Men's Basketball and Vanderbilt to Meet in Coleman Coliseum
1/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Alabama Basketball Preview - Alabama vs. Vanderbilt
Alabama (13-4, 2-1 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (13-4, 3-0 SEC)
Crimson Tide Basketball Central
Basketball Home | Season Statistics | Roster | Media Guide | TideTV - Watch the games online! | SEC Basketball | NCAA BasketballJan. 18, 2012
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -
The University of Alabama men's basketball team returns to Coleman Coliseum on Thursday evening to host Vanderbilt on ESPN2. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST and can also be heard on radio via the affiliates of the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
A limited number of tickets remain for Thursday's game and are available through the Alabama Ticket Office in the Coleman Coliseum lobby, via phone at 1-877-TIDE-TIX or online at www.RollTide.com. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for youths.
Vanderbilt travels to Tuscaloosa with a sterling 3-0 record in league play and a 13-4 overall record after defeating Georgia, 77-66, on Saturday for its seventh straight win. The Commodores have four players averaging double figures with John Jenkins' 19.8 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting (44.7 percent from three-point) leading the way.
"They have two of the top five scorers in the league with [John] Jenkins and [Jeffery] Taylor," UA head coach Anthony Grant. "Then [Brad] Tinsley is another guy who obviously has the ability to score and [Festus] Ezeli gives them a presence down low both offensively and defensively that most teams across the country would want. So I'm certainly very impressed with their team."
That potent Vanderbilt lineup will meet one of the nation's top defenses and home-court advantages as the Tide has won 26 of its last 27 games and 10 straight SEC games in Coleman Coliseum. The Tide is also gunning for win No. 500 in the building.
UA's defense is allowing just 55.7 points per game, the eighth best average in the nation with only four opponents scoring 60 or more points against the Tide this season. That defensive pressure has allowed the Tide to win five of its last six games with the wins coming by an average of 18 points as the squad has amassed a 13-4 overall record and a 2-1 ledger in SEC games.
Trevor Releford has led Alabama in scoring in the four of the last six games and is averaging 15.5 points per game on 38-of-56 shooting (5-of-15 from three-point) with 18 assists and 15 steals during that span. In the win over LSU he matched a season-high with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Tony Mitchell leads the squad this season with 14.5 points per game on 47.6 percent shooting. He also leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 per game and has 30 of the team's 53 dunks.
Fans attending Thursday's game should note that due to the 6 p.m. tipoff, more students will be in class and on campus. As a result, there may be a shortage of parking spaces in the Coleman Coliseum Lot. Some fans who have parking passes for Coleman Coliseum may be asked to park in the Soccer Lot, which has been designated as the overflow lot for fans who have parking passes for Coleman Coliseum. Crimson Ride buses will be available to shuttle fans to and from the Soccer Lot and the Coliseum. For more information on parking for the men's basketball games, please visit www.uagameday.com/basketball.
