Alabama Men's Basketball Hosts Rival Auburn on Saturday

Feb. 26, 2016

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama will begin a two-game homestand when it takes on the Auburn Tigers on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum. Saturday's game vs. Auburn is sold out, marking the fifth home sellout of the season -- the most sellouts in a single season at Alabama since the selling out six during the 2006-07 campaign.

Alabama comes into its game vs. Auburn with an RPI of No. 45 and a strength of schedule of No. 17 in the nation, according to ESPN.com (through games of Feb. 26). The Tide's RPI ranks fifth-best in the SEC, while its SOS is second-best in the league. Alabama ranks second in the SEC with 5 wins vs. the RPI top 50 (5-6).

It will mark the second meeting this season between the two teams, as the Tigers took an 83-77 victory back on Jan. 19 in Auburn, Ala.

Saturday's game will air on SEC Network as Matt Stewart (play-by-play) and John Pelphrey (analyst) will be on the call. The contest will also be available via the Crimson Tide Sports Network, with Chris Stewart and Bryan Passink calling all the action. Fans will be able to follow along on gametracker (accessed through RollTide.com), and game updates will be available on Twitter via @AlabamaMBB.

PROMOTIONS

10,000 shakers in the seats
ODK Foy Presentation at halftime with head coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide football team

OPENING TIP

Through 15 conference games, Alabama leads the SEC in league strength of schedule. The Tide's SEC opponents have a combined winning percentage of .601 (250-166).

Through 13 home games during head coach Avery Johnson's first year, Alabama is averaging 13,057 fans per game, which ranks fourth in the SEC. That number would rank as the highest single-season per game attendance average in program history (full note on page 9).

Senior guard Retin Obasohan has been making his case for first team all-conference honors. Against league competition, Obasohan is averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from beyond the arc through 15 conference games, He enters the Auburn contest ranking fourth in scoring average, fifth in field goal percentage and tied for ninth in steals per game in SEC contests. Moreover, he has 10 games of 20 or more points vs. SEC teams and has scored in double figures in all but one game in conference play.

Five of Alabama's 11 losses this year have come against teams ranked in the top 17 in the latest ESPN.com RPI (Feb. 26). Those teams include No. 4 Xavier, No. 5 Oregon, No. 12 Kentucky (twice) and No. 17 Dayton.

Alabama has played seven ranked opponents this season and has won four of those games, which leads the SEC. It's the first time since the 2001-02 season that an Alabama team has four victories over AP top-25 teams during the regular season. In addition, Alabama has faced an additional four opponents who were receiving votes to be ranked at the time they played (Dayton, Oregon, at South Carolina and at LSU), making 11 of its 27 opponents this year ranked or receiving votes in the AP top-25 poll at the time the game was played.

Making his first start of the season on Jan. 13 vs. South Carolina, sophomore forward Riley Norris went off for a career-high 27 points and tied a school record with eight made three-pointers en route to a win over No. 19 South Carolina, 73-50. During SEC play, Norris leads the team in rebounds per game (6.1) and three-point field goal percentage (.412) while ranking third in scoring average 9.2 points per game.

Over his last seven games, Justin Coleman is averaging 10.1 points per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from beyond the arc (13-of-30). He enters Saturday's game leading the team in free throw percentage (.889) and assists per game (3.3).

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

SCOUTING ALABAMA

Alabama (16-11, 7-8 SEC) dropped its second consecutive contest last Tuesday night when it fell at No. 16/14 Kentucky, 78-53. The Tide will return home to begin its final homestand of the regular season when it hosts in-state rival Auburn on Saturday. It marks the second meeting between the Tide and Tigers this season. Auburn captured an 83-77 decision over Alabama back on Jan. 19 in Auburn, Ala.
Senior guard Retin Obasohan, who averaged 28.7 ppg over his last three contests, including a career-best 35-point performance in the win at LSU on Feb. 17, leads Alabama in scoring (17.4 ppg), steals (1.5) and minutes (32.6 mpg) through the Tide's 27 contests. The Antwerp, Belgium, native currently ranks sixth in the SEC in scoring average and field goal percentage (.476), is ninth in steals per game and seventh in minutes per game entering Saturday's contest.
Junior forward Shannon Hale and graduate transfer Arthur Edwards rank second and third on this year's team in scoring average at 10.8 ppg and 9.2 ppg, respectively. Hale, who has missed five games on the season, ranks third on the team in double-figure scoring games (13) and is second in free throw percentage (.761). Meanwhile, Edwards ranks second on the team and ninth in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage at 38.2 percent (55-of-144) for the year. Edwards also ranks second on the team in double-figure scoring games with 14.
Sophomore Riley Norris has stepped up his play during the SEC season. The Albertville, Ala., native pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds in the win at LSU on Feb. 17 and leads the team in league play in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and three-point field goal percentage (.412), while ranking third in scoring (9.2 ppg).
As a team, Alabama is being outscored by the competition for the season by 0.5 points per game (67.0-67.5). The Tide comes into Saturday's contest ranked among the top defensive teams in the SEC. Entering the game, Alabama ranks third in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.320), fifth in scoring defense (67.5), fifth in blocked shots per game (5.0) and is sixth in field goal percentage defense (.403). Offensively, the Tide is fourth in three-pointers made per game (7.7).

ALABAMA-AUBURN - SERIES NOTES

Saturday's game will mark the 153rd meeting on the hardwood between the two schools, which is the fourth-most games UA has played against any one opponent. The Crimson Tide owns a 92-60 edge in the series.
It marks the second meeting between the Tide and Tigers this season. Auburn captured an 83-77 victory on its home floor back on Jan. 19. It was the Tigers' third victory in the last 12 meetings between the two teams.
UA owns an all-time record of 40-7 when playing Auburn in Coleman Coliseum. The Tide is 47-8 when hosting AU in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama has won nine of the last 12 games played between the two teams, including six straight at home.
The two teams have played in 11 overtimes in series history, with the last one coming Feb. 21, 2001. Auburn has won eight of the 11 games that have went to extra time.
The series began during 1923-24 campaign.

ALABAMA FALLS AT NO. 16 KENTUCKY

Alabama fell to No. 16/14 Kentucky, 78-53, last Tuesday night in front of a sellout crowd in Rupp Arena. Retin Obasohan finished with a game-high 29 points, which marked his 12th game scoring 20 or more points this season.
Kentucky, which entered the game in first place in the Southeastern Conference, used two runs to build a big lead. Over the last nine minutes of the first half, the Wildcats used a 16-2 run to turn a 17-15 contest into a 33-17 lead. Obasohan ended the half with a buzzer-beating layup and had 15 points at the break. Midway through the second half, Kentucky used an 11-1 run over three minutes to push the score to 55-33 with 11:03 to play. Alabama (16-11, 7-8) would never get closer than 14 points after that.
Obasohan scored over half the Tide's points, outscoring his teammates 29-24. He finished 9-of-13 from the field and 10-for-12 at the free throw line. Sophomore Justin Coleman added eight points, while freshman Brandon Austin put up six. Freshman Donta Hall led the team with eight rebounds.
The Tide shot just 26 percent from the field in the first half and was whistled for 14 fouls. Alabama finished the game 17-of-48 from the field. Kentucky went to the free throw line 28 times, where they scored 22 points.
Alabama lost the rebounding battle 41-29 and was outscored 40-22 in the paint. The Tide also turned the ball over a dozen times. The Wildcats scored on 60 percent of their possessions while holding Alabama to just 35 percent.
Jamal Murray led Kentucky with 23 points. Tyler Ulis added 19 and dished out 10 assists for a double-double. Marcus Lee had a game-high 12 rebounds.
COACH Avery Johnson'S THOUGHTS: "Tonight was a tough night for us. Kentucky was on top of their game. They played well, (Tyler) Ulis and (Jamal) Murray are hard to handle and we had one guy in Retin Obasohan who did his best to be competitive against both of those guys, but it was basically two against one. Give them credit, they were the aggressor, we fouled a little bit too much -- careless fouls -- but overall we didn't have the energy and confidence to be as good as we have throughout SEC play."

ALABAMA-KENTUCKY: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

What Lost The Game For UA: Kentucky controlled the paint, as the Wildcats outscored the Tide 40-22 in points in the paint, while also owning a big 41-29 advantage on the glass. UK's big men were a combined 11-of-19 (.579) from the field and accounted for 26 points and 19 rebounds. In comparison, the Tide's frontcourt players were a combined 2-of-14 (.143) while collectively scoring eight points and grabbing a total of 12 rebounds.
The Difference Maker: Kentucky forward Alex Poythress played for the first time in five games and was an immediate impact. Coming off the bench, the senior forward went 5-of-6 from the floor and scored 14 points in just 17 minutes of work.
The Wow Stat: Retin Obasohan scored a game-high 29 points in the loss, while his teammates combined for just 24. Obasohan, who scored 15 of the Tide's 21 first half points, went a combined 9-of-13 from the floor, 1-of-1 from beyond the arc and 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. The rest of the Alabama team was 8-of-35 from the field, 5-of-14 from deep and 3-of-5 from the foul line.

BUBBLE BANTER

When talking about Alabama's NCAA Tournament possibilities, consider the following:
The Crimson Tide boasts five victories over the RPI top 50 (ESPN.com), which is tied for second best in the league with Texas A&M. Kentucky leads the SEC with six RPI top-50 wins.
Alabama's strength of schedule is rated No. 17 in the nation, according to ESPN.com (as of Feb. 26). That is good for second-best in the league behind Florida (No. 9).
Through 15 conference games, Alabama leads the SEC in league strength of schedule. The Tide's SEC opponents have a combined winning percentage of .601 (250-166).
The Tide currently ranks first in the SEC wins vs. top-25 ranked teams (4), tied for first the SEC in RPI top-50 wins (5), third in the league in strength of schedule (23) and fifth in RPI (41).
The 11 teams Alabama has lost to have a combined record of 208-97 (.682). Six of the 11 of ranked or receiving votes to be ranked in this week's Associated Press Top-25 poll. Eight of the 11 defeats have been away from Coleman Coliseum.

TOPPLING THE TOP 25

With the 63-62 win over then-No. 15/13 Texas A&M on Feb. 10, Alabama picked up with SEC-leading fourth win over top-25 opponents this season. It marked the first time since the 2001-02 season that the Tide has secured four top-25 wins during the regular season.
It is the highest ranked team the Tide has toppled since defeating then-No. 12 Kentucky, 68-66, back on Jan. 18, 2011.
Other ranked teams Alabama has defeated include then-No. 21 Wichita State (64-60) on Nov. 27 followed by a 74-73 victory over then-No. 17 Notre Dame on Nov. 29. The Tide also defeated then-No. 19 South Carolina, 73-50, on Jan. 13.
Alabama's first two victories over ranked teams against Wichita State and Notre Dame came in back-to-back contests. It marked the first time Alabama had won consecutive games against ranked opponents since they defeated then-No. 12 Florida on Feb. 26, 2006, after downing then-No.8 Tennessee on Feb. 18.
The victory over Wichita State snapped a 21-game losing streak to ranked opponents dating back to Jan. 18, 2011, when Alabama beat then-No. 12 Kentucky at home (68-66). It also marked the first win over a ranked opponent at a neutral site since Nov. 29, 2009, when the Tide beat then-No. 15 Michigan.
In all, Alabama has played 10 games in which its opponent has either been ranked or receiving votes to be ranked in its 25 games this season. The Tide enters Saturday's game vs. Mississippi State with the nation's No. 12-rated strength of schedule according to ESPN.com (as of Feb. 19).

RETIN'S RISING

Retin Obasohan has recorded 13 20-point games and has 21 double-figure scoring contest this season. Moreover, he has reached the 20-point mark in eight of the last 11 Alabama games.
The highlight over the stretch was Obasohan going for a career-high 35 points at LSU on Feb. 17. The senior guard connected on 11-of-18 shots from the floor and hit 11-of-11 foul shots against the Tigers.
Obasohan currently leads the team in scoring (17.4 ppg), steals (38), minutes (32.6), field goals made (158) and attempted (332) and free throws made (115) and attempted (162), while ranking second in assists (2.8 apg).
Obasohan has only gotten better in league play. During the SEC season, Obasohan is averaging 20.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.2 apg and 1.4 spg, while shooting 50.5 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from beyond the arc.
In fact, the longer the season goes, the better Obasohan's numbers have gotten. Below is a breakdown of Obasohan's first six contests this season in comparison with his last 21 games, last 16 games, last 11 games, last four games

GAMES PPG RPG APG FG% 3FG% MPG

First Six Games 11.7 1.5 1.7 .397 .333 28.0

Last 21 Games 19.0 4.7 3.0 .493 .369 34.2

Last 16 Games 20.7 4.9 3.1 .518 .393 34.0

Last 11 Games 22.7 4.9 3.6 .525 .395 34.4

Last 4 Games 25.3 5.5 2.3 .523 .385 34.0

University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama Men's Basketball Hosts Rival Auburn on Saturday

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