Alabama Men's Basketball Hosts Arkansas on Senior Night

March 1, 2016

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama, winners in six of its last eight contests, will play its final regular season home game on Wednesday night when it welcomes the Arkansas Razorbacks for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff. The contest will be Senior Night as Arthur Edwards and Retin Obasohan will be honored prior to the start of the game.

Alabama comes into Wednesday's game with an RPI of No. 48 and a strength of schedule of No. 28 in the nation, according to ESPN.com (through March 1). The Tide's RPI is fifth in the SEC, while its SOS ranks third. Alabama ranks second in the SEC with 5 wins vs. the RPI top 50.

Five of Alabama's 11 losses have come against teams ranked in the ESPN.com RPI top 22, while seven of the Tide's defeats have been to teams ranked among the top-50 RPI.

Wednesday's game will air on SEC Network as Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Joe Dean Jr. (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.

OPENING TIP

Through 13 home games during head coach Avery Johnson's first year, Alabama is averaging 13,223 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.

Senior guard Retin Obasohan has been making his case for first team all-conference honors. Against league competition, Obasohan is averaging 20.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent from beyond the arc through 16 conference games. He is looking to become the first Alabama in 30 years player to average 20 or more points per game in league play. The last person to achieve the feat was former great Buck Johnson, averaged 20.4 ppg against league competition back in 1985-86.

Obasohan is shooting 47.4 percent from the field for the season. That number leads all guards and ranks sixth overall in the SEC.

Five of Alabama's 11 losses this year have come against teams ranked in the top 24 in the latest ESPN.com RPI (March 1). Those teams include No. 4 Xavier, No. 6 Oregon, No. 15 Kentucky (twice) and No. 24 Dayton.

Alabama has marked the first time since the 2001-02 season that the Tide has secured four top-25 wins during the regular season. In the four years prior to this season (2011-15), the Tide was a combined 0-18 vs. top-25 opponents.

Alabama enters Wednesday's game ranked No. 49 in the RPI and boasts the 29th-toughest schedule in the nation, according to ESPN.com (as of March 1). Alabama is tied for second in the SEC in RPI top-50 wins (5) and top-25 wins (2) and leads the league in victories of Associated Press top-25 ranked teams (4). In addition, the Tide ranks third in the league strength of schedule and sixth in overall RPI.

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.

Obasohan has been making his case for first team all-conference honors by his play during SEC play. The Antwerp, Belgium native is averaging 20.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent from beyond the arc through 16 league games. He currently ranks fourth in scoring average, fifth in field goal percentage and tied for ninth in steals per game.

Obasohan enters the final week of the season averaging 20.3 points per game in SEC play. He is looking to become the first Alabama player to average 20 or more points per game in league play since former great Buck Johnson achieved the feat when he averaged 20.4 ppg during league play back in the 1986 SEC season.

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 (17-11, 8-8 SEC) snapped a two-game losing skid last Saturday night when it captured a 65-57 victory over rival Auburn. The Tide will next close out the regular season home schedule when it hosts Arkansas on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT. Senior guards Retin Obasohan and Arthur Edwards will be honored in a ceremony prior to tipoff.
Obasohan, who averaged 25.5 ppg over his last four contests including a career-best 35-point performance in the win at LSU on Feb. 17, leads Alabama in scoring (17.3 ppg), steals (1.4) and minutes (32.5 mpg) through the Tide's 28 contests. The Antwerp, Belgium, native currently ranks sixth in the SEC in scoring average and field goal percentage (.476), is tied for seventh in steals per game and tied for eighth in minutes per game entering Wednesday's contest.
Junior forward Shannon Hale and Edwards rank second and third on this year's team in scoring average at 10.6 ppg and 9.4 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 (.760). Meanwhile, Edwards ranks second on the team and 10th in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage at 38.7 percent (58-of-150) for the year. Edwards also ranks second on the team in double-figure scoring games with 15.
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 (6.3 rpg) and three-point field goal percentage (.394), while ranking fourth in scoring (8.9 ppg) and second in minutes per game (31.6).
As a team, Alabama is being outscored by the competition for the season by 0.1 points per game (67.0-67.1). The Tide comes into Wednesday'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 (.321) and scoring defense (67.1) and is fifth in blocked shots per game (5.0) and field goal percentage defense (.404). Offensively, the Tide is fourth in three-pointers made per game (7.6).

ALABAMA-ARKANSAS: SERIES NOTES

Wednesday's game between Alabama and Arkansas will be the 59th meeting in series history, with the Razorbacks owning a slim 30-28 edge in the all-time series.
This marks the lone meeting played between the two teams this season. Arkansas last played at Alabama on March 8, 2014, which also was Senior Night. It marks the second time in the last three seasons the Razorbacks have been the opponent in the Tide's final regular season home contest.
Alabama owns a record of 19-5 when playing Arkansas in Tuscaloosa. The Tide has won seven consecutive games over the Razorbacks in Coleman Coliseum. The last time Arkansas won at Alabama came on Jan. 27, 2007.
Forty-eight of the 59 games played in the series have come as conference opponents.
Alabama has won five of the last seven games played between the two schools.
The Crimson Tide is 3-2 in overtime contests against Arkansas. All five overtime games have come within the last 12 seasons.
The series began during 1947-48 campaign.

ALABAMA TOPS RIVAL AUBURN, 65-57

The Alabama men's basketball team defeated Auburn, 65-57, in front of a sold out Coleman Coliseum on Saturday. The Tide fell behind early in the second half, but outscored the Tigers 28-11 over the final 14:28 to seal the victory and give head coach Avery Johnson his first win in the series.
Auburn used a 15-3 run over the first five minutes of the frame to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a 44-34 with 14:58 left. However, the Tide quickly answered the Tigers' run with a 14-4 run of its own to tie the game at 48-48 with 6:34 to play.
From that point on, senior guard Retin Obasohan came up clutch by hitting key baskets down the stretch. Obasohan, who scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the final 10:34, gave the Tide the lead for good with a layup at the 6:46 mark to push Alabama ahead, 50-49.
With his team leading 57-53 with 2:20 left, the Antwerp, Belgium native connected on a three-pointer and followed that with a 15-foot jumper to extend Alabama's lead to 61-55. From there, the Tide hit all four of its free throws to seal the win.
Freshman forward Donta Hall had one of his best games this season, finishing the night with a season-high 10 points to go along with eight boards and two blocks before fouling out at the 6:16 mark. Senior Arthur Edwards also came up big with 15 points on the strength of three three-pointers.
Alabama just edged out Auburn on the boards, winning the rebounding battle, 37-36. The Tide is now 11-2 this year when outrebounding the opponent. Alabama forced 18 turnovers and recorded seven steals.
It marked the fifth sellout of the season for Alabama, which is the most since the 2006-07 when Coleman Coliseum was sold out six times.
COACH Avery Johnson'S THOUGHTS: ""Wow, what a game. It was a Rollercoaster. I am really proud of our guys. We are awfully happy, we understand that it is a rivalry. I feel a little bit different this go around. We are excited about this win and protecting our home court. And thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over to our students and fans tonight because they were another reason why we won this game, pulling us through when we had a struggle there mainly in the second half."

ALABAMA-AUBURN: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

What Won The Game For UA: After forcing only five turnovers in the first half and eight throughout the game's first 27 minutes, Alabama turned up its defensive pressure. The Tide forced Auburn into 10 turnovers over the game's final 13 minutes, seven of which came over the final 8:31. As a direct result, the Tide outscored the Tigers 21-9 over the final eight-plus minutes.
The Difference Maker: Retin Obasohan. The senior guard scored a game-high 16 points, 14 of which came after intermission. Moreover, Obasohan scored 11 points over the final 10-plus minutes with seven of his total coming in the final 2:20.
The Wow Stat: Auburn began the second half by hitting its first eight field goals and led 46-37 with 13:43 remaining. However, Alabama held the Tigers to just 3-of-14 from the floor and outscored Auburn 28-11 over the final 13:18 to secure the win.

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. Kentucky leads the SEC with seven RPI top-50 wins.
The 11 teams Alabama has lost to have a combined record of 212-105 (.669). Six of the 11 are 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.
Five of Alabama's 11 losses have come against teams ranked in the ESPN.com RPI top 22, while seven of the Tide's defeats have been to teams ranked among the top-50 RPI.
Alabama's strength of schedule is rated No. 28 in the nation, according to ESPN.com (as of March 1). That is good for third-best in the league behind Florida (No. 10) and Kentucky (No. 26).
The Tide currently ranks first in the SEC wins vs. top-25 ranked teams (4), tied for second the SEC in RPI top-50 wins (5), third in the league in strength of schedule (28) and fifth in RPI (48).
Alabama is playing well at the right time. The Tide is 6-2 over its last eight contests and 7-3 in its last 10. The Tide also has captured wins in three of its last four road games.

TOPPLING THE TOP 25

Alabama leads the SEC with four top-25 victories on the year and owns a record of 4-3 when playing ranked for the year. In the four years prior to this season (2011-15), the Tide was a combined 0-18 vs. top-25 opponents.
Most recently, Alabama captured a 63-62 win over then-No. 15/13 Texas A&M on Feb. 10. 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 11 games in which its opponent has either been ranked or receiving votes to be ranked in its 27 games this season.

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Alabama Men's Basketball Hosts Arkansas on Senior Night

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