Men's Basketball Game Notes: South Carolina
3/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UPCOMING GAME: South Carolina
Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Coleman Coliseum (15,316), Tuscaloosa
TIP-OFF TIME: 7:00 p.m. CT
TICKETS: Available
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: No Live television; WVUA-TV tape delay broadcast at 10:30 p.m. with Gary Harris
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).
PROBABLE STARTERS: (Lineups subject to change)
Alabama Crimson Tide (16-9 Overall, 6-8 SEC)
| F-35 | Erwin Dudley | 6-8, 260, SR, Uniontown | 15.2 ppg/9.6 rpg |
| F-03 | Kennedy Winston | 6-7, 200, FR, Mobile | 10.6 ppg/4.3 rpg |
| C-42 | Kenny Walker | 6-9, 220, SR, Jacksonville, FL | 9.9 ppg/5.4 rpg |
| G-50 | Antoine Pettway | 6-0, 170, JR, Alberta | 6.6 ppg/2.6 rpg |
| G-25 | Mo Williams | 6-1, 195, SO, Jackson, MS | 15.4 ppg/4.0 rpg/3.9 apg |
Head Coach: Mark Gottfried (Alabama, 1987)
South Carolina Gamecocks (12-13 Overall, 5-9 SEC)
| F-32 | Kerbrell Brown | 6-8, 220, JR, New Orleans, LA | 9.2 ppg/3.6 rpg |
| F-55 | Rolando Howell | 6-9, 220, JR, Columbia, SC | 10.2 ppg/6.0 rpg |
| C-50 | Tony Kitchings | 6-10, 260, SR, Aiken, SC | 9.7 ppg/5.2 rpg |
| G-13 | Chris Warren | 6-5, 195, SR, Garland, TX | 9.0 ppg/2.5 rpg |
| G-31 | Chuck Eidson | 6-7, 205, SR, Summerville, SC | 11.7 ppg/4.8 rpg/4.4 apg |
Head Coach: Dave Odom (Guilford, 1965)
Alabama Head Coach Mark Gottfried
166-83 (.667) in 7 complete seasons overall, 98-58 (.628%) 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.
South Carolina Head Coach Dave Odom
312-202 (.607%) in 17 seasons overall; 34-28 (.548%) in 2 seasons at USC; 3-time ACC Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year in 1995 at Wake Forest; 2 ACC titles; 7 NCAA trips
Key Game Notes
- Seniors Erwin Dudley, Kenny Walker and Terrance Meade will be honored prior to tip-off; the trio have been starters since their freshman season and are largely credited with bringing Alabama Basketball back into the national spotlight
- First arrivals at the game will receive an Alabama Basketball metal lunch box
- It's Alabama's final home game of the regular season
- Erwin Dudley has led the SEC all season in rebounding & is top 10 in scoring in the league; he leads in SEC vs. SEC games in field goal percentage and rebounding
Tide Plays Final Home Game of 2003
The University of Alabama men's basketball team makes its final home appearance of the regular season on Wednesday, March 5 when the Crimson Tide plays host to the University of South Carolina. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT.
There is no live television broadcast of the game. The game will be aired in Tuscaloosa, tape delayed, on WVUA-TV.
Alabama brings a 16-9 overall, 6-8 Southeastern Conference record into the game. South Carolina is 12-13 overall and 5-9 in league play.
Game Will be Televised, Tape Delayed
Wednesday night's game will be televised, tape delayed, by WVUA-TV. It will air Wednesday night at 10:30 p.m. on the Tuscaloosa television station. WVUA Sports Director Gary Harris will call the game's play-by-play. Former Tide players Bryan Passink and Marcus Campbell are on the WVUA-TV broadcast team as analysts.
It's the Last Week of the Regular Season
The South Carolina game marks the first of Alabama's final two regular season games as the regular season comes to a close this weekend. Following Wednesday night's game, Alabama travels to Baton Rouge for the season finale' where it will play LSU on Saturday, March 8.
LSU Game Time Moved To Afternoon for TV
The league had a "Wildcard" game open for TV this weekend, and Alabama's 23 point win against Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa on Sunday and LSU's 21 point win at Tennessee on Saturday made the selection for which game to pick up an easy one this Monday morning. Jefferson Pilot Sports will now televise Saturday's game at LSU. Originally slated for a 7 p.m. night game, the game will now be played at 1 p.m. CT. That means that every game the Tide has played in this season has been televised, be it JP, CBS, ESPN, Fox SportsNet, CSS, WVUA, pay per view, etc.
Tickets Remain for South Carolina Game
Tickets remain for Wednesday night's South Carolina game and are on sale at the Athletic Ticket Box Office in Coleman Coliseum. Tickets 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.
Catch Bama Hoops on Radio or on 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 and on 99.5 FM in the Birmingham area. 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.
Get the Newest Collectible Trend Here Wednesday
Already 2,000 Tide fans have gotten rewarded by not only seeing the Tide play in Coleman Coliseum, but leaving with some fun collectibles such as Kenny Walker and Terrance Meade bobble head dolls, Tide Basketball team trading cards and posters.
On Wednesday night Tide fans will get a first. Alabama has never before given away metal lunch boxes as memorabilia for any of its sports, but the first 2,500 fans through the gate for the South Carolina game will receive one Alabama Basketball lunch box!
Meade And Thomas Are "Mending"
Two key Crimson Tide players have been on the mend and sat out the Ole Miss game because of injuries. Senior guard Terrance Meade, a starter in 17 games this season and full-time his freshman through junior seasons, missed both the February 26th Mississippi State game and the March 2 Ole Miss game after spraining his left ankle during practice on February 24th. Junior forward Emmett Thomas, a starter in 13 games this season, sat out the Ole Miss game because of a groin injury.
Both are listed as "possible" to return to play in the South Carolina game.
Seniors Will Be Honored Prior to Start of Game
Wednesday night's game against South Carolina will mark the end of an era for three Crimson Tide players and one manager. It will be the final regular season home appearance for Tide seniors Erwin Dudley, Terrance Meade and Kenny Walker.
That trio and senior team head manager Clay Pruitt, will be honored prior to tip-off of the game.
Alabama's three senior players have been instrumental in Alabama's rise in the past four seasons. All three came with the desire to be the players to put Alabama back on the map. All three have been fulltime starters since their freshman season. All three are Academic All-SEC in 2003 and all three will have graduated from the University of Alabama by summer's end.
The trio helped lead Alabama back into the national rankings by their sophomore season and win the SEC Championship (and advanced to the SEC tournament's championship game) their junior year. Heartbroken about not getting in to the NCAA tournament despite a 21-10 record on Selection Sunday that year, they made it to the NIT championship final their sophomore year in 2001 and finished with a 25-11 record, Alabama's first 20-win season since 1995. Their play this season helped Alabama gain its highest ever ranking, a No. 1 spot, for two straight weeks in the December 23rd and December 30th rankings. They've already had at least two 20-win seasons with a 25-11 record as sophomores in 2001 and a 27-8 record as juniors (one shy of the school's most-wins record). And their senior season Alabama set the school's home win streak record at 28 straight, a streak that began their sophomore year and included a school record 17-0 mark at home in 2002.
Alabama's record since the three arrived is 81-44 (.648%).
It's the 25th Meeting For Tide & Gamecocks
Games between Alabama and South Carolina are rare compared to the number of times Alabama has played most of the other teams in the Southeastern Conference. That's not only because Alabama competes in the SEC Western Division and South Carolina in the Eastern Division (meaning they only play once each regular season as opposed to two head to head games for division teams), but South Carolina is a relative newcomer to the SEC, joining the league on July 1, 1991.
Wednesday night's game marks the 25th meeting between Alabama and South Carolina in men's basketball. Alabama leads this series, which actually dates to 1923, 16 wins to 8 by South Carolina. The first time these two teams met was in 1923 at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament in Atlanta. Alabama won that first game 49-24 and would build a seven consecutive game win streak (beginning then) before South Carolina broke the spell in 1988 with a 73-67 win in Columbia.
The last time these two teams met was in Atlanta, Ga., as well, this time in the semi-final of the 2002 Southeastern Conference Tournament. Alabama won that March 9, 2002 game 65-57 to advance to the tournament championship game.
Alabama has won the last four straight games in this series, winning the 2002 regular season match up in Columbia at the last second by a 52-51 score. Alabama won 60-55 in Tuscaloosa in 2001. The two teams met twice in 2000, in Columbia and in the SEC tournament's first round game. A freshman led Tide team, which included Erwin Dudley, Terrance Meade and Kenny Walker in the lineup, fell by 10 in that tourney game which abruptly ended the trio's first year of college basketball.
Following is a quick series breakdown:
Series Record: UA 16 wins, USC 8 wins
Streak: Alabama has won the last four
In Tuscaloosa: Alabama leads 7-1
In Columbia: Series is tied 5-5
Neutral Sites: Alabama leads 15-8
