This is an opinion column.

Worst things first. Let’s not bury the lede or resurrect a tragedy beyond saying what has to be said. What happened to the Alabama basketball team Friday evening in Louisville, Kentucky, had nothing to do with what happened to Jamea Harris in the early morning hours of Jan. 15th in Tuscaloosa.

Plenty of Self-Righteous Brothers have begun to sing that song, to credit karma for the Crimson Tide’s inglorious end to an otherwise wildly successful season. They are as wrong on that score as they’ve been all along.

That’s a serious slight to San Diego State, which got in Alabama’s face and put the No. 1 overall seed in an uncomfortable place en route to a commanding 71-64 upset. It’s also an absolute insult to the memory of a young mother and a slap in the face to the concept of justice.

She is still gone. Justice has yet to be done. Injustice in different directions is all the rage.

Let justice be done for everyone, and let this be written. Alabama basketball losing its best opportunity to win a national championship will have as much bearing on that ongoing process as Alabama winning the SEC regular-season and tournament titles did.