still open that gift each time they come. But without enough staff, visitors will face overflowing trash cans, dirty bathrooms, fewer desk clerks to sign them in, and nobody to give them directions to Fishing Bridge, Lake Lodge—where my boyfriend and now husband worked, and Roosevelt Lodge, where our daughter worked when she was in college.

My fellow cabin maids and I couldn’t lay claim to the magnificent place, but we could be proud of it. It gave us lifelong memories and tales to tell our grandchildren. One of mine goes to college just an hour from Yellowstone’s entrance and the other has been there many times.

Let’s don’t let our parks go to waste—real waste that spills out of dumpsters and onto the roads. Let’s keep them up and hire enough people to do just that. Let’s pass this gift along.

Contact Beth Thames at [email protected]

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Dear Abby: Should I tell somebody that their husband is gay?

DEAR ABBY: I’m a gay man living in a predominantly straight community. About a year ago, a married couple moved in. One day, the husband asked me to come over and help him put a table together, which I did. He thanked me by opening a bottle of wine. Then he asked me what turns me on. I thought the question was unusual, but I didn’t hold back — I showed him.

We’ve had more encounters since then, and now I’m feeling used and thinking about telling his wife. I think she deserves to know her husband might be gay and sleeping with other men. He used some “gay lingo” that makes me think I may not be the only one.

I heard there were some other neighbors talking badly about gays, and he didn’t defend or take up for us. That upsets me, too. What do I do? They live a few doors down, and it’s uncomfortable when I see him and his wife. She’s always waving and is a sweet lady. — RETHINKING IN FLORIDA

DEAR RETHINKING: Your mistake was becoming involved with a married man. You may feel “used,” but remember, you went into that affair enthusiastically. I do not think you should be the person to tell his wife her husband might be gay. (He could be bisexual.)

The person who delivers that tidbit should be her husband, if she doesn’t already know. As for you, it’s time to step out of the picture, don’t you think?

Read more Dear Abby and other advice columns.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

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Troy men, women head to Pensacola for Sun Belt basketball tournament quarterfinals

This weekend could be a glorious time for Troy basketball, with both the Trojans’ men’s and women’s teams among the top contenders in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

Both the Troy and Troy women are the No. 3 seed for the tournament, which began Tuesday at Pensacola (Fla.) Bay Center. Thus, each received a bye to the quarterfinal round, and won’t take the court until Saturday, needing three wins to claim the championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Troy men (20-10) play at 8 p.m. (or thereabouts) on Saturday against one of three teams — No. 6 Appalachian State, No. 7 Texas State and No. 10 Old Dominion. The Trojans went 2-1 against those teams during the regular season, beating the Mountaineers in their lone meeting, splitting with the Bobcats and not playing the Monarchs.

Troy won its final three regular-season games, including a 70-58 victory at Southern Miss last Friday that gave the Trojans at least a share of the Sun Belt title for the first time since 2010. This is also Troy’s fourth straight 20-win season, its most in the program’s Division I era.

Troy clinched its share of the Sun Belt title on the road, so the team didn’t get to celebrate with its fans until three days later. The Trojans held a special “net-cutting” ceremony at Trojan Arena on Monday night.

“The celebration last night was great,” Troy coach Scott Cross said on Tuesday. “We put that behind us. (Championship) shirts go in the closet. We’re not going to break them out until after the season is over with.

“We want to have a one-track mind going down to Pensacola, winning three games and going to the NCAA tournament. I think our guys definitely have the right mindset right now.”

Troy guard Tayton Conerway was named Sun Belt Player of the Year on Monday. The 6-foot-3 senior from Burleson, Texas, leads the Sun Belt in steals per game (3.0) while also averaging a team-best 13.7 points and 5.1 assists per game, along with 4.3 rebounds per game.

Troy has not won the Sun Belt tournament since 2017, when it made its most-recent NCAA tournament appearance. The Trojans’ only other NCAA tournament berth came in 2003, when it was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

“First of all, we want to be hunters; we don’t want to be hunted,” Cross said. “So we’re going to have the mentality that we’re going and we’re hunting them down. We’re going to have a chip on our shoulder. So that’s the mentality I want our guys to have.

“… But the majority of these guys have played in the Sun Belt tournament, so they know what to expect. we only have a couple of new guys, but they can let them know what to expect. And I definitely feel like our guys are very, very prepared.”

All-Sun Belt forward Zay Dyer (5) and Troy play in the conference tournament quarterfinals on Saturday. (Troy athletics photo)Troy athletics photo

The Troy women (19-12) play at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against one of three teams — No. 6 Appalachian State, No. 7 Louisiana or No. 11 Marshall. The Trojans went 3-1 against those teams during the regular season, winning their lone meetings with the Mountaineers and Thundering Herd and splitting with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Troy finished alone in the third place in the Sun Belt Conference at 13-5, well back of undefeated James Madison and two behind second-place Arkansas State. The Trojans had a chance late in the regular season to secure the second seed for the tournament, but lost to the Red Wolves at home on Jan. 30.

Troy coach Chanda Rigby said her team will have to control possession of the ball on both ends of the floor to make a run in Pensacola. The Trojans lead the nation in rebounding at 49 per game, nearly two ahead of second-place Oklahoma.

“We always start with rebounding,” Rigby said. “I do think we’re still leading the nation in rebounding, but we have not been as dominant as some of the other teams. It’s time to be completely dominant and not let anybody even come close to us in rebounding.

“… But for this particular team in this particular time, it’s also taking care of the basketball. … So we need both of those things working together. All the additional rebounds we can get, plus taking care of the ball and making sure we get a good shot every possession. I think that’s the magic ticket.”

Troy has qualified for the NCAA tournament four times in 13 seasons under Rigby, most recently in 2021. That was also the last time they won the Sun Belt tournament, having also done so in 2016 and 2017.

This year’s Troy women’s team is led by 6-foot-2 forward Zay Dyer, a first-team All-Sun Belt pick. The Atlanta native averages 13.5 points and a conference-best 10.5 rebounds, while also leading the league with 14 double-doubles.

“It’s not just the points — it’s the rebounds, it’s the blocks,” Rigby said. “There are so many facets that she’s contributing in, night-in and night-out. It’s just a luxury to have and kind of build other things around it. We were very proud she got the All-Sun Belt Team. … There were so many good players in our league this year.

“… I think it’s a proper reflection of the many, many contributions she gave to Troy women’s basketball this year.”

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Moving things along? Huntsville, state merging traffic light systems

The city of Huntsville and the Alabama Department of Transportation are merging traffic light systems in hopes of moving traffic more effectively through the state’s largest city.

The Huntsville City Council approved the agreement at its Feb. 27 meeting. Before the agreement, two systems run by artificial intelligence have been operating in the city,

“We want to merge those two together into one intelligent traffic system so we can better manage peak demand, that morning peak, that afternoon rush,” Urban and Economic Development Director Shane Davis said.

The state-run system has been operating on U.S. 72, U.S. 231, Memorial Parkway and other federal and state highways.

“All of those traffic signals are connected with fiber, and they intelligently speak to each other,” Davis said. “It’s what we call platooning traffic through a corridor.”

The city’s system controls all other local roads and streets, Davis said cameras are deployed at city-controlled intersections. He said the city often fields phone calls from residents concerned they are used for ticketing purposes.

Davis said that is not the case.

“It’s actually for the computer system to count cars,” he said. “As they see that traffic build, they make more green time to let that traffic disperse through that intersection.”

Davis said both systems have worked well “but they don’t talk to reach other.”

“A lot of time Bob Wallace, or Drake, Oakwood or Winchester, where we’ve got heavy movement, those are local roads and they’re approaching Memorial Parkway,” he said. “Those two, interacting and connecting with each other. It’s almost like a single point of failure. We may be able to move traffic on Winchester Road approaching the Parkway, but when we get there, because they are not communicating, that movement is slowed down and vice versa.”

The agreement allows the city and ALDOT to “blend those two together to operate as one system,” Davis said.

It will not be the first time the two systems are merged, but the first time they will be merged citywide.

”We’ve got intersections and roads, Governors Drive, for example,” Davis said. “That’s a state road, but that has been in our intelligent traffic system forever because of going through the Medical District. Things happen, we want to be able to flush that traffic through.”

There will be no cost to the merger, Davis said.

“We’re really just blending all of our technology together, so they work more effectively for our traffic,” he said.

Under the agreement, ALDOT or its consultant will supply the city with monthly performance measurement reports in regard to traffic light management.

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Asking Eric: Sexuality confusion spikes dating insecurity

Dear Eric: My sisters-in-law think I’m gay. I know for a fact they have talked with my brothers about sexual attraction. Unfortunately, I have a real rough past with people making fun of me because I had a learning disability. The whole community put me down. I never tried dating in high school or after. I’m sexually attracted to women and would like to have a relationship with a woman. I have not had any luck with online dating. I’m afraid that my sisters-in-law will make the woman feel uncomfortable with me or my family. I have spoken to my brothers about their behavior, and they seem to not understand or go around it. I’m not sure what to do or how to handle my problem.

– Rumor Mill

Dear Rumor Mill: Try talking directly to your sisters-in-law. But remember that anything they think or even say won’t affect your truth. This also extends to any woman you date; if the woman likes you and is comfortable in your relationship, then the opinions of your sisters-in-law won’t matter.

I understand the insecurity that this brings up and its connection to your past bullying. It’s hard to get other people’s voices out of our heads. Try to remember that any woman you’re meeting is meeting you today, in all of your value, complexity, and truth.

Sometimes it feels like other people can see every person that we once were or every part of our pasts we don’t like, especially in a situation as vulnerable as dating. But that’s not the case. They’ll see who you are today, so your relationship gets to begin on a blank slate.

That means you get to choose when and how you talk about how you were bullied or the tough relationship with your sisters-in-law. It also means you don’t have to introduce any girlfriend to your sisters-in-law until you feel ready. They don’t get to decide who you date or how; you do.

Read more Asking Eric and other advice columns.

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.

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Ole Miss begged fans not to storm court after Tennessee win

Ole Miss begged fans not to storm the court in the final seconds of the Rebels’ 78-76 win over Tennessee on Wednesday.

It didn’t work.

It appeared security had the situation handled, initially, as a few students made their way to the court to celebrate the Rebels’ win over the No. 4 team in the country. Then, the flood gates opened.

Ole Miss coach Chris Beard just stood there and watched from atop a chair.

“I’ve been fortunate over the years to be a part of some special wins,” Beard said, per The Clarion Ledger. “Special senior nights. Special court stormings. It’s never about me. I’m normally pretty quick to the locker room. Tonight, something just came over me and said to enjoy this for a quick second.”

Jaemyn Brakefield scored all 19 of his points in the final 11 minutes, including a tiebreaking basket with 7 seconds remaining that lifted Mississippi over No. 4 Tennessee 78-76 on Wednesday night.

Brakefield rebounded a missed 3-pointer from Sean Pedulla and fought through traffic inside to convert the decisive layup. Malik Dia and Dre Davis had 13 points apiece for Ole Miss (21-9, 10-7 Southeastern Conference), and Matthew Murrell added 12.

The Rebels are 5-0 in games decided by four points or fewer since late January.

Tennessee (24-6, 11-6) had an opportunity in the last few seconds, but a short running jumper by Igor Milicic Jr. bounced off the rim. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak.

Jordan Gainey scored 17 points, Chaz Lanier had 15 and Felix Okpara added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Volunteers. Tennessee led 41-36 at halftime and 56-49 with 10:38 left before Ole Miss rallied.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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It’s past time for SEC hoops to march through March and cut down April’s final net

Raise your hand if you had Greg Sankey coming off the top rope on bottom-feeder Danny Kanell on the subject of SEC basketball on your 2025 bingo card.

Me neither, but here we are.

It started when Kanell spotted an article by basketball analytics guru Ken Pomeroy. The headline read, “Why hasn’t anyone said the SEC is overrated?” followed by the subhead, “The SEC is probably overrated.”

Kanell, the former Florida State quarterback whose incessant anti-SEC rhetoric is the only thing keeping his voice even remotely relevant in the public square, couldn’t resist. He tweeted a screenshot of the headline and added this comment: “The smartest man in basketball is saying out loud what I have been thinking for the past 3 months … Thank you @kenpomeroy.”

Kanell and thinking rarely collide, but the SEC commissioner decided to climb the turnbuckle and body-slam him anyway with fact after fact. The best body blow of all was the SEC’s 30-4 record this season against Kanell’s beloved ACC.

As amusing as the social media exchange was, especially given the obvious mismatch between the most powerful man in college sports and college football’s biggest heel, it highlighted the importance of the next month for the best college basketball conference in the land by any measure.

In short, it’s past time for the SEC to march through March in numbers too big to ignore and stage an all-out April assault on the Final Four in San Antonio.

It’s been 13 years since an SEC school won the national championship in men’s basketball with freshman phenom Anthony Davis leading Kentucky to the 2012 title. Of the 11 NCAA Tournaments since – COVID canceled the 2020 event – the Big East has won five (Louisville 2013, Villanova 2016 and ’18, UConn 2023 and ’24); the ACC three (Duke 2015, North Carolina 2017, Virginia 2019); the Big 12 two (Baylor 2021, Kansas 2022); and the AAC one. UConn 2014 was a member of the American.

There are additional bullet points to illustrate the SEC shooting blanks when it counts the most. The golden age of SEC postseason basketball ran from 1993-2007. In that 15-year period, five different SEC schools made 12 Final Four appearances in nine different tournaments. They compiled a 13-7 Final Four record, and three of them – Kentucky (1996 and ’98), Florida (2006 and ’07) and Arkansas (1994) – combined to win five national championships.

Contrast that run with the 16 NCAA Tournaments since. From 2008-24, five different SEC schools made eight Final Four appearances in seven different tournaments. They compiled a 3-7 Final Four record, and only that 2012 Kentucky team won it all.

In fact, the conference is riding a five-game Final Four losing streak into the upcoming Big Dance. Now’s the time to change the narrative when the largest audience is following the story.

SEC basketball is healthier, wealthier and deeper than it’s ever been, as witnessed by this season’s ridiculous 185-23 non-conference record, which Sankey noted to Kanell. But you don’t have to know ball to know that March – capped by the first weekend in April – matters more to more people than Auburn’s SEC regular-season championship or whatever happens at next week’s conference tournament in Nashville.

The Tigers in particular, despite their history-making romp through the toughest SEC in memory, will have unfinished business when March Madness begins in earnest. Tuesday’s hangover at Texas A&M is easily understandable and forgettable. Last year’s first-round NCAA Tournament flameout against Yale will long live in infamy unless they can eclipse it with a national championship.

You know, the way Virginia did in 2019, and if it takes three officials ignoring a double-dribble at crunch time in the national semifinals to make it happen, so be it.

Opinions will vary on the minimum requirements over the next month for the SEC to validate its unsurpassed regular season in the minds of the casual March observers. If the league does indeed send a record 12 or 13 teams into the field, anything less than supplying a quarter of the Sweet 16 and half of the Final Four will be a disappointment.

The SEC has advanced four teams to the regional semifinals three times in 1986, 1996 and 2019. It has put two teams in the Final Four four times in 1994, 1996, 2006 and 2014. Both of those personal bests are in jeopardy given the quality depth of the league this season.

The ACC set the record with six Sweet 16 teams in 2016. That’s certainly within the SEC’s reach. So is the Final Four record, which has stood for 40 years.

The Big East remains the only conference to fill three spots in a single Final Four. Georgetown, St. John’s and shocking eventual champion Villanova set that bar in 1985 in the first 64-team tournament, which ended in SEC country at Rupp Arena.

Since Texas is now part of the conference footprint, it would be fitting for the home of Johni Broome, Mark Sears, Walter Clayton and Zakai Ziegler to stage an all-out SEC assault on the Final Four at the home of the Alamo.

The Danny Kanells of the world will be hate-watching all the way to April 7th. Imagine their @ mentions if Auburn, Alabama, Florida or Tennessee cuts down the last net at one of the other’s expense while confetti falls on Sankey and the All-SEC celebration. That would be One Shining Moment for the ages.

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