Alabama
Ole Miss
Alabama Men’s Basketball Hosts Ole Miss on Senior Night
2/28/2017 2:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide will honor senior class prior to 7:30 p.m. CT tip off against Rebels
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will close out the regular season home slate when it hosts the Ole Miss Rebels on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT. The contest will also mark Senior Night as the Crimson Tide senior class will play their final regular-season game at Coleman Coliseum.
Ole Miss and Alabama will play for the 177th time in series history on Wednesday night – tied for the second-most games against any single opponent in Crimson Tide program history. UA owns a 119-57 lead in the all-time series, which ranks as the second-most victories against an opponent in the UA record books. Both numbers only trail the 196 total games and 122 victories the Tide owns over Mississippi State.
Alabama lost its second consecutive game when it fell at Texas A&M, 56-53, last Saturday night. The Tide held the Aggies to just 14 made field goals, but Texas A&M scored 26 of its 56 points from the charity stripe (26-of-37) to hold on for the win. The Tide was led by junior Ar'Mond Davis' 11 points, while Jimmie Taylor led the team with seven rebounds and three blocked shots to go along with six points. Both players came off the bench, helping Alabama reserves outscore its counterparts, 26-7.
Wednesday's game will be televised on SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Chris Spatola (analyst) on the call. Fans can listen to the radio broadcast on the Crimson Tide Sports Network (CTSN) 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: Ole Miss-Alabama Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Watch Here
SOCIAL MEDIA: @AlabamaMBB
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- This will mark the second time in three seasons the Tide will end its regular season home slate against Ole Miss. The Rebels spoiled senior night in their last trip to Coleman Coliseum, capturing an 82-74 win on March 3, 2014.
- Alabama enters Wednesday night's game having lost two straight. The Tide will be looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season.
- Jimmie Taylor has 198 career blocks and needs just two more swats to become only the sixth player in program history to record 200 blocks in his career.
- The Tide, which leads the SEC and ranks 26th nationally with a +6.0 rebounding margin, has been outrebounded by its opponents in only five of its 28 games this year and just twice in 16 league contests.
- Alabama enters Wednesday's game second in the SEC in scoring defense (65.3) and field goal percentage defense (.406).
- A pair of freshman lead the Tide offensively. Forward Braxton Key averages team highs of 12.0 points per game and 29.1 minutes a contest, while also ranking second in assists (2.3) and three-point field goal percentage (.329). Guard Dazon Ingram, who ranks second in points (10.0 ppg), leads UA in assists (3.4 apg), steals (1.1 spg) and 3-point shooting (.459). Six of Alabama's top seven scorers are underclassmen.
- According to KenPom.com, Alabama ranks 28th in the nation in average team height and 32nd in bench production. The same site also lists the Crimson Tide 235th out of 351 Division I programs in overall experience.
- Alabama will close out the regular season when it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., where it will take on the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, March 4, at noon p.m. CT (1 p.m. ET) on SEC Network.
SCOUTING OLE MISS
• Ole Miss and Alabama will play for the 177th time in series history on Wednesday night. That is tied for the second most games against any opponent in Crimson Tide program history. UA owns a 119-57 lead in the all-time series, with the 119 wins ranking second against any opponent in program history.
• Head coach Andy Kennedy is the all-time winningest coach in school history. Now in his 11th season at Ole Miss, Kennedy owns a record of 230-137 (.627) in Oxford and 251-150 (.626) in 12 years as a head coach. A two-time SEC Coach of the Year (2007 and 2011), Kennedy has led the Rebels to eight 20-plus win season in first 11 years after the program recorded seven such seasons in first 96 years. He is also the first coach to lead Ole Miss to four consecutive 20-win seasons.
• The Rebels were predicted to finish ninth in the SEC this year by the media. Ole Miss finished tied for sixth in the league standings after being projected ninth in the preseason last year. The Rebels have not finished worse than sixth in the league and have finished above their preseason projected finish each of the last five seasons since the league moved away from a divisional format.
• Senior forward Sebastian Saiz is the SEC active career leader in rebounding with 913 boards. He leads the league, and ranks eighth nationally, in rebounding this year pulling down 10.8 boards a game. Furthermore, Saiz is averaging 15.1 ppg and is the only player in the SEC averaging a double-double this season. He currently leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with 18 double-doubles this year.
• Junior guard Deandre Burnett leads the team in scoring at 17.1 points per game, while also topping the team in assists (3.3 apg) and threes made (57) and attempted (157). His 2.1 threes made per game is fourth-highest in the SEC and he ranks second in the league and 16th nationally in free throw percentage (89.8 percent). Sophomore guard Terence Davis is the third player to average double-digit scoring at 14.4 ppg.
• Ole Miss probable starters (starting five from last game): Guards: Deandre Burnett (17.1 ppg, 3.3 apg, .365 3FG%), Terence Davis (14.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 spg), Breein Tyree (6.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg). Forwards: Sebasitan Saiz (15.1 ppg, 10.8 rpg), Marcanvis Hymon (3.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 bpg).
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama, which is 16-12 on the year and tied for fifth in the SEC with a 9-7 league record, will host Ole Miss on Wednesday in the final home game of the regular season.
• Alabama has 11 players that average double-digit minutes (nine of which are currently active) and eight guys who average between 5.5 and 12.0 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 was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the week of Jan. 30, leads the Tide in scoring (12.0 ppg), double-figure scoring games (16), 20-plus point scoring games (3) and minutes (29.1 mpg). Key ranks second in assists (2.3 apg) and three-point field goal percentage (.329) and is third in rebounding (5.7 rpg).
• Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram leads the team in assists (3.4 apg), three-point field goal percentage (.459) and steals (1.1 spg), while ranking second in scoring (10.0 ppg) and double figure scoring games (14).
• Sophomore center Donta Hall tops the team in field goal percentage (.644) and blocks (1.4 bpg), while ranking second in rebounding (5.8 rpg). Junior Riley Norris leads the team in threes made (38) and attempted (118) and is third in scoring (9.0 ppg). Graduate senior Bola Olaniyan is the Tide's top rebounder (6.4 rpg) and averages 2.9 offensive boards per game. In SEC games only, he leads the league in offensive rebounds a game (3.7) and is fourth in the league in rebounding (7.9 rpg).
• As a team, Alabama is outscoring the competition by 3.6 points per game (68.9-65.3) and outrebounding opponents by 6.0 rebounds per game (39.6-33.6). The Tide is shooting .419 from the field and .312 from beyond the arc as a team. Alabama ranks second in the league and 37th in the nation in scoring defense.
• Alabama owns a record of 9-5 when playing at Coleman Coliseum this year (9-6 in all home games, which includes the game vs. Clemson in Birmingham's Legacy Arena) and is 4-4 in SEC play.
ALABAMA-OLE MISS – SERIES NOTES
• Wednesday's game will mark the 177th meeting on the hardwood in series history and the only meeting between the two schools this year.
• The Crimson Tide owns a 119-57 lead in the all-time series. The 177 all-time games is tied with LSU for the second-most games UA has played against any one opponent while the 119 victories by the Tide is the second-most in program lore, only ranking behind the 122 wins over Mississippi State.
• Alabama boasts a record of 38-7 when playing Ole Miss in Coleman Coliseum Despite the success at home against the Rebels, Alabama is just 3-2 in its last five home playing Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa. Each of those three wins were by 10 points or less, including a double overtime victory (69-67) on Feb. 4, 2012. The Rebels won the last meeting between the two teams in Coleman Coliseum, captured an 82-74 win on March 3, 2014.
• Last season, the two teams split a pair of games. In the first game, Ole Miss came back from an eight point halftime deficit to capture a 74-66 victory on Jan. 7 in Oxford, Miss. However, the Tide returned the favor in the opening round of the 2016 SEC Tournament, taking an 81-73 victory over the Rebels.
• That victory snapped a three-game losing streak to Ole Miss. Despite falling to the Tide in the SEC Tournament, the Rebels have beaten the Tide in five of the last seven and eight of the last 12 contests dating back to the 2009-10 campaign.
• Ole Miss is one of three teams, along with Mississippi State (122) and LSU (106), that UA has won 100 or more games against.
• The series began during the 1920-21 campaign.
ALABAMA-TEXAS A&M: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
• What Won The Game For Texas A&M: The Aggies scored 26 of their 56 points from the charity stripe. In fact, Texas A&M had a big advantage in the free throw department, going 26-of-37 from the foul line compared to the Tide's 7-of-9 free throws on the night.
• The Difference Maker: Robert Williams. The Aggies freshman forward continued to make a name for himself, collecting 17 points and 10 rebounds to help lead his team to victory. Williams was a force over the final 20 minutes of the game. After collecting just five points and two rebounds in the first half, he accounted for 12 points and eight rebounds in the second half to help Texas A&M hold on of the win.
• The Wow Stat: Alabama held Texas A&M to just 14 made field goals and two made three-pointers in the contest – both season lows from a Crimson Tide opponent this season. In fact, the Aggies shot just 31.1 percent (14-of-45) from the field for the contest, compared to 33.9 percent (20-of-59) by Alabama. It was the first time this season that Alabama lost a game when shooting a better field goal percentage (10-1).
• Coach Avery Johnson Quote: "Tough game for us tonight. Give Coach (Billy) Kennedy and Texas A&M all the credit in the world. They played a tough, hard-nosed game. His guys were ready to play, especially after a slow start. Obviously, I know a lot of those kids. They deserved to win. We couldn't get to the free throw line enough. This was a tough turnaround for us, but our guys poured their hearts out. It was a gutsy effort from our team. We got stuck there a couple of times there offensively, which hurt us. Again, it wasn't because of our lack of effort."
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