Alabama
Oklahoma
Alabama and No. 12/11 Oklahoma Ready to Square Off in Big 12/SEC Challenge Showdown on Saturday Afternoon
1/26/2018 2:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Sooners will tip at 1:15 p.m. CT on ESPN
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will step outside of conference play to participate in the Big 12/SEC Challenge where it will take on No. 12/11 Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon at 1:15 p.m. CT on ESPN. It marks the eighth meeting between the two teams in series history, with the Sooners owning a 5-2 lead over the Tide.
Most recently, Alabama had its four-game winning streak snapped with a 78-66 loss at Ole Miss last Tuesday night. With the defeat, the Crimson Tide fell to 1-3 in road SEC contests and is 4-5 when playing games away from Tuscaloosa. However, the Crimson Tide boasts a 9-2 record in home games and are 9-1 in contests played at Coleman Coliseum this season.
THE BROADCAST
• Saturday's game will air on ESPN with Rick Hollenberg (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Laura Rutledge (sideline) 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 noon CT on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
OPENING TIP
• This year marks just the second time Alabama has competed in the annual Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Tide's only other appearance came in the first year of the event when Alabama defeated Texas Tech, 76-64 on Nov. 14, 2013 in Coleman Coliseum.
• The contest between Oklahoma and Alabama is one of the most anticipated match-ups in this year's Big 12/SEC Challenge. Saturday's game features two of the top freshmen in the country in Oklahoma's Trae Young and Alabama's Collin Sexton, along with other potential NBA players. A total of 57 NBA scouts representing 25 NBA teams have been credentialed for the contest.
• Due to a variety of issues (injuries, illnesses, ailments, etc.), Alabama has used 10 different starting lineups while a total of 47 games have been missed by Crimson Tide players this season. Not one UA player has started every game while only four have played in all 20 contests on the year.
• Freshman guard Collin Sexton saw 20 minutes of action on Tuesday against Ole Miss, which was his first game since missing the previous two contests with an abdominal injury. Sexton finished with seven points, two rebounds and two assists in the loss.
• Ken Pomeroy ranks Alabama's experience at 348 out of 351 teams in the nation. According to his formula which is determined by a player's eligibility class (a freshman has zero years of experience, a sophomore has one year of experience, etc.), Alabama owns a 0.78 rating, which is the least experienced team in school history. The previous record in the rankings, which began in 2007, was the Tide's 2012 squad which was ranked No. 322 with 1.01 years of experience.
• Through the first nine games, Alabama ranked as one of the worst foul shooting teams nationally, connecting on just 63.0 percent (155-of-246) from the charity stripe. However, over its last 11 contests, Alabama is shooting 75.5 percent (160-of-212) from the foul line, led by Collin Sexton who has hit 52 of his last 57 free throws (91.2 percent).
• Junior Donta Hall now has 41 dunks this season. The Luverne, Ala., native is connecting on an impressive 74.2 percent (89-of-120) from the field, with nearly half of his made field goals this season coming above the rim (41 dunks on 89 made field goals).
• Alabama returns to conference action when it hosts the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2. It will be the only meeting between the teams this season.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama fell to 1-3 in SEC road games this season when it dropped a 78-66 decision at Ole Miss last Tuesday night. The Tide went on an 18-0 run midway through the opening and led by nine points. However, the Rebels outscored Alabama 23-4 over the final 6:14 of the first half to build a 10-point halftime lead and never looked back.
• The Tide is averaging 74.2 points per game and outscoring the opposition by 4.3 points per contest (74.2-69.9). As a team, Alabama is connecting on 46.1 percent from the field and 33.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Tide owns +1.1 advantage on the boards, 37.1-36.0 per game. Additionally, Alabama is second in the SEC and ranks ninth in the nation in blocked shots per game (6.1).
• In addition to blocking shots, the Alabama defense is allowing opponents to shoot 40.8 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from deep, while also averaging 7.0 steals a contest. In league games, the Tide ranks as one of the top defensive teams in the SEC. Through eight conference games, Alabama leads the league in blocks (6.3), ranks second in scoring defense (67.1), field goal percentage defense (.385) and steals (7.8) and is fourth in three-point field goal percentage defense (.310).
• The Tide ranks sixth in the SEC in league games only in free throw percentage at 74.8 percent and is shooting 68.9 percent at the line for the season. Furthermore, Alabama ranks 71st nationally in free throws attempted (457) and is 91st in the nation in free throws made (315). In fact, 21.2 percent of Alabama's point total (315 of 1,483 points) has come from the charity stripe.
• Four players are averaging double-figure scoring for the Tide, led by freshman Collin Sexton's 18.5 ppg. That number not only tops the team, but also ranks third in the SEC and 84th nationally. Sexton also tops the team in assists (3.4 apg) and field goals made (94) and attempted (221). Freshman John Petty ranks second on the team with 11.9 ppg and tops UA in threes made (57) and attempted (131), while his 2.9 treys made per game is second-best in the SEC.
• Junior Donta Hall leads the Tide in field goal percentage (.742, 89-of-120), which would lead the country but he's just shy of meeting the minimum requirement of 5.0 or more field goals made per game (Hall is at 4.7 made per game). Hall also tops the team in dunks (41), rebounds (6.9 rpg) and blocks (2.2 bpg), while ranking fourth with 10.9 points per game. Sophomore guard Dazon Ingram is averaging 11.1 ppg, and ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and assists (3.2 apg) a game. Meanwhile, Ingram's 5.7 defensive rebounds per contest is second-best in the SEC.
SCOUTING OKLAHOMA
• Oklahoma and Alabama will meet for the eighth time in the series between the teams, with the Sooners owning a record of 5-2 against the Crimson Tide. The last time the two teams met came on Nov. 8, 2013 in the Tip Off Classic, which was held in American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. Oklahoma got down by double figures in the first half before pulling out an 82-71 victory.
• Oklahoma was voted sixth in the Big 12 Conference's 2017-18 preseason poll. The Sooners have finished as well or better in the conference standings than predicted in four of the six seasons under Kruger.
• Last season, head coach Lon Kruger became the 33rd head coach to win 600 NCAA Division I games. With 616 career wins, Kruger ranks ninth in victories among active Division I coaches and 32nd in all-time Division I wins. Now in his 32nd season as a head coach, Kruger has a record of 616-385 (.615). He is currently in his seventh season at OU and boasts a record of 137-81 (.628).
• Oklahoma is led by freshman sensation Trae Young, who leads the country in both scoring (30.3) and assists (9.6) per game. No player in recorded NCAA history has finished a season leading the country in both scoring and assists. The Norman, Okla., native has collected 10 double-doubles, 17 20-plus-point games, seven 30-plus-point games and three 40-plus-point games. Young is shooting .451 from the field and .400 (80-of-200) from 3-point range.
• Young is not the only weapon on the Oklahoma roster. Junior guard Christian Jones is averaging 12.1 points and 4.6 rebounds a game, while shooting 40.0 percent (38-of-95) from beyond the arc. In addition, freshman forward Brady Manek averages 11.3 points, 5.2 rebounds per contest and is shooting 43.4 percent (43-of-99) from 3-point range. Senior forward Khadeem McGusty leads the team with 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, while averaging 7.5 points per contest.
• Most recently, the Sooners snapped a two-game losing streak with an 85-80 home victory over Kansas last Tuesday night. Young finished with 26 points and nine assists to lead the Sooners. With the win, Oklahoma improved to 10-0 at home but is 2-3 in true road contests, including having lost three straight on the road.
ALABAMA-OKLAHOMA – SERIES NOTES
• Saturday's contest between Oklahoma and Alabama will mark the eighth meeting in the series. The Sooners lead the all-time series 5-2.
• The last time the two teams met came on Nov. 8, 2013 in the Tip Off Classic, which was played at American Airlines Arena in the Dallas, Texas.
• After Oklahoma won the first three contests in the series, however, the two teams have alternated wins in each of the last four games they have played.
• Of the seven games played between the teams, only two have been on the Tide's home court. The first game of the series was played in Coleman Coliseum on Dec. 14, 1970, with Oklahoma taking a 79-70 victory. More recently, Alabama captured a 70-55 win over the Sooners on Jan. 1, 2007.
TALE OF TWO TEAMS
• Alabama boasts a perfect 4-0 record in SEC home contests, winning by an average margin of +11.8 points per game. However, the Tide has struggled in road league games, going 1-3 and losing by an average of 6.0 points per game.
• Furthermore, Alabama is being outrebounded by 0.7 rebounds per game on the road, but outrebounding the opposition by 2.5 rebounds a contest at home.
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