Alabama
Texas
Alabama and Texas Ready for Men’s Basketball Showdown at BBVA Compass Vulcan Classic
12/21/2017 1:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Longhorns set to tip off at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 in Birmingham’s Legacy Arena
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team will play its final game before the Christmas break as it travels to Birmingham, Ala., to take on the Texas Longhorns in the annual BBVA Compass Vulcan Classic. The contest will tip at 8 p.m. CT from the Legacy Arena and will be televised on ESPN2.
Alabama will make its third appearance in as many years Birmingham's Legacy Arena, but this will mark the Tide's 70th game played in the Magic City. The Tide currently owns an all-time record of 46-23 (.667) when playing in Birmingham.
Alabama and Texas will square off for the second straight year when the two teams meet on Friday. Last season, the Longhorns used a big 15-5 run late in the contest to turn a 12-point halftime deficit into a 77-68 win in Austin, Texas.
Tickets for Friday night's showdown are still available and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com.
THE BROADCAST
• Friday's game will air on ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Seth Greenberg (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 seventh consecutive week, Alabama is receiving votes to be ranked nationally in the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches Top-25 polls.
• The Tide has faced one the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. With non-SEC games against Texas (Friday) and Oklahoma (Jan. 27) remaining, Alabama has already played Arizona, Minnesota, Rhode Island, BYU, UCF, Louisiana Tech and UT Arlington to name a few. The Tide currently owns the No. 23 strength of schedule according to ESPN.com.
• The Alabama men's basketball team will make its third appearance in as many years in Birmingham's Legacy Arena, but this will mark the Tide's 70th game played in the Magic City. The Tide owns an all-time record of 46-23 (.667) when playing in Birmingham.
• Each of Alabama's last six games, and seven of the last eight, have been decided by six points or less. For the year, the Tide has a record of 4-2 in games decided by five or fewer points.
• Alabama will return to action when it opens Southeastern Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 30, when it hosts Texas A&M in Coleman Coliseum. That contest will tip off at 5 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN2.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama improved to 8-3 on the young season following a narrow 80-79 win over Mercer last Tuesday night at the Rocket City Classic in the Huntsville, Ala. The contest was the Tide's first contest since Dec. 9 due to final exams.
• Through its 11 contests, the Tide is averaging 79.4 points per game and outscoring the opposition by 7.1 points per contest (79.4-72.3). As a team, Alabama is connecting on 48.5 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Tide also owns a +1.3 rebounding advantage (37.5-36.3). Additionally, Alabama ranks sixth the SEC and 13th in the nation in blocked shots per game (6.2).
• In addition to blocking shots, the Alabama defense is allowing opponents to shoot 42.1 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from deep, while also averaging 6.4 steals a contest. Despite struggling at the foul line this season (shooting 66.3 percent on the year), the Tide leads the league in free throws attempted (297) and is second in free throws made (197). In fact, 22.5 percent of Alabama's point total (873) have come from the charity stripe.
• Four players are averaging double-figure scoring for the Tide, led by freshman Collin Sexton's 21.7 ppg. That number not only leads the team, but ranks as the best in the SEC and 23rd nationally. Sexton also tops the team in assists (3.4 apg) and field goals made (62) and attempted (130). Freshman John Petty ranks second on the team with 12.8 ppg and tops UA in threes made (33) and attempted (88), while his 3.0 treys made per game is second-best in the SEC.
• Junior Donta Hall ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage (.743, 55-of-74), while also leading Alabama in dunks (29), rebounds (7.8 rpg) and blocks (2.7 bpg). Hall is third on the team with 11.9 points per game. Sophomore guard Dazon Ingram is averaging 11.4 ppg, and ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and assists (3.1 apg) a game.
SCOUTING TEXAS
• Alabama and Texas will meet for the second straight season and 13th time in series history when the two teams square off on the hardwood Friday night. The Longhorns own an 8-4 edge in the all-time series, including a 77-68 come-from-behind victory a year ago in Austin, Texas.
• In last season's meeting between the teams, the Crimson Tide led by 12 points at the half, but a 15-5 run by the Longhorns over the final 3:59 sealed the Texas victory.
• Texas is led on the season by guard Andrew Jones, who tops the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game, but has been sidelined with a wrist injury since Dec. 11. Forward Dylan Osetkowski ranks second on the team in both scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg).
• Freshman big man Mo Bamba is averaging 10.3 points to go along with a team-leading 9.7 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game, which also ranks second in the nation. Junior Kerwin Roach II ranks third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) while converting 71.7% (38-53) of his two-point field goals. He also leads the squad in steals (15).
• The 2017-18 Longhorns return: 49.8 percent of their scoring, 43.3 percent of their rebounding, 80.6 percent of their assists and 56.3 percent of their minutes played.
• Texas was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference in a preseason vote of the league coaches. Big men Dylan Osetkowski (Karl Malone Award) and Mo Bamba (Kareen-Abdul Jabaar Watch List) were both named to watch lists prior to the season.
TIDE TIP OFF NUGGETS
• Alabama played its first game following a 10-day respite between contests last Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide shook off the rust and held on to claim an 80-79 win over Mercer in the Rocket City Classic in Huntsville, Ala. Playing in front of a sold out Von Braun Center, the Crimson Tide battled back from a seven-point second half deficit and led by eight, 80-72, with 27 seconds to play. However, the Bears took advantage of a few Alabama miscues and had a chance to win the game, but leading scorer Ria'N Holland's shot at the buzzer missed the mark.
• Alabama was led by freshman Collin Sexton's 21 points and four assists, while Huntsville, Ala., native John Petty closed with 18 points on 4-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Freshman Alex Reese had one of his best games at Alabama, finishing with 10 points including a couple of clutch three pointers in the second half.
• Sexton comes into Friday's contest as the leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference at 21.7 points per game. The Mableton, Ga., native has seven games of 20 or more and twice has scored 30 or more in a game this season. Sexton, who was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the week of Nov. 27, tops the Tide with 3.4 assists per game, while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 43.2 percent beyond the arc.
• Despite ranking 291st in the nation in free throw percentage (66.3 percent) this year, the Tide leads the Southeastern Conference in free throws attempted (297) and is second in the leauge in free throws attempted (197). Nationally, Alabama ranks 26th in total free throw attempts and is 46th in foul shots made.
• Senior guard/forward Riley Norris graduated on Dec. 16 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.
• This marks the third year of the BBVA Compass Vulcan Classic. The Crimson Tide fell in each of the two previous events. Alabama dropped a narrow 72-68 decision to Oregon in 2016, followed by a 67-54 defeat to Clemson last season.
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