Alabama Aims to Repeat Prior Success Against LSU
2/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2009
ALABAMA (13-9, 3-5 SEC) at LSU (18-4, 6-1 SEC)
Sunday, February 8
Tipoff: Noon (CST)
TV: Raycom Sports (Click here for broadcast clearances) Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The University of Alabama men's basketball continues its two-game road trip Sunday afternoon when it visits Baton Rouge, La for a noon game against LSU.
The Crimson Tide remain as the only SEC team to defeat LSU this season as the Tigers stand at an SEC best 6-1 in league play and 18-4 overall on the season. Alabama handed LSU that lone loss, 65-59, in Tuscaloosa on January 11 behind Senario Hillman's career-high 24 points.
"Their [LSU's] only loss came when they opened in Tuscaloosa," said interim head coach Philip Pearson. "We know that they will have a great environment down there, and Alabama versus LSU always seems to be a great game, so it'll be a tough environment, but we're looking forward to it."
UA travels to Baton Rouge with a 3-5 SEC record and a 13-9 overall mark after falling at Vanderbilt on Thursday evening, 79-74. The Tigers have won three-straight, six-straight in conference and are 15-1 in the Maravich Center this season. The team's lone home loss came to No. 9 Xavier on January 24.
The Tide will attempt to continue its hot three-point shooting after connecting on 53.3 percent (8-of-15) of its three-point attempts at Vanderbilt. UA, a 30-percent three-point shooting team on the year, has shot 50 percent or better in each of its last two games.
Freshman JaMychal Green leads the squad into Baton Rouge after averaging 16.7 points and 9.0 rebounds with two double-doubles over the past three games. At Vanderbilt, he got his second-consecutive double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. That came on the heels of a 14-point, career-high 13-rebound outing against Georgia. He currently leads all SEC freshmen in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and is seventh in scoring (10.2 ppg).
At Vanderbilt, Anthony Brock stepped off the bench to go 5-of-6 from three-point range for a career-high 15 points in 20 minutes of action. Three of his three-pointers came in a three-minute span in the second half that saw him nearly single-handedly turn an 11-point deficit into a two-point one.
Alonzo Gee remains the team's top scorer with 14.3 points per game and is second on the squad in rebounding with 7.0 per outing and he has now scored in double-figures in 19 of his last 20 outings.
In conference action, LSU's six wins have come by an average of 17.8 points and the Tigers are also outrebounding conference foes by nearly nine per game and hauling in an SEC-best 41.0 rebounds per game in conference action.
Marcus Thornton leads the Tigers with 19.9 points per game and has five 30-point performances this season. Tasmin Mitchell (15.6) and Bo Spencer (11.9) are the two other Tigers averaging double-figures this season in scoring. Center Chris Johnson is the team's top man on the glass with 7.9 rebounds per game and team-high 54 blocks.
On Wednesday, LSU went on the road and cracked a four-point halftime lead into an 80-62 drubbing of Georgia. Thornton led all players with 30 points while Tasmin Mitchell nearly joined him with 27 points and nine rebounds as the pair combined to go 23-of-34 (.676) from the field in the win. Following Sunday's contest, the team will have nearly a week off before returning to host South Carolina on Saturday, February 14 at Coleman Coliseum. The Valentine's Day matinee tipsoff at 2 p.m.
