Alabama
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Mississippi State
Alabama Men’s Basketball Begins Road Stretch at LSU on Saturday
1/13/2017 9:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Tigers tip at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama begins a stretch of playing three of its next four games away from Tuscaloosa when it travels to Baton Rouge, La., to face the LSU Tigers on Saturday, at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. It's the first of two games between the teams, as LSU makes the return trip to Tuscaloosa on Feb. 18 (2:30 p.m. CT).
LSU and Alabama will meet for the 176th time in program history, with the Tide leading the all-time series, 104-71. The 175 previous meetings and the 104 wins by the Crimson Tide in the series rank as the third-highest numbers for each category. Alabama snapped a three-game losing streak to the Tigers in the last game between the two teams, capturing a 76-69 victory in Baton Rouge, La. Despite the win, LSU has won five of the last eight meetings between the two teams.
Most recently, Alabama had its four-game winning streak snapped by No. 23 Florida, 80-67, last Tuesday night. The Tide held the lead for most of the second half until the Gators went on a game-ending 19-6 run over the final 7:33 to seal their sixth win in a row. Florida was the first team to 80 or more points on the Tide's defense this season and marked the first time a team put up at least 70 points on Alabama since Texas went for 77 back on Dec. 2 – a span of seven games.
Saturday's game will be televised on SEC Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Pat Bradley (analyst) on the call. Fans can listen to the radio broadcast on the Crimson Tide Sports Network as Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) will call all the action. Live stats for the contest can accessed through RollTide.com, while in-game updates and photos will be made available on Twitter on @AlabamaMBB.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
RADIO: Crimson Tide Sports Network
TV: SEC Network
LIVE STATS: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=147001
SOCIAL MEDIA: @AlabamaMBB
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- A pair of freshman lead the Tide. Forward Braxton Key leads Alabama in scoring (10.4 ppg) and 3-point field goal percentage (.405), while ranking second in rebounding (5.5 rpg), assists (1.9 apg) and minutes (26.6 mpg). Guard Dazon Ingram ranks second on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg) and 3-point shooting (.389), and leads UA in assists (3.7 apg), steals (1.1 spg) and minutes (27.1 mpg). Ingram also ranks third in rebounding (5.1 rpg) and field goal percentage (.527).
- This is the first of three straight games against Tigers – at LSU on Jan. 14, vs. Missouri on Jan. 18 and at Auburn on Jan. 21.
- Alabama comes into Tuesday's game holding opponents to 62.4 points per game. The number ranks second in the SEC and 19th in the nation.
- During SEC play, Alabama has outrebounded the opposition by an average of +13.0 boards per game. In fact, the Tide leads the SEC in league games only in rebounding margin, rebounding offense (43.3) and rebounding defense (30.3).
- Alabama is a perfect 9-0 when holding teams to fewer than 62 points, but falls to 0-6 when allowing the opposition to score more than 62.
- The Tide boasts 11 players averaging double-figure minutes per game, with nine of those players averaging between 5.1 points and 10.4 points per contest.
- Nationally, Alabama ranks among the top 50 in several categories, including 19th in scoring defense (62.4), 32nd in rebound margin (+6.5) and 38th in blocked shots (5.1).
- Alabama will return home for its lone home contest in the current four-game stretch when it hosts the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
SCOUTING LSU
• LSU and Alabama will meet for the 176th time in program history, with the Tide leading the all-time series, 104-71. Both the 175 previous meetings and the 103 wins by the Crimson Tide in the series rank as the third-highest numbers for each category. Alabama has played Mississippi State 195 times for 121 wins which ranks first in the record books, while the 176 games played and 119 wins against Ole Miss rank second.
• LSU head coach Johnny Jones is now in his fifth year at the helm of the Tigers' program. With the win against North Florida earlier this season (11/18), Jones moved into fourth on the all-time coaching win list at LSU. He enters Saturday's game with 89 wins (89-56) in his five seasons at LSU. The only three coaches above him are the three mentors that combined to coach LSU basketball for 65 of the 109 seasons and took LSU to four NCAA Final Fours: Dale Brown (25 years – 448 wins), Harry Rabenhorst (29 years – 340 wins) and John Brady (11 years – 192 wins). Jones' win total has already given him the most wins by any LSU coach in their first five years on the job.
• Sophomore Antonio Blakeney enters the game leading the team in scoring (17.5 ppg), three-point shooting (26-of-69, .377) and field goals made (99) and attempted (207). Blakeney has scored in double figures in five straight games, including over 20 points in three of those contests. For the year, he has had 13 games in double figures, which leads the team.
• Junior forward Duop Reath is second on this year's team in scoring (13.8 ppg), while leading the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg), blocked shots (1.9 bpg) and field goal percentage (.538). Sophomore Brandon Sampson also averaged double figures for the Tigers, entering Saturday's game at 11.2 ppg.
• LSU probable starters (starting five from last game): Guards: Antonio Blakeney (17.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .377 3FG%), Branden Jenkins (2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg), Jalyn Patterson (5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.5 apg). Forwards: Duop Reath (13.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, .558 FG%), Wayde Sims (5.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg).
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama begins a stretch of playing three of its next four games on the road when it travels to Baton Rouge, La., to take on the LSU Tigers on Saturday afternoon. It marks the first of two games played between the teams this year. LSU will make the return trip to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
• Alabama has 11 players that average double-digit minutes (10 of which are active) and nine guys who average between 5.1 and 10.4 points per game. The Tide's top two scorers are both freshmen, while six of the top seven are underclassmen.
• True freshman Braxton Key, who is coming off a career high 24 points and 35 minutes of action in the loss to No. 23 Florida, leads the Tide in scoring (10.4 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.405). He also ranks second in rebounding (5.5 rpg), assists (1.9 apg) and minutes (26.6 mpg).
• Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram leads the team in assists (3.9 apg), steals (1.1 spg) and minutes (27.3 mpg), while also ranking second in scoring (9.8 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.389).
• Sophomore center Donta Hall tops the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and field goal percentage (.679), while ranking second in blocks (1.6 bpg). Graduate senior Corban Collins, who missed two games (Arkansas State and Stetson) with a groin injury, is third in scoring (7.2 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.354).
• As a team, Alabama is outscoring the competition by 5.4 points per game (67.8-62.4) and outrebounding opponents by 6.5 rebounds per game (39.0-32.5). The Tide is shooting .427 from the field and .314 from beyond the arc as a team. Alabama leads the SEC and ranks 32nd nationally in rebounding margin. In addition, the Tide ranks second in the league and 19th in the nation in scoring defense.
ALABAMA-LSU - SERIES NOTES
• Alabama and LSU will meet for the 176th time in series history in a series that began during the 1915-16 season.
• The Tide owns a 104-71 lead in the all-time series. The 176 meetings and 104 wins are the third-most Alabama has played and won against any single opponent
• Despite claiming a 76-69 victory over at LSU in the last meeting between the two teams, LSU has been victorious in three of the last four meetings with Alabama. The Tigers own a record of 46-29 when hosting the Tide in Baton Rouge, La.
• Saturday's game will mark the first of two meetings between the two squads this season. The two teams will square off once again in Coleman Coliseum on Feb. 18, 2017.
• Alabama and LSU have played in 10 overtime games in series history, including two triple overtime contests (2/10/90 & 2/23/13) and a quadruple overtime contest (2/12/72) – the only four-overtime game in school history. Alabama has an impressive 8-2 record when it has played LSU in overtime.
• Four of the last seven games played between the two teams have been decided by three or fewer points, while six of the last eight have been decided by less than 10 points.
ALABAMA-FLORIDA: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
• What Won The Game For UF: Florida turned the table on Alabama in terms of bench production. For the year leading up to last Tuesday's contest, the Tide's reserves had been outscored by its counterparts in just three games – all by less than 10 points. However, the Gators' bench came up big, outscoring Alabama's by 24 points, 41-17.
• The Difference Maker: Florida's Keith Stone. Coming into the contest, the redshirt freshman forward was averaging just 3.9 points per game and had made just 6-of-18 shots from beyond the arc. However, against Alabama, he was a different maker. Stone played 16 minutes off the bench and accounted for 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
• The Wow Stat: The Alabama defense is one of the best in the SEC. However, the Tide committed a season-high 18 turnovers that resulted in a 27-10 deficit in points off turnovers. As a result, the Gators became the first team this year to hit the 80-point mark on Alabama and was the first team to reach 70 points on the Tide since Texas scored 77 on Dec. 2 – a span of seven games.
• Coach Avery Johnson Quote: "Tough night for us tonight. We didn't get off to a great start, but we did a decent job of finishing the first half to cut the lead to seven. Then we came out with a great plan in the second half. We played well on both ends of the floor, we defended, we scored, we had great shot selection. We go up by six then they make a three and cut the lead back down to three, then they went on a run at the end to finish the game pretty strong. They did a good job of pressuring us tonight into some careless turnovers, but those are all correctable errors. Also, we have to do a better job of finishing our shots in the paint and making our free-throws."
REBOUNDING FROM WORST TO FIRST
• Alabama has gone from the one of the worst rebounding teams in the nation to tops in the league entering Saturday's LSU game.
• Last season, the Tide ended the year ranked 13th in the SEC and 293rd in the nation in rebound margin at -3.6 (34.6-38.2). However, through 15 games this season, Alabama leads the conference and ranks 32nd in the nation in rebounding margin at +6.5 (39.0-32.5).
• Over the last five games alone, in which Alabama has won four, the Tide has been even better on the boards. Over that span, Alabama owns two games of 50 or more rebounds (53 vs. Stetson and 50 vs. Vanderbilt) and has outrebounded the opposition by +13.6 rebounds a game (45.2-31.6).
• The last time the Tide collected 50 or more rebounds twice in the same season came during the 2008-09 campaign when Alabama pulled down 51 vs. Alabama A&M on Dec. 2, 2008 and 54 vs. Mississippi State on Feb. 21, 2009.
• Furthermore, the last time an Alabama team had 50 or more rebounds in a game came when the Tide pulled down 51 boards on Nov. 23, 2011 against Alabama A&M. The last time Alabama pulled down at least 53 boards came on Nov. 12, 2010 with 58 boards against Florida A&M.
• In three league games, Alabama leads the conference in nearly every rebounding category, which includes: rebounding offense (43.3), rebounding defense (30.3) and rebounding margin (+13.0), while ranking second in defensive rebounds (29.3) and third in offensive rebounds (14.0) per game.
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