Men's Basketball Continues Homestand with Tennessee State
12/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama men's basketball team (5-3) continues its month-long homestand with a Wednesday night contest against the Tennessee State Tigers (3-5). The two teams will meet on Dec. 17 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide is coming off an 86-78 overtime loss to Texas A&M while the Tigers fell to Alabama A&M by the score of 69-67.
Who to Watch
Alabama senior guard Alonzo Gee continues to lift his scoring average and lead the Tide. Over the last three games Gee paces Alabama with 16.7 points per game and is shooting a team-leading 47 percent from the floor. Gee has also averaged six rebounds a game over the last three contests and leads the team with 35.7 minutes played over that span. The Riviera Beach, Fla., native has been the top scorer in each game for Alabama over the last four contests.
Last Time Out
Alabama fell in overtime to Texas A&M, 86-78, Saturday night at Coleman Coliseum, snapping the Crimson Tide's four-game win streak. Four Alabama players scored in double figures led by senior Alonzo Gee's 19 points. Gee has led the team in scoring in his last four outings. Ron Steele stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, seven boards and six assists. He led the team in both rebounding and assists. Sophomore Senario Hillman scored in double figures for the sixth straight game posting 17 points. The Tide shot 41 percent (26-64) for the game and 26 percent (5-19) from behind the arc compared to 44 percent (27-61) from the field for the Aggies and 38 percent (8-21) from deep. This is the first game in the last five that Alabama has allowed an opponent to shoot better than 40 percent from the field. The Aggies held the edge on the glass, out-rebounding the Tide, 45-37.
Scouting Tennessee State
Tennessee State enters Tuscaloosa with a 3-5 overall record and a 1-1 OVC mark. The Tigers are coming off a 69-67 loss at Alabama A&M. TSU has lost three of its last four contests and is 1-3 on the road. TSU averages 76.6 points per game and yields 79.2 to its opponents. The Tigers have out-rebounded the opposition 41-38 and are out-shooting them 45-43 percent. TSU hands out 14.5 assists per game and turns the ball over at a rate of 16.3 per contest. Individually, Gerald Robinson averages 19.1 points per game and hands out a team-leading 4.8 assists per night. Jerrell Houston adds 16.3 points per tilt and paces the squad with eight rebounds per game. Darius Cox rounds out the TSU double-digit scorers with 13.3 points per game. Houston and Robinson were preseason OVC All-Conference selections. TSU was tabbed to finish fifth according to the preseason coaches poll.
Alabama vs. Tennessee State: The Series
Alabama holds a 4-0 lead over Tennessee State in a series that dates back to the 1992-93 season. The Crimson Tide posted a 95-80 win over the Tigers in that inaugural meeting at Coleman Coliseum. Alabama also owns series wins over Tennessee State during the 1993-94, 2004-05 and 2006-07 seasons. The Crimson Tide posted a 78-60 win over the Tigers in the last meeting between the two teams on Dec. 2, 2006. Jermareo Davidson led the Tide with 22 points and eight rebounds in the win.
Gottfried vs. Tennessee State
Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried is 8-2 (.800) in his career against Tennessee State, with the majority of the games taking place while he was the head coach at Murray State University. Gottfried posted a 6-2 record against the Tigers while at Murray State (1996-98). Gottfried's first Ohio Valley Conference win came at Tennessee State on Jan. 9, 1999, as the Racers prevailed, 71-67, in Nashville. Gottfried led the Racers to a 92-69 win over the Tigers on March 1, 1998, in the championship game of the OVC Tournament in Nashville to clinch the school's second straight NCAA Tournament berth. He is 2-0 against TSU since coming to Alabama with wins during the 2005 and 2007 seasons. Overall, Gottfried is 7-1 (.875) at home against Tennessee State. He is 2-1 in road games and 1-0 in neutral site games against TSU in his career.
Alabama vs. OVC
Alabama owns a sparkling 34-3 (.919) record against the current members of the Ohio Valley Conference, including a 20-game winning streak. The Tide has not lost to an OVC team since suffering a 70-62 loss to Murray State in the second round of the 1980 NIT Tournament in Tuscaloosa. The loss to Murray State was the last game at UA for legendary coach C.M. Newton. The Tide's other two losses to OVC schools came to Jacksonville State (1953) and Morehead State (1958) long before either team joined the conference. Overall, Alabama has played eight of the 11 OVC schools, but has never faced Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri State or SIU-Edwardsville. Alabama has not faced an OVC team since beating both Tennessee State (78-60) and Austin Peay (65-47) during the 2003-04 season.
Gottfried vs. OVC
Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried is 50-12 (.806) in his career against the current Ohio Valley Conference field, including a 10-0 record at Alabama. Gottfried's first head coaching job came at Murray State University and in three seasons Gottfried led the Racers to three OVC regular-season championships and two OVC Tournament titles. His overall record at Murray State was a 68-24 (.739) in 92 games, including a 40-12 (.769) league record. His teams were an impressive 39-3 (.929) at home during his tenure. He coached the Racers to the 1998 and 1999 OVC Tournament Championship, which earned the Racers an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament each year. Dating back to his final season at MSU, Gottfried has won 22 consecutive games against OVC teams, which included a 12-game winning streak to wrap up his career with the Racers. He is 10-0 against the OVC since becoming Alabama's head coach for the 1999-2000 season.
Taking Care of the Ball
Alabama senior guard Ronald Steele has made a name for himself for his ability to take care of the basketball. Steele had his best game of the season in that category by handing out six assists without a single turnover. In his career, the Birmingham, Ala., native has tallied more assists than turnovers 64 times. Steele has recorded five or more assists 43 times and has tallied five more assists than turnovers 15 times. The 6-1 guard has played in seven games in which he did not record a single turnover. Against East Tennessee State on Dec. 1, 2004, Steele etched his name in the UA record books by handing out 18 assists while not turning the ball over.
Annual Growth
Sophomore guard Senario Hillman has excelled in his starting role this season and has shown dramatic improvement over a year ago. The Iwinton, Ga., native is averaging 13.1 points a game this season and has scored in double figures in six straight games. As a freshman, the 6-1 guard averaged 4.3 points a game and tallied four double-digit point totals. Hillman recorded a career-high 22 points in a win against Chaminade at the Maui Invitational.
Streaking
Senior guard Alonzo Gee has put together a six-game streak of scoring in double figures after starting the season with a combined six points in the first two games. Over the six-game streak, Gee is averaging 15.5 points per game and is shooting 46 percent from the floor. Over that span Gee has also led Alabama in scoring four times. The scoring streak is the third longest of his career as he ran a 10-game double-digit streak last season and a seven-game streak in during the 2006-07 campaign.
Alabama Defense in the Rankings
The Alabama defense has been a strength for the Tide this season. Alabama currently leads the Southeastern Conference in three-point field goal defense, holding its opponents to just 27 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Crimson Tide ranks fourth in scoring defense, yielding 62.8 points per game. The Tide also checks in at fourth in field goal defense, restraining opposing offenses to just 37 percent shooting.
20-Point Games = Wins
Among current players on the Alabama roster the Crimson Tide has had an individual score 20 or more points 25 times. UA sports an 18-7 overall record when the Tide has a 20-point scorer over that span. Alonzo Gee leads the team with 14 20-point performances. In those games the Tide is 11-3. Ronald Steele closely follows with 10 20-point games. In those contests UA is 6-4. Senario Hillman tallied his first 20-point game with 22 points in a win against Chaminade.
Double-Doubles = Wins
Among current players on the Alabama roster the Crimson Tide has had an individual record a double-double 11 times, going 9-2 in those games. Senior guard Alonzo Gee leads the way with eight double-doubles. In those games the Crimson Tide is 7-1 overall. Demetrius Jemison has tallied two double-doubles and in those games UA is a perfect 2-0. JaMychal Green tallied a double-double in a loss against Mercer.
Tide Continues Eight-Game Homestand
The Alabama men's basketball team is in the midst of an eight-game homestand. The homestand spans all the way into January when the Crimson Tide finally leaves to play the Clemson Tigers on Jan. 6. The contest against Clemson will close out non-conference play for the Tide. The homestand opened on Dec. 2 against Alabama A&M.
Steele Makes History
Alabama senior point guard Ronald Steele eclipsed the 1,000 point mark by scoring 11 points against Alabama A&M. Steele became the 42nd player in Alabama history to record 1,000 points as he enters the game against Tennessee State with 1,027 career points. In addition to joining the 1,000-point club, Steele is only the second player in school history to record over 1,000 points and 400 assists. Steele has 420 assists coming into Wednesday's game, joining Robert Scott (1977-80) and his 1,321 points and 444 assists.
Gee Scoring Watch
Alabama senior guard Alonzo Gee eclipsed the 1,000-point barrier last season and is rapidly climbing up the all-time scoring list. A total of 42 current and former members of the Crimson Tide are in the prestigious scoring club while Gee ranks 25th overall with 1,249 points. Jermareo Davidson (1,268) and Charles Cleveland (1,312) are next on the list.
Steele Record Watch
Ronald Steele has etched his name prominently in the Crimson Tide record book. Steele has made his mark in the assist categories where he ranks sixth in career assists (420), first in assists in a single game (18) and fifth in assists per game in a career (4.33 average) The Birmingham, Ala., native is first in free throw percentage for a career (.871) and a season (.892), and ranks third in career three-point field goal percentage (.414) with head coach Mark Gottfried (1985-87) holding the all-time mark with a .485 clip.
Gottfried Among Winningest SEC Coaches
Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried, in his 11th season at the Capstone, has had great success while directing the Crimson Tide. Gottfried is one of only two coaches to have taken his SEC squad to the NCAA Tournament five times since the 2001-02 season. At Alabama, Gottfried has averaged 20 wins per season to rank second behind only Wimp Sanderson (22.3 in 12 seasons) in the UA record books. Throughout his 13-year coaching career Gottfried has averaged 21 wins per season. With 271 career victories, Gottfried ranks second among coaches who have been on the bench 13 years or less in Division I, trailing only the 310 wins of Tom Izzo of Michigan State.
Gottfried Gets 200th Win at Alabama
The win over Chaminade was Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried's 200th victory at Alabama. Gottfried now has a 203-127 record in his 11th season with the Crimson Tide. With his 200th win at Alabama, Gottfried joined an exclusive club of 200-game winners at Alabama. Wimp Sanderson (267), Hank Crisp (264) and C.M. Newton (211) are the only other coaches in school history to reach the 200-win mark with the Tide.
Alabama Basketball: A Historical Perspective
• 7 SEC regular season championships
• 6 SEC tournament championships
• 19 NCAA Tournament Appearances (2004 NCAA Elite 8)
• 5 NIT Final Four Trips
• 40 NBA Players (5 current NBA players)
• 19 First Team All-Americans
• 48 Academic All-SEC players
• Ranks 20th in NCAA tournament appearances since 1984
• 126 All-SEC players
• Ranks second all-time in SEC wins behind Kentucky
Alabama Picked to win the West
In a poll by both national and SEC media the Crimson Tide were selected to win the SEC's Western Division as selected by a 30-member voting panel. Alabama received 11 first-place votes and earned a total of 151 points. LSU had 147 points and also received 11 first-place votes. Tennessee was selected to win the conference.
Gee and Steele Garner Preseason Honors
University of Alabama senior guards Alonzo Gee and Ronald Steele were selected to the Second Team of the 2008-09 Preseason Southeastern Conference All-Conference team as voted by the league's coaches. Gee was third on the team with 14.5 points per game and second on the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. He led the Tide in scoring in 10 games last season. Steele was a Preseason All-American in 2007-08 before an injury forced him to sit out the 2007-08 season. Alabama's all-time leader in free-throw accuracy (.868), Steele has started 89 of 90 games he has been in a Crimson Tide uniform.
Green Brings Lofty Credentials
Alabama freshman JaMychal Green brought with him some lofty prep credentials and has instantly impressed at the collegiate ranks. Green has played 20 or more minutes in five of the eight games this season. Green tallied back-to-back double-digit point performances to open his UA career. Green currently paces Alabama, averaging seven rounds per game. The Montgomery, Ala. native was named a McDonald's All-American and played for the USA National U18 Team in Argentina at the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship. The St. Jude high school standout was named "Mr. Basketball" for the State of Alabama.
Veteran Squad Returns
Head Coach Mark Gottfried returns a veteran squad as eight of the 12 members of the Crimson Tide are upperclassmen. The eight upperclassmen have played in a combined 505 games in a Crimson Tide uniform. Senior Alonzo Gee leads all players with 104 games played, starting in 80. Senior Brandon Hollinger follows with 102 games played. Robert Horry (1989-92) holds the career games played record with 131.
Next Time Out
Alabama will continue its eight-game home stand with an early-week contest against Chattanooga. The Crimson Tide will face the Mocs on Monday, Dec. 22, at 6:00 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum. The game will be televised on Comcast Sports Southeast.
