Men's Basketball to Face Oklahoma State In Birmingham
12/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2011
Alabama Basketball Preview - Alabama vs. Oklahoma State
Alabama (8-3) vs. Oklahoma State (6-4)
Crimson Tide Basketball Central
Basketball Home | Season Statistics | Roster | Media Guide | TideTV - Watch the games online! | SEC Basketball | NCAA BasketballTUSCALOOSA, Ala. -
The University of Alabama men's basketball team will face Oklahoma State in the 2011 Legacy Credit Union Holiday Classic presented by Bright House Networks on Wednesday evening in Birmingham. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena on ESPN2.
The game is the Crimson Tide's last before the holiday break and its first at the arena since Dec. 5, 2007 when UA fell to No. 5 Georgetown, 70-60, as part of the SEC/Big East Challenge.
"We hope to get an excellent crowd out to support our team in Birmingham," UA head coach Anthony Grant said. "I think it's a great opportunity for our fans that are in the Birmingham area to get a chance to see us live and in person."
Oklahoma State is 6-4 this season and has lost back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and most recently, New Mexico on Saturday night. The Cowboys have one win away from home this season, a 72-67 win at Missouri State.
"They are a very good team and obviously another Big 12 opponent," Grant said. "They come in having dropped their last two and it's probably going to be an emotion-filled game. They are a very good defensive team that's excellent in transition. It will be a challenge and we've got to be ready to go."
The contest is the second of two straight against Big 12 competition. On Saturday evening, UA fell, 71-58, to Kansas State at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The loss was UA's third in its last four games to give the team an 8-3 record on the season.
After back-to-back 20-point games, JaMychal Green leads the Tide with 15.9 points per game. In his last five games he is shooting 66 percent from the field with three 20-point games. Tony Mitchell is second on the squad with 14.9 points per game after surpassing the 1,000 career point mark with 10 points against Kansas State. He also leads the team in rebounding with 7.3 per game and has 22 of the team's 38 dunks.
OSU is paced by Le'Bryan Nash and Keiton Page's 12.7 points per game. Page is also the team's top three-point threat with 2.6 per game on 37.1 percent shooting while inside, Philip Jurick has been a presence with 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
Wednesday's game is the seventh between the two programs with the last coming on Dec. 19, 2010 when OSU prevailed, 68-60, in Oklahoma City. The series is tied at 3-3 with all three of UA's wins coming in the 1970s.
Following Wednesday's game, the Tide will return to action against Jacksonville on Dec. 29 at Coleman Coliseum. All tickets for the 8 p.m. contest against the Dolphins are $5.
