Men's Basketball Hosts Western Carolina on Monday Night
11/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama will play its second game in four days when it welcomes the Western Carolina Catamounts to Coleman Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. CT. The contest marks the second round of the 2014-15 CBE Hall of Fame Classic. The Tide will travel to Kansas City, Mo., for the semifinals of the event, which will be held on Nov. 24-25.
Monday night's contest will be televised on the SEC Network, with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Darrin Horn (analyst) on the call. The game can also be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) calling all the action. There will be live updates throughout the game available on Twitter @AlabamaMBB.
promotions
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Faculty/Staff Night: Free Admission for faculty w/ valid ID, additional family members $5; Promo Code: MBBFAST
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Beat Auburn Beat Hunger: Donate a canned food or non-perishable and receive $5 admission
The series
Monday's contest marks the fourth meeting between the Tide and Catamounts, with Alabama holding a 3-0 lead in the all-time series. All three games were played in Tuscaloosa, with UA winning by an average margin of 31.0 points per game. Alabama captured a 97-66 victory over Western Carolina in the last meeting between the squads, which took place on Nov. 19, 2004.
the coaches
Alabama head coach Anthony Grant is in his sixth season at the helm of the men's basketball program. He owns a record of 100-71 (.585) during his time at the Capstone and is 176-96 (.647) now in his in ninth season as a head coach.
Western Carolina head coach Larry Hunter, is in his 11th season as at the helm of the program and owns a record of 140-152 (.479). Now in his 35th season has head coach, which includes stops at Wittenburg (Ohio) University and Ohio University, Hunter owns an overall record of 649-377 (.633).
ABOUT TONIGHT's MATCH-UP
Alabama returns eight letterwinners, which includes a pair of transfers that sat out the 2013-14 season, and four starters off last season's team. The Tide finished a disappointing 13-19 a year ago, which included a 5-13 record in games decided by 10 or fewer points. Senior guards Levi Randolph (9.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Rodney Cooper (7.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg) lead the list of returnees, along with sophomore Shannon Hale (8.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) who was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team a year ago.
Western Carolina returns two starters and six letterwinners from last season's 19-15 (10-6 SoCon) team that advanced to the Southern Conference tournament championship game. Senior James Sinclair, who was selected to the preseason all-conference team, averaged 11.8 points and 4.7 rebounds a game last season. Sinclair had a game-high 20 points in the loss to Mississippi State on Friday.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
? The Tide returns eight letterwinners and four starters from last season's team. Included in the returnees are a pair of transfers who sat out the 2013-14 campaign in junior Ricky Tarrant and sophomore Michael Kessens. The Tide welcomes four freshmen on the 2014-15 squad.
? Senior guard Levi Randolph returns as the team's leading scorer from a year ago, when he averaged 9.6 points per game. Over the final six games last season, Randolph was the team's best player as he averaged 16.5 ppg, while shooting 48 percent from the floor and 44 percent from beyond the arc.
? Junior Retin Obasohan returns as the second-leading scorer (9.5 ppg) and is the leading retuner in steals (1.8 spg). Meanwhile, senior guard Rodney Cooper led the Tide with 4.9 rebounds per game, while also averaging 7.5 points and 1.8 assists per contest last season.
? Other top players from last season include sophomore forward Shannon Hale (8.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 35 percent from beyond the arc), who earned SEC All-Freshman honors last season, and Jimmie Taylor (3.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg).
REACHING THE CENTURY MARK
? Head coach Anthony Grant earned his 100th victory at the helm of the Alabama program with Alabama's victory over Towson in the Tide's season opener on Nov. 14. In doing so, he became the seventh head coach in the 101-year history to earn 100 victories at UA.
? Grant has coached 171 total games since coming to Alabama (100-71) and became the fifth-fastest head coach to reach 100 wins at Alabama.
? Below is a list in terms of the fastest Alabama head coach to reach the 100-win mark in his career:
Coach (Overall Record at UA) Games Reach to 100 Wins
1. Wimp Sanderson (267-119) 150 games
2. Hank Crisp (264-133) 152 games
3. David Hobbs (110-76) 162 games
4. Mark Gottfried (216-138) 163 games
5. Anthony Grant (100-71) 171 games
6. C.M. Newton (211-123) 176 games
7. Hayden Riley (102-104) 193 games
THE CAPTAIN MAKES HIS MARK
? In his first game as captain, Levi Randolph certainly did his part in leading Alabama to an 82-54 victory over Towson last Friday night.
? The Madison, Ala., native recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. He also tied his career highs in assists (5) and steals (4) en route to the victory.
? Prior to the start of the season, Randolph's teammates unanimously voted him as the team captain, which marks the first time in the Anthony Grant era the Crimson Tide has elected a captain.
? Randolph is the first Alabama men's basketball player to be named captain since Alonzo Gee was the captain of the 2008-09 team.
ABOUT THE CBE HALL OF FAME CLASSIC
? Monday's game between Alabama and Western Carolina marks the second contest in the 2014 CBE Hall of Fame Classic. The Tide defeated Towson, 82-54, in the opening game of this year's event.
? Alabama will travel to Kansas City, Mo., for the CBE Hall of Fame semifinals where the Tide will face No. 14/14 Iowa State on Nov. 24 at 8:30 p.m. CT in the second semifinal (Arizona State and Maryland play in the first semifinal).
? The winner of the two semifinal games will play for the CBE Hall of Fame championship on Nov. 25 at 8:30 p.m., with the consolation game taking playing at 6 p.m.
? About the event: The CBE Hall of Fame Classic is named after the College Basketball Experience, the award-winning and highly interactive college basketball fan facility adjacent to Sprint Center, which also features the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame hosts an Induction Celebration on the Sunday before the tournament, celebrating Hall of Fame collegiate careers. The tournament, in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), was initially established in 2001 as the Guardians Classic.
ALABAMA IN SEASON OPENERS
? With the season-opening victory over Towson, Alabama now has an all-time record of 81-21 in season-opening contests and has won nine of its last 13 openers.
? Head coach Anthony Grant improved to 6-2 in season openers as a head coach (3-0 at VCU and 4-2 at Alabama) and is 19-3 overall in his coaching career as a head coach and assistant coach.
? UA has a record of 44-4 when playing its first home game of the season at Coleman Coliseum. That number dates back to the first-ever game played at the venue, which opened on Feb. 1, 1968 (won 86-65 vs. Samford). The four losses have come against Cornell in 2009, Mercer in 2008, Chattanooga in 1993 and La Salle in 1979.
20-POINT GAMES IN THE SEC
? Alabama has the distinction of leading the SEC in a unique category, as play begins in the 2014-15 season
? The Tide boasts six players on this year's roster who have scored 20 or more points in a game in their career (Rodney Cooper, Shannon Hale, Michael Kessens, Retin Obasohan, Levi Randolph and Ricky Tarrant).
? That number is tied for the SEC lead with Ole Miss, while Arkansas and Texas A&M are second in the league with five players who have achieved the feat.
NEW FACES AND NEW PLACES
? Alabama welcomes four freshmen to this year's team. The Tide's 2014 recruiting class was ranked as high as No. 21 in the nation. Guards Justin Coleman (Birmingham, Ala./Wenonah HS), Devin Mitchell (Suwanee, Ga./Fort Collins HS) and Riley Norris (Albertville, Ala./Albertville HS) are rated as top-100 recruits nationally and slated to join the Crimson Tide on the court for the 2014-15 season. UA also signed forward Jeff Garrett (Gadsden, Ala./Oldsmar [Fla.] Christian School) during the late signing period.
? Alabama also welcomes junior guard Ricky Tarrant and sophomore forward Michael Kessens to this year's lineup. Both players transferred to Alabama and sat out the 2013-14 season due to NCAA rules. Tarrant scored over 1,000 points in his two seasons at Tulane and averaged 15.3 points. 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals a game during his career. Meanwhile, Kessens averaged 13.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, while shooting 54 percent from the floor as a true freshman at Longwood University in 2012-13.
ALABAMA SIGNS THREE DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
? Head coach Anthony Grant announced that three players have signed during the early signing period, as small forward Brandon Austin (Montgomery, Ala./Carver HS), power forward Donta' Hall (Luverne, Ala./Luverne HS) and combo guard Dazon Ingram (Theodore, Ala./Theodore HS) have all signed to continue their basketball careers at the University of Alabama.
? Austin is a 6-5, 180-pound small forward who plays under head coach and former Alabama basketball player J.J. Jackson at Carver-Montgomery High School. Austin averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists a game during his junior season. This past summer, Austin was invited to the 2014 Alabama High School Athletic Association North-South All-Star game where he was named the most valuable player of the South Team after scoring a game-high 15 points.
? Hall will come to Alabama after a standout career at Luverne High School under head coach Richard Dorsey. During his junior season, the 6-8, 205-pound power forward averaged 11.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.7 blocks per game. Last season, he led his team to a 25-3 overall record and a state runner-up finish. Hall is a two-time ASWA all-state honoree, including first-team all-state accolades in 2014.
? Ingram, a 6-5, 180-pound combo guard, averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game last season for head coach Phillip Roebling at Theodore High School. Ingram was tabbed to the Alabama Sportswriters Association (ASWA) 6A First Team All-State and was named the Mobile Press Register's 2014 Coastal Alabama Player of the Year.
? With the three signees all hailing from the state of Alabama, the Tide continues to have a stronghold on the state's top prep basketball players. Hall is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the state of Alabama, which marks the third consecutive year the top boys basketball player has come to the Capstone (Jimmie Taylor was ranked No. 1 in 2013 and Justin Coleman was No. 1 in 2014). In addition to signing the state's top-ranked recruits, current Alabama player Riley Norris was ranked No. 3 in the state as a high school senior last year, while Ingram and Austin are rated by many outlets as two of the top three players from Alabama in this year's signing class.
ALABAMA BASKETBALL TIDBITS
? Alabama ranked among the top 10 percent of all Division I men's hoops programs in the NCAA Academic Progress Report (APR).
? Since 2000, Alabama has graduated 42 of 43 men's basketball seniors (97 percent).
? Last season, Alabama ranked fifth in the SEC in average attendance (10,754).
? In the last five years, Anthony Grant teams boast a record of 62-11 (.847) when playing at Coleman Coliseum.
? Since his arrival, Alabama owns a home record of 34-8 (.810) against SEC competition, including a 30-4 (.882) mark in the past five years alone.
ALABAMA MILESTONES TO WATCH
? Senior Rodney Cooper has played in 99 career games at Alabama. When the Tide takes the floor against Western Carolina on Monday, it will mark the 100th game played in his career.
? Senior Levi Randolph has 828 points in his career. He needs only 172 points to become the 47th player in program history to reach the 1,000-pont plateau.
? Similar to Randolph, Cooper is also nearing the 1,000-point milestone. He currently has 770 points and needs 230 points to achieve the feat.
? Anthony Grant is eight games shy of his 300th career game as a head coach (VCU and Alabama)
? Alabama has 1,592 wins in program history - only eight shy reaching 1,600 wins in program history. Currently, only 28 school in NCAA Division I have reached that milestone.
HOME SWEET HOME
? Now in his sixth seasons at UA, Grant has a record of 66-16 (.802) on Alabama's home floor. During the 2013-14 season, the Tide finished 13-4 at home and outscored teams by an average of 9.5 points a game (73.4-63.8).
? Since the start of the 2010-11 campaign, Grant has won 62 of the last 73 games played under the arched roof of Coleman Coliseum (62-11; .847).
? Overall, Alabama owns a record of 531-120 (.815) in the facility's 47th season of use.
? Grant also led UA to 24 straight home victories that spanned the final home game of the 2009-10 season through the beginning of the 2011-12 season.
SIXTY IS SWEET, BUT 50 IS BETTER
? Alabama held Towson to 54 points in its season opener last Friday night.
? Since Anthony Grant's arrival in 2009, his teams have held the opposition to 60 or below a total of 84 times, going 69-15 (.819) when achieving the feat.
? The Tide held two teams (North Florida and Charleston Southern) to 50 or fewer points last season.
? Grant's Alabama teams have held opponents to 50 or fewer points a total of 34 times in his five seasons at the Capstone. The Tide is 32-2 (.941) when hitting that mark.
