Alabama
Mercer
Rocket City Classic Pits Alabama Against Mercer on Tuesday Night in Huntsville
12/18/2017 2:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Bears set to tip off at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network in front of sold out crowd
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team returns to action after a 10-day break between games when it travels to Huntsville, Ala., to take on the Mercer Bears in the Rocket City Classic. The contest will tip at 8 p.m. CT from the Von Braun Center and will be televised on SEC Network.
This marks the second year of the Rocket City Classic, and the second consecutive year the event has sold out. In last year's event, the Tide defeated Arkansas State, 67-52, in front of a sold out Von Braun Center on Dec. 22, 2016.
Alabama is coming off a 10-day break between games to focus on final exams, as the Tide last played on Dec. 9 at Arizona. Alabama dropped a narrow 88-82 decision to the Wildcats in Tucson, Ariz., in a game that featured eight ties and seven lead changes.
THE BROADCAST
• Tuesday's game will air on SEC Network with Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Mo Williams (analyst) on the call.
• The radio broadcast can be found on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call, with the pregame show beginning at 7 p.m. CT on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
OPENING TIP
• For the sixth consecutive week, Alabama is receiving votes to be ranked nationally in the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Top-25 polls, which were both released on Monday (Dec. 11). The Tide received four votes in the AP poll and is ranked No. 38 in the nation, while UA received six votes and is No. 40 in the nation in the Coaches poll.
• The Tide is facing arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation. Having already played the likes of Minnesota, Arizona, Rhode Island, BYU, UCF, Louisiana Tech and UT Arlington to name a few, Alabama enters Tuesday night's contest with the No. 12-ranked strength of schedule, according to ESPN.com.
• Despite ranking 303rd in the nation in free throw percentage (65.3 percent) this year, the Tide leads the Southeastern Conference in free throws made (179) and attempted (274). Nationally, Alabama ranks 12th in total free throw attempts and is 31st in foul shots made.
• Alabama will return to action on Friday night when it travels to Birmingham, Ala., where it squares off against the Texas Longhorns in the Vulcan Classic. The contest, which will be televised on ESPN2, will tip at 8 p.m. CT.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama fell to 7-3 on the young season following a narrow 88-82 defeat at Arizona back on Dec. 9. The contest was the Tide's first true road game of the season. Alabama has not played since Dec. 9, having taken time off for final exams.
• Through its 10 contests, the Tide is averaging 79.3 points per game and outscoring the opposition by 7.7 points per contest (79.3-71.6). As a team, Alabama is connecting on 48.8 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Tide also owns a +0.9 rebounding advantage (37.6-36.7). Additionally, Alabama ranks sixth the SEC and 18th in the nation in blocked shots per game (6.0).
• In addition to blocking shots, the Alabama defense is allowing opponents to shoot 41.7 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from deep, while also averaging 6.4 steals a contest. Despite struggling at the foul line this season (shooting 65.3 percent on the year), the Tide leads the league in free throws attempted (274) and free throws made (179).
• Four players are averaging double-figure scoring for the Tide, led by freshman Collin Sexton's 21.8 ppg. Sexton also shares the team lead in assists (3.3 apg) and field goals made (56) and attempted (119). Freshman John Petty ranks second on the team with 12.3 ppg and tops UA in threes made (29) and attempted (77), while his 2.9 treys made per game is third-best in the SEC.
• Junior Donta Hall ranks fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (.750, 51-of-68), while also leading Alabama in dunks (24), rebounds (8.0 rpg) and blocks (2.6 bpg). Hall is third on the team with 12.2 points per game. Sophomore guard Dazon Ingram is averging 11.4 ppg, and ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and shares the team lead in assists (3.2 apg) a game.
SCOUTING MERCER
• Alabama and Mercer will meet for the 10th time in series history when the two teams square off at the Rocket City Classic on Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series, 6-3, however, Mercer won in the last meeting between the two teams taking a 66-59 decision at Coleman Coliseum on Dec. 22, 2012.
• In fact, Mercer has won two of the last three meetings against Alabama on the hardwood. The Bears also captured a 72-69 victory on Nov. 16, 2009 in Tuscaloosa. The Tide's only victory in the lsat three meetings against Mercer came on Dec. 23, 2009 with a 90-71 win in Tuscaloosa.
• Mercer was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Southern Conference men's title by the league's head coaches. The Bears were narrow favorites to claim the SoCon crown, tallying four first-place votes and 71 total points with Samford as a close runner-up, earning three first-place votes and 70 total points. Mercer senior guard Ria'n Holland named to the Preseason All-SoCon Team by the league's coaches as well.
• Holland, a senior guard, tops the Bears with 20.7 points per game, connecting on an impressive 57.3 percent (43-of-75) from the floor and 60.0 percent (27-of-45) from beyond the arc this season. Senior guard Jordan Strawberry is the second-leading scorer at 10.4 ppg, while topping the team in assists (4.2 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (42:16). Senior forward Stephon Jelks leads Mercer in rebounding (7.1 rpg) while also contributing 9.4 points a game.
• Mercer returned all five starters from last season's club that finished 15-17 overall and 9-9 in the Southern Conference. Head coach Bob Hoffman begins his 10th season at the helm and has led the Bears to 179 victories, the most successful run in the program history. Under Hoffman's direction, Mercer has appeared in five postseason tournaments; posted 14 postseason victories; claimed 10 NCAA power conference wins; earned a postseason tournament title; and won a school-record 27 games on two different occasions.
TIDE TIP OFF NUGGETS
• Freshman John Petty will make his return to Huntsville on Tuesday night for the Rocket City Classic when the Tide takes on Mercer at the Von Braun Center. Petty was a two-time Mr. Basketball in the state of Alabama, who went on to win three straight state titles (two at J.O. Johnson HS and one at Mae Jemison HS).
• Senior guard/forward Riley Norris graduated this past Saturday with an undergraduate degree in marketing, having accomplished this in just three-and-a-half years at the University of Alabama. He will begin his graduate coursework in the spring of 2018. Throughout the course of his career, Riley has been named to the UA Dean's List five separate times and was a member of the 2015 SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll. On the court, the Albertville, Ala., native is the Tide's most experienced player, having played in 108 games making 57 starts. He has scored 750 points in his career and needs only 250 points to become the 50th member of Alabama's 1,000-points scored club.
• Donta Hall tops the SEC and ranks fourth in the nation in field goal percentage at 75.0 percent (51-of-68). Furthermore, he ranks second in in the league in blocks per game (2.6 bpg) and is tied for third in rebounding (8.0 rpg). Hall tops the Tide with 24 dunks which equates to just under half of his made field goals this year.
• Collin Sexton leads the SEC in scoring average (21.7 ppg). Despite missing the first game of the season, Sexton leads the SEC and ranks eighth in the nation in free throws made (68). He also tops the SEC and ranks sixth nationally in free throws attempted (90).
• Freshman Herbert Jones has drawn 14 charges already this season, which ties the program record. Since the stat was kept at Alabama (2008), the most charges for an entire season by a single player was Braxton Key who drew 14 charges in 2016-17, while Retin Obasohan's 10 charges taken in 2014-15 was next best.
• Last season, Alabama scored 82 points or more in only four games, including a quadruple overtime (won 90-86 at South Carolina). The Tide has achieved the feat in five of its first 10 games this year.
• Arizona's defense held the Crimson Tide to just 38.7 percent shooting (24-of-62), which marks the first time this season that Alabama has shot below 40 percent in a contest.
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