Men's Basketball Set to Host Mississippi
2/3/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Alabama Basketball Preview - Alabama vs. Mississippi
Alabama (14-7, 3-4 SEC) vs. Mississippi (14-7, 4-3 SEC)
Crimson Tide Basketball Central
Basketball Home | Season Statistics | Roster | Media Guide | TideTV - Watch the games online! | SEC Basketball | NCAA BasketballFeb. 3, 2012
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -
The University of Alabama men's basketball team returns to action after a week off to host Mississippi in Coleman Coliseum on Saturday evening. Tipoff for the contest, televised by ESPN2 and carried on radio via the Crimson Tide Sports Network, is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.
The Crimson Tide aims to record back-to-back wins after holding off Arkansas, 72-66, in its last outing to improve to 14-7 overall and 3-4 in the SEC. Mississippi makes its annual trek to Tuscaloosa with wins in three of its last four games to stand at 14-7 overall and 4-3 in league play.
"I've been impressed with what Ole Miss has done, I think Andy Kennedy has done a great job with his team and I'm certainly impressed with their players individually," UA head coach Anthony Grant said. "They've got one of the biggest frontcourts in our league and have done a great job from a defensive standpoint. They pose a lot of challenges for us to get prepared for."
Mississippi is paced by four players in double figures with Terrence Henry's 12.1 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting leading the way while Murphy Holloway nearly averages a double-double for the squad with 10.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
They will face a Crimson Tide defense that remains one of the best in the country and has allowed just 57.9 points per game on 37.3 percent shooting by its opponents.
Offensively, the Tide has been led by Trevor Releford's scoring in six of the last 10 games with him averaging 14.4 points per game during that span. The Tide's frontcourt, which has only been outscored in the paint once this season, is led by JaMychal Green's 13.7 points per game.
Alabama leads the all-time series with Mississippi by a 116-52 margin and is 70-10 in Tuscaloosa against UM. One of the most active series in UA history, Mississippi is one three programs UA has recorded 100 wins against.
Following Saturday's game, UA will take to the road to face Auburn on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
