Men's Basketball Closes Out 2009 Against Tennessee State
12/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2009
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - -
Following a brief recess over the Christmas holiday, the University of Alabama men's basketball team will return to action on Wednesday evening against visiting Tennessee State. As part of a double-header with the Alabama women's team, the game will tipoff at approximately 7:30 p.m. in Coleman Coliseum.
| Game 13 | Alabama (8-4) vs. Tennessee State (3-9) | |
| Date | Wednesday, Dec. 30 | 7:30 p.m. |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Coleman Coliseum |
| Tickets | $5 | Buy Here |
| Television | None |
| Radio | Crimson Tide Sports Network | Listen Online | Affiliates |
| Internet | Tide TV | |
| Promotions | $5 Holiday Ticket Pricing |
| All-Time Series | Alabama leads 5-0 |
Alabama
Roster | Schedule | Stats | News | Game Notes 
Tennessee State
Roster | Schedule | Stats | News | Game Notes
The final game in the Athletic Ticket Office's special holiday pricing, all tickets for Wednesday's game are $5. Additionally, a ticket for the men's game will gain admittance to the women's game against Southern Mississippi at 5 p.m., giving fans the opportunity to watch two games for $5.
Tennessee State travels to Tuscaloosa for the second straight season with a 3-9 record and will be the Tigers' first game since a December 19 loss to Vanderbilt by an 84-71 margin. Last season the Tigers fell 75-66 in Tuscaloosa. However, the squad is now under the direction of first-year head coach John Cooper, a long-time Auburn assistant.
"Tennessee State has had a very competitive schedule," Alabama head coach Anthony Grant said. "When you look at their style of play, it will be very similar to the way we want to play. They're a team that tries to press for the entire game and really tries to play up-tempo. It will be a challenge for us to make sure we take care of the basketball and do a good job defending them."
Alabama enters Wednesday's game with an 8-4 record after last Wednesday's 90-71 win over visiting Mercer. Despite the week in between games, the Tide recently returned to practice to prepare for the stretch run of the non-conference season.
"Our guys had three days to get away and spend some time with their family," Grant said. "I think it was needed for our guys and for our team. Now we're going to have to see how we respond to that. We've had a couple days of practice to get ourselves back to where we need to be and get our focus where it needs to be. We'll have to see how we respond."
JaMychal Green will be on player looking to maintain that pre-break focus as he scored a career-high 27 points in the win over Mercer and hauled in 13 rebounds for his 10th career double-double. Green leads the Crimson Tide this season with 15.8 points per outing and 6.9 rebounds. The Tigers are led by Josh Sain's 14.6 points per game while Robert Covington is the only other Tiger averaging double-figures with 10.6 per game.
With just two more games remaining until the Tide begins Southeastern Conference play on January 9, the Tide will continue working towards making marked improvements on both ends of the floor.
"I think defensively we've got to do a better job of tightening up in terms of our ability to contain and rebound the basketball," Grant said. "On the offensive end, guys are understanding what their roles are and what we need to get accomplished as a team. Those are things we've harped on all season and things that will be needed once we start conference play."
