Men's Basketball Game Notes: at Mississippi State
2/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UPCOMING GAME: at MISSISSIPPI STATE
Wednesday, February 26, 2003
Humphrey Coliseum (10,500), Starkville, Mississippi
TIP-OFF TIME: 7:00 p.m. CT
TICKETS: $12; call MSU Ticket Office for availability 1-888-GO-DAWGS (1-888-463-2947)
UA HOME TICKETS: $17 adults/$8 youth; Buy at UA box office in Coleman Coliseum; or 205-348-BAMA; or http://www.rolltide.com/
TV: JP with Tim Brando (play by play) and Barry Booker (color analyst)
UA WEEKLY TV: "The Mark Gottfried Show" on CSS with host Tom Roberts, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. CT
"Crimson Tide This Week" with host David Crane: Check local listings on CSS
RADIO: Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Tom Roberts (color)
105.5 FM in Tuscaloosa & 99.5 in Birmingham (complete list on http://www.rolltide.com/)
WVUA (University of Alabama campus station), 90.7 FM (when classes are in session)
INTERNET: Live audio of CTSN's radio broadcast is available on the internet on http://www.rolltide.com/; UA basketball is also featured on http://www.markgottfried.com/ and http://www.crimsontradition.com/ (subscription site).
Alabama Crimson Tide (15-8 Overall, 5-7 SEC):
| F-35 | Erwin Dudley | 6-8, 260, SR, Uniontown | 15.0 ppg/9.7 rpg |
| F-03 | Kennedy Winston | 6-7, 200, FR, Mobile | 9.7 ppg/4.1 rpg |
| C-42 | Kenny Walker | 6-9, 220, SR, Jacksonville, FL | 10.3 ppg/5.6 rpg |
| G-50 | Antoine Pettway | 6-0, 170, JR, Alberta | 6.0 ppg/2.7 rpg |
| G-25 | Mo Williams | 6-1, 195, SO, Jackson, MS | 15.6 ppg/3.9 rpg/3.9 apg |
Head Coach: Mark Gottfried (Alabama, 1987)
No. 20 Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-6 Overall, 7-5 SEC)
| F-31 | Ontario Harper | 6-5, 210, SO, Clinton, MS | 7.7 ppg/5.6 rpg |
| F-44 | Michal Ignerski | 6-10, 225, SR, Lublin, Poland | 9.7 ppg/5.3 rpg |
| C-33 | Mario Austin | 6-9, 260, JR, York, AL | 16.9 ppg/8.5 rpg |
| G-15 | Timmy Bowers | 6-2, 180, JR, Gulfport, MS | 14.6 ppg/3.7 rpg |
| G-22 | Derrick Zimmerman | 6-3, 195, SR, Monroe, LA | 9.0 ppg/4.3 rpg/5.1 apg |
Head Coach: Rick Stansbury (Campbellsville, 1982)
Alabama Head Coach Mark Gottfried
166-82 (.669) in 7 complete seasons overall, 97-57 (.630%) in 5th season at Alabama; 2002 SEC Coaches & AP SEC "Coach of the Year"; three total NCAA tournament appearances, one at Alabama (2002, 2nd round), 2 (1997 & 1998) at Murray State; 3 NIT appearances (1996 at MSU, 1999 & 2001 at UA); One SEC Championship (2002) at Alabama; three conference championships at Murray State; Four 20-win seasons (out of 7) as a head coach; Assistant for UCLA's 1995 NCAA Champions team; three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances as a UA player 1985-86-87; Academic All-SEC as a player at Alabama...Coached Bama to its 1st No. 1 ranking...Born January 20, 1964 in Crestline, Ohio.
Mississippi State Head Coach Rick Stansbury
96-56 (.631%) in 5th season overall, all at Mississippi State; one NCAA tournament trip and two NIT appearances in four previous seasons as head coach at MSU; 2002 SEC tournament champions
Key Game Notes
- Erwin Dudley is averaging 20.2 points a game in his last five games
- Mo Williams is averaging 17.3 points in his last four games and freshman
- Kennedy Winston is averaging 14.0 in his last four
- This series dates to Starkville, circa 1913. It's the 169th meeting. Alabama won in overtime in Tuscaloosa 68-62 in the first meeting of 2003 on January 15. Bama leads the series 105-63. MSU leads series 49-32 in Starkville. Alabama's last win in Starkville was 1998 (MSU has won last four vs. Bama in Starkville)
- Terrance Meade, a fulltime starter since he was a freshman and in 17 games of 21 he's played in 2003, has made the Verizon District 4 Academic All-America team. He's a management major in the business school at Alabama.
Tide Travels to Starkville for SEC West Game
The University of Alabama men's basketball team remains on the road for a second straight game when the Crimson Tide plays at Mississippi State on Wednesday, February 26. Tip-off in the Bulldogs' Humphrey Coliseum is set for 7:00 p.m. CT.
Alabama, third in the Southeastern Conference Western Division, is 15-8 overall, 5-7 in SEC play. Mississippi State is currently one spot ahead in divisional play at second in the West with a 17-6 overall and 7-5 league record.
Mississippi State is returning home from a two-game road swing where it beat Auburn 63-46 in Auburn on February 19 but lost to Kentucky in Lexington 70-62 on Sunday, February 23.
Alabama is playing its second of two road games before it returns home to host Ole Miss at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 2. The Tide, which has four regular season games remaining on its schedule, played at Tennessee on Saturday, February 22nd and defeated the Vols 76-71.
Game Will Be Televised on JP
For the second straight game, Alabama's game will be televised by Jefferson Pilot Sports (JP). Tim Brando will be the broadcast's play-by-play man while Barry Booker will be the analyst.
Fans can find the game on the following stations:
In Alabama: WABM Birmingham; Fox SportsNet Dothan/Montgomery; WZDX Huntsville; WJTC in Mobile
In Mississippi: Fox SportsNet in Columbus/Tupelo; WABG in Greenwood/Greenville; WHLT in Hattiesburg; WJTV in Jackson; Fox SportsNet in Meridian
In Florida: WJTC in Pensacola
In Georgia: Fox SportsNet in Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah
In Louisiana: Cable Channel 9 in Baton Rouge
In South Carolina: Fox SportsNet in Florence
In Tennessee: Fox SportsNet in Tri-Cities
In Virginia: Fox SportsNet in Tri-Cities (Tennessee/Virginia)
Other Outlets
FULL COURT: The telecast will be available as part of ESPN's Full Court Package in U.S. markets not listed above. Full Court is a pay-per-view service offered via DirecTV, Dish Network and participating cable systems. To order call: 1-800-DIRECTV or 1-800-333-DISH
Here's Where to Buy Tide Home Tickets
Tickets for Alabama's home games against Ole Miss (March 2) and South Carolina (March 5) are on sale at the Athletic Ticket Box Office in Coleman Coliseum and may be purchased at the ticket window, by phone at 1-877-TIDETIX (877-843-3849) or 205-348-BAMA (2262), or on the Crimson Tide's official website, http://www.rolltide.com/. Ticket prices are $17 adults/$8 youth age 15 and under. Box office hours are from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and phone hours are from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may be charged to MasterCard, VISA or Discover.
Fans Can Catch All Tide Games on the Radio or Internet
All University of Alabama men's basketball games are broadcast on the radio on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart and Tom Roberts calling the action. Fans can listen locally on 105.5 in Tuscaloosa or 99.5 in Birmingham. Fans from around the country or around the world may listen to Alabama Basketball radio broadcasts on the internet. There's an audio link on Bama's official website, http://www.rolltide.com/.
"Mark Gottfried Show" Every Tuesday Night
"The Mark Gottfried Show" airs each week on CSS. The 30-minute show stars Tide basketball coach Mark Gottfried and is hosted by Tom Roberts of the Crimson Tide Sports Network. A new show airs each Tuesday night at 10 p.m. CT.
Those Entering Coliseum Subject to Bag Search
Because of the heightened national security alert, extra security measures will be in place at Coleman Coliseum for all of its athletic events, including men's basketball, until further notice. All bags, including purses, backpacks, briefcases, etc., will be searched upon entry to the coliseum. Fans are encouraged to arrive a tad earlier than they might normally arrive as the security checks will slow the lines into the coliseum.
Bobbleheads & Lunch Boxes are Upcoming Home Gifts
Early arrivals at Alabama's home games will receive some fun collectables in the next few weeks. Kenny Walker bobble head dolls will be given away to the first 1,000 fans who arrive through the gates at the Ole Miss game on March 2nd , and an even larger group of fans will get a fun souvenir a few days later when UA basketball metal lunch boxes are given away at the South Carolina game on March 5th.
Bama Facing Ranked Team a 7th Time This Season
When Alabama plays No. 20 ranked Mississippi State on Wednesday, it will mark the seventh time Alabama has faced a ranked opponent this season. Alabama is 3-3 versus the Top 25 with wins against then No. 3 Oklahoma, then No. 19 Xavier and then No. 14 Mississippi State and losses to then No. 8 Kentucky, then No. 1 Florida and then No. 22 Georgia.
Of those teams, Kentucky has risen even higher to No. 2 in the AP poll, one spot ahead of No. 3 Oklahoma and two ahead of now No. 4 Florida. Xavier, which, like Oklahoma Alabama defeated, has moved up to No. 13. Georgia is up one spot to No. 21.
CBSSportsline.com rates Alabama seventh in Division I men's basketball in terms of its strength of schedule. It ranks the Tide No. 24 on its RPI.
Alabama has four regular season games remaining on its schedule, though the Bulldogs are the only currently ranked team among that quartet. Alabama follows the Mississippi State game by hosting Ole Miss on Sunday, March 2 at 1 p.m. then South Carolina on March 5 at 7 p.m. It caps its 2003 regular season in Baton Rouge on March 8 where it will play LSU in the season finale.
Tide And Bulldogs Meet A Second Time in 2003
It's the second meeting of the regular season for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Mississippi State Bulldogs when the two teams play in Starkville, Miss., on Wednesday, February 26.
The two teams compete in the Southeastern Conference Western Division and play one another at home and on the road each season. Alabama hosted the first meeting of 2003 in Tuscaloosa on January 15th. Both teams were ranked among the nation's top 15 then, with Alabama ranked No. 9 in the Associate Press poll and No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. Mississippi State was ranked No. 14 in the AP poll and No. 13 in the coaches' poll.
The game went to overtime before Alabama emerged with the 68-62 win, led by 23 points and 8 rebounds from Tide senior forward Erwin Dudley. The game marked Alabama's ability to come back. Trailing 36-24 at halftime and by as many as 17 points in the first half, Alabama came out of the locker room with a vengeance, out-scoring the Bulldogs 31-19 in the second half and sending the game into overtime when an Antoine Pettway layup with one second remaining knotted the score at 55-55.
