Alabama
Tennessee
Alabama Men’s Basketball Closes Regular Season at Tennessee on Saturday
3/3/2017 1:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Volunteers tip off at noon CT on SEC Network
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to close out the regular season, as the Tide will take on the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday at noon CT (1 p.m. ET). This is the only meeting this season between the two teams.
Saturday's game will be televised on SEC Network with Kevin Ingram (play-by-play) and Pat Bradley (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.
Tennessee and Alabama will play for the 146th time in series history – tied for the fifth-most games against any single opponent in Crimson Tide program history. UA owns a 78-67 lead in the all-time series, which ranks as the sixth-most victories against an opponent in the UA record books. The Tide enters the game having won two straight and six of the last eight overall in the series.
Alabama snapped a two-game losing streak with a 70-55 victory over Ole Miss on Senior Night last Wednesday. The Tide used a 30-6 that spanned halftime and last a total of 13:03 en route to its second straight win over the Rebels. Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram connected on 9-of-10 shots from the field en route to a career-high 22 points. Freshman Braxton Key added 19 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five assists in the winning effort.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
RADIO: Crimson Tide Sports Network
TV: SEC Network
LIVE STATS: Tennessee-Alabama Live Stats
LIVE VIDEO: Watch Here
SOCIAL MEDIA: @AlabamaMBB
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Alabama has won four of the last five and five of the last seven games played between the two teams in Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Alabama is tied for the second-most road wins in SEC play (5) entering the final game of the regular season. It's the most league road victories by the Tide since 2004-05. The last time a Crimson Tide team had six league road wins came during the 1994-95 campaign.
- Eight of Alabama's 12 losses on the season were decided by nine points or fewer, with four of those contests coming down to five points or less.
- The Tide leads the SEC and ranks 27th nationally with a +6.0 rebounding margin. UA has been outrebounded in only five of its 29 games this year and just twice in 17 league contests.
- Alabama clinched fifth place in the SEC standings, its best league finish since the 2012-13 campaign when it placed fourth.
- A pair of freshman lead the Tide offensively. Forward Braxton Key averages team highs of 12.3 points per game and 29.2 minutes a contest, while also ranking second in assists (2.4), rebounds (5.8) and three-point field goal percentage (.330). Guard Dazon Ingram, who ranks second in points (10.4 ppg), leads UA in assists (3.3 apg), steals (1.0 spg) and 3-point shooting (.487). Six of Alabama's top seven scorers are underclassmen.
- Alabama has owned the boards during SEC play. The Tide comes into the regular-season finale leading the league rebounding offense (40.9), rebounding margin (+6.8) and offensive rebounds per game (13.6).
- According to KenPom.com, Alabama ranks 28th in the nation in average team height and 31st in bench production. The same site also lists the Crimson Tide 236th out of 351 Division I programs in overall experience.
- Alabama will begin play at the 2017 SEC Tournament, which will be held in Nashville, Tenn., at Bridgestone Arena. The Tide has clinched the five seed in this year's event.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE
• Tennessee and Alabama will meet for the 146th time in program history, with the Tide leading the all-time series, 78-67. That number ranks tied for fifth-most times UA has played any one opponent, while the 78 victories rank sixth-most in program lore. The Tide owns a record of 22-43 when playing the Volunteers in Knoxville. Despite the losing record, Alabama has found success lately in Thompson-Boling Arena. The Tide has won five of the last seven games on Tennessee's home court.
• This marks the fourth straight year the two teams will meet only once during regular season play. In its last appearance at Thompson-Bolina Arena, the Tide held the Volunteers to just 38 points in a 56-38 victory on Jan. 10, 2015. That marked the fewest points Alabama has allowed a Tennessee team since a 70-37 victory on Feb. 24, 1958.
• Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is in his second season at Tennessee and his 30th year as a collegiate head coach. During his two years in Knoxville, Barnes has guided the Volunteers to a record of 30-34 (.469) and owns a career record of 634-348 (.645).
• Tennessee is led by senior Robert Hubbs III who averages a team-leading 14.4 ppg, while also collecting 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Freshman forward Grant Williams is second on the team at 12.6 ppg, and leads the Vols in rebounding (5.9 rpg), blocked shots (1.8 bpg) and field goal percentage (.508). Sophomore Admiral Scholfield has stepped up in SEC play, averaging 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and shooting 45.5 percent from three against league competition.
• Tennessee's scoring average of 75.6 points per game stands as the program's highest since the 2008-09 Volunteers averaged 78.4 ppg. The Volunteers are shooting .428 from the field and .330 from beyond the arc as a team, while also owning a narrow +0.8 rebounds per game (37.9-37.1).
• Tennessee probable starters (starting five from last game): Guards: Jordan Bone (7.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.9 apg), Robert Hubbs III (14.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.8 apg), Shembari Phillips (6.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, .400 3FG%). Forwards: Grant Williams (12.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg), Kyle Alexander (3.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg).
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama, which is 17-12 on the year and in fifth in the SEC with a 10-7 league record, will close out the regular season when it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday afternoon.
• Alabama clinched the No. 5 seed in this year's SEC Tournament, which will be held in Nashville from March 8-11. The Tide, which will play the winner of next Wednesday's No. 12 vs. No. 13 game, will play in the second game of Thursday's first session.
• The Tide boasts a balances offensive attack as eight guys who average between 5.4 and 12.3 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 (12.3 ppg), double-figure scoring games (17), 20-plus point scoring games (3) and minutes (29.2 mpg). Key ranks second in assists (2.4 apg) and three-point field goal percentage (.330) and is third in rebounding (5.8 rpg).
• Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram leads the team in assists (3.3 apg), three-point field goal percentage (.487) and steals (1.0 spg), while ranking second in scoring (10.4 ppg) and double figure scoring games (15).
• Sophomore center Donta Hall tops the team in field goal percentage (.647), is second in blocks (1.4 bpg) and third in rebounding (5.7 rpg). Junior Riley Norris leads the team in threes made (39) and attempted (121) and is third in scoring (8.8 ppg). Graduate senior Bola Olaniyan is the Tide's top rebounder (6.5 rpg) and averages 2.9 offensive boards per game. In SEC games only, he leads the league in offensive rebounds a game (3.8) and is fourth in the league in rebounding (8.0 rpg).
• As a team, Alabama is outscoring the competition by 4.0 points per game (68.9-64.9) and outrebounding opponents by a league-leading 6.0 rebounds per game (39.7-33.7). The Tide is shooting .421 from the field and .311 from beyond the arc as a team. Alabama ranks second in the league and 38th in the nation in scoring defense.
• Alabama owns a record of 7-6 when playing in all road contests this season. The Tide is 5-5 in true road games and 2-1 when playing in a neutral site. In SEC play, Alabama owns a record of 5-3 in road contests.
ALABAMA-TENNESSEE - SERIES NOTES
• Saturday's contest will mark the 146th meeting in series history between to two schools, which will mark a tie for UA's fifth-most common opponent in program lore. The Crimson Tide. which has won two straight over the Vols, owns a 78-67 edge in the all-time series.
• Alabama has won six of the last eight meetings and 14 of the last 20 games between the two teams. Two of the last five meetings between the teams in Thompson-Boling Arena have went to overtime, with each team winning one.
• UA owns a 22-43 all-time record when playing Tennessee in Knoxville. Over its last seven games the Tide has played in Knoxville, Tenn., Alabama has gone 5-2, including a 4-1 mark in the last five games it has played at Tennessee. Most recently, the Tide captured a 56-38 win at Tennessee on Jan. 10, 2016.
• Nine of the last 13 meetings have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
• The series began during 1913-14 campaign.
ALABAMA-OLE MISS: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
• What Won The Game For Alabama: The Crimson Tide outscored the Rebels by a count of 30-10 over a span of 13:03 that began in the first half and ended at the beginning of the second half. During the run, which turned a 21-14 deficit into a 44-31 Alabama lead, the Tide defense held Ole Miss to just 3-of-18 (.167) shooting and forced five turnovers during the run.
• The Difference Maker: Dazon Ingram. The Tide's redshirt freshman accounted for a career-high 22 points and nine made field goals (9-of-10) to lead his team to the win. Ingram scored 16 of his points in the second half alone, hitting 7-of-8 field goal attempts.
• The Wow Stat: Ingram and Key combined to score 41 of the team's 70 points on 16-of-21 (.762) shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 (.600) from beyond the arc. The other eight players who saw action combined to shoot 8-of-30 (.267) from the field and 3-of-16 (.187) from deep.
• Coach Avery Johnson Quote: "This is something that we talked about; we talked about not only sending our seniors out with a bang but also giving our fans who have hung in with us all year something to some appreciation."
SELLING OUT COLEMAN
• After selling out Coleman Coliseum five times and setting an all-time attendance record (13,110 fans per game) during head coach Avery Johnson's first season (2015-16), fans have continued to support the Crimson Tide squad this season.
• The Tide boasts four sellouts this season making it nine total sellouts in Johnson's first two seasons at the helm of the Alabama program.
• Alabama's average home attendance in 2016-17 to this point is 12,560 fans per home game. That number would rank second in the UA record books in terms of average attendance, trailing only to Johnon's first season in 2015-16 which set the single-season average home attendance record in Alabama men's basketball program history of 13,110 fans per game.
• Below is a breakdown of the top six single-season attendance records at Coleman Coliseum:
SEASON OVERALL ATTENDANCE AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
1. 2015-16 196,655 13,110
2. 2016-17 188,396 12,560
3. 2011-12 199,749 12,484
4. 1990-91 149,380 12,448
5. 2006-07 196,552 12.284
6. 1976-77 133,130 12,103
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