TUSCALOOSA ?? A man who spent his youth cheering for the Crimson Tide basketball team will find himself on the opposite bench doing everything he can to see the Tide fall on Friday night. The No. 8 ranked University of Alabama is playing host to Tuscaloosa native Scott Sanderson, son of former Tide head coach Wimp Sanderson, when Alabama, 11-1, plays Lipscomb on Friday, December 29 at 7 p.m. CT. Scott Sanderson is the head coach for the Bisons, 8-4 overall and 2-0 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
"They're very good, very well-coached," said Alabama head basketball coach Mark Gottfried. "Their perimeter players are excellent. They can score. It's kind of a three-headed monster with their three leading scorers. They all play on the perimeter. They shoot it extremely well. Although they're small, they're going to give us some problems, so we've got to make sure we really prepare well for them."
For Gottfried, it brings another familiar face to the opposite bench in a season where he's already coached against his former Alabama assistant Orlando Early when Early brought his Louisiana Monroe team to Tuscaloosa on November 28 and his former Murray State assistant Tevester Anderson when Anderson and his Jackson State team opened the season against Alabama on November 10.
"I've known Scott since I was in college here," said Gottfried of the Lipscomb head coach who played collegiately at South Carolina. "He's a good friend. We pull for each other. He's done a great job there. I think they're going to be an NCAA tournament team. And I'm sure Coach (Wimp) Sanderson will be here. That is his son, so that always makes things interesting, but it should be a good night."
At stake for the Crimson Tide is its 13-game home win streak that dates to January 18, 2006 when Alabama defeated Arkansas. Alabama is 429-92 all-time at home in Coleman Coliseum. Gottfried's Alabama teams are 114-18. He's won 86.4% of the home games he's coached.
Lipscomb marks the first of the last two non-conference games Alabama plays before opening Southeastern Conference play at Arkansas on January 6. Following Friday night's game, Alabama hosts Oklahoma on New Year's Day at 1:30 p.m. CT.
Alabama All-SEC point guard Ronald Steele says these games are important for the Tide, challenging him and his Alabama teammates. Lipscomb tied for the Atlantic Sun Championship last season and has a couple of all-conference players on its roster. As Alabama puts its final touches on its game for league play, Steele says one area of Alabama's game has improved from its first games.
"We're not turning the ball over as much," said Steele. "We were giving the ball away too much unnecessarily, and that was a big issue, especially in league play you can't get a team the ball as much as we were doing so I think that's the biggest thing."
Steele says Alabama still needs work on its defensive game. Twelve games into the season, Alabama's offense is averaging 80.3 points a game. Opponents are averaging 62.8 points a game. Alabama is outrebounding opponents 44.2 to opponents 33.9 rebounds a game.
"We're still not playing really good defense," said Steele who thinks those numbers could be even better. "We're getting better but it's time to really be on top of our game especially in the next two games getting ready for league play."
Tickets are on sale now for Alabama's home games and can be purchased at the Athletic Ticket Box Office in Coleman Coliseum, by calling 1-800-TIDETIX or by logging on Alabama's official website at www.rolltide.com. Non-conference tickets are $12. Tickets for league games are $18. Kids 18 and under can purchase a youth ticket for $8.
