Alabama players and fans both made some noise in Avery Johnsons first season as coach.The Crimson Tide knocked off four Top 25 teams, dramatically surpassed expectations and set Coleman Coliseum attendance records.Now, Johnsons challenge is to try to improve on that promising start with a blend of newcomers and transfers and only one returning player who averaged double figures in scoring last season , forward Shannon Hale.Then again, the former NBA head coach and player is also not having to get used to coaching a college team for the first time.This second year I am much more comfortable, but my wife says I work much harder, Johnson said.The Tide must replace leading scorer Retin Obasohan, top 3-point shooter Arthur Edwards and Michael Kessens. Johnson has beefed up the roster with transfers, plus point guard Dazon Ingram is back after breaking his left foot early in his freshman season.The transfer group includes former Memphis guard/forward Nick King and point guard Avery Johnson Jr., who played for Texas A&M as a freshman before joining his fathers team. Both sat out last season after transferring. Graduate transfers Corban Collins (Morehead State) and Bola Olaniyan (Southern Illinois) also joined the team.Alabama made it to the NIT in Johnsons first season despite being picked to finish 13th in the Southeastern Conference. The 18-15 record matched Wimp Sanderson (1980-81) for the most wins in a coachs Tide debut despite replacing the Tides top three scorers.Alabama is picked to finish seventh in the SEC this season.---Some other things to know about Alabamas 2016-17 team:KEEPING `EM COMING: Johnsons hiring and subsequent courtship of fans definitely paid off. Alabama set a school record with an average of 13,110 fans at Coleman Coliseum and the five home sellouts represented the most since 2006-07. The challenge will be keeping that excitement level high.FINDING SCORERS: Hale (10.8 points per game) is the only returning player who averaged more than eight last season. Obasohan carried the load with 17.6 points on average for a team that only scored 66.5 an outing. We dont have Retin in terms of one guy thats going to get us 17-25 (points), but we think we have eight guys that might be able to get us 15, Johnson said.INGRAMS BACK: The 6-foot-5 former high school Mr. Basketball in Alabama was an immediate starter, but only played in seven games before breaking his left foot. Ingram was leading the team in rebounding and shooting 54 percent from the floor when he was hurt.OUTSIDE SHOOTING: ArMond Davis, one of the nations top junior college recruits, could replace Edwards productivity as a perimeter threat. He averaged 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds at College of Southern Idaho while hitting 38.5 percent from 3-point range. Every shot is a good shot for him, Johnson said. I think he took me literally when I said he could take and make shots from Southern Idaho, so he actually believes that. Maybe hell take and make some shots from western Alabama.GRABBING BOARDS: Alabama has beefed up in rebounders with the return of a big guard in Ingram and arrival of King and Olaniyan, who averaged 8.8 boards last season. The Tide ranked 242nd nationally with 9.9 offensive rebounds per game.---Online:AP College Basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org Custom New York Mets Nike Jerseys . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Custom Tampa Bay Rays Nike Jerseys . 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Custom Texas Rangers Nike Jerseys .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win.HOUSTON -- Not even a ninth-inning home run that ended his bid at a first career shutout could ruin Martin Perezs day. Perez threw a four-hitter for his first career complete game, leading the Texas Rangers to their seventh straight victory, 6-1 over the Houston Astros on Sunday. "When I go to the mound I think, Im the best here, and I have the ball," Perez said. "I just want to throw. Thats what I did tonight. I took the ball and threw the pitch where (catcher Geovany Soto) called it." Perez (5-3) struck out a career-high eight while walking two in earning his second straight win. Perez has allowed four runs over his last 22 2-3 innings, spanning his last three starts. "He threw a lot of strikes out there today," Texas manager Ron Washington said. "Hes good at keeping the ball down. He has good mechanics. I think when he gets erratic its only because he tries to do too much. As long as he stays throwing the ball through the catcher and spots his fastball down in the zone the way hes capable of doing, hell be fine." Perez retired 15 of 17 batters from the third to the eighth, including nine in a row before Jake Elmores single with two outs in the eighth. "His fastball command was there. His changeup was there," Soto said. "He had a lot of early outs in the third, fourth, fifth innings. "I think he looks a little bit different. He has more conviction, more aggressiveness, more attack. I feel like hes doing that. Whenever he needs a strike leading off the inning or leading off an at-bat, he got a strike. He uses all his pitches real well and he used all his pitches well today." The left-hander gave a lot of credit to Soto. "He helped me out with pitches, and we have a good relationship," Perez said. "He called the pitches. I just threw it 100 per cent. Hes a good catcher and called a good game." Chris Carter ruined Perezs shutout bid with a home run with two outs in the ninth inning, but Perez said the home run didnt matter because the most important thing was the Rangers won. Alex Rios had two hits, drove in a run and scored twice in his second game with the Rangers, who have won 12 of their last 13 games. Adrian Beltre also had two hits. Dallas Keuchel (5-7) allowed six runs and eight hits with eight strikeouts in 8 2-3 innings. He was the second Astros starter to go into the ninth this season, as Bud Norris threw eight-pluus innings May 8 against the Los Angeles Angels.dddddddddddd "That was the best I felt all year," Keuchel said. "(Perez) was better than me today, and I didnt make pitches when I needed to." Keuchel set down the first 13 batters before Rios beat out a grounder to short with one out in the fifth for the Rangers first hit. Soto then put the Rangers ahead 1-0 with a ground-rule double to centre field. Rios laced a two-out double down the right-field line in the sixth to extend the lead to 2-0. Elvis Andrus reached on an error with one out and advanced to second on Beltres single before scoring on Rios double. Perez had his offence to thank for the opportunity to finish off the complete game, as he was told he would not be given a chance to finish it if the Rangers did not score at least two runs in the ninth. The offence plated four in the inning. Texas upped the lead to 5-0 in the ninth on Jurickson Profars based-loaded single with two outs, plating Rios and Jeff Baker. Craig Gentry came around to score on an errant thrown by L.J. Hoes, and Profar scored on Leonys Martins single to make it 6-0. Houston has lost five in a row and nine of the last 10 games. The Astros own the worst record in the majors at 37-79. "I think we were overly aggressive," Houston manager Bo Porter said. "It would have been a better idea to slow the game down and get the pace in your favour, but it felt like the more outs (Perez) recorded, the quicker our at-bats got." NOTES: Texas DH Lance Berkman went 2 for 3 with a home run and drove in two runs in his first rehab game Saturday night for the Rangers Triple-A affiliate, Round Rock. Berkman has been on the disabled list since July 7 with left hip inflammation. . Texas RHP Neftali Feliz was expected to throw Saturday for Round Rock but did not pitch as a precaution because of mild right arm triceps tendinitis. He will throw on flat ground Sunday and be re-evaluated. Feliz has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last year. . Texas sent SS Leury Garcia to the White Sox on Sunday to complete the trade for Rios. . Houston SS Jonathan Villar, who had not started the previous three games because of a left thumb sprain, did not start Sundays game, either. Porter said Villar was not in the lineup Sunday because the Rangers were starting a left-hander and the thumb bothers Villar more batting right, but Villar is expected to start Monday. ' ' '