Alabama
Missouri
Alabama Closes Homestand with Missouri on Wednesday Night
1/30/2018 2:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Tigers will tip at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama returns to Southeastern 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.
Most recently, Alabama won for the fifth time in its last six games and the sixth time in the last nine contests when it took down No. 12 Oklahoma, 80-73, on Saturday afternoon in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. With the win, the Crimson Tide improves to 10-1 in contests played at Coleman Coliseum this season.
Alabama was led by freshman Collin Sexton, who finished with 18 points in a much anticipated match-up between he and Trae Young, who finished with 17. Freshman Herbert Jones added a season-high 14 points, along with five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the win.
THE BROADCAST
• Wednesday's game will air on ESPN2 with Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Laphonso Ellis (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.
PROMOTIONS
• Free pizza for students (while supplies last)
• Over $1,000 in prizes for students
• Double Crimson Tide Rewards points
OPENING TIP
• Alabama owns a record of 9-3 against Missouri and a 5-2 mark since the Tigers have joined the SEC, including five consecutive victories. Wednesday night's contest will mark the fifth time in the last six games played between the two teams that they will square off in Coleman Coliseum. Alabama has only played once in Mizzou Arena dating back to the 2013-14 seson.
• With its victory over Oklahoma last Saturday, the Crimson Tide now has three wins this season over teams ranked in the RPI top 12, according to ESPN.com. In addition to the Sooners (No. 12), Alabama has also defeated Rhode Island (No. 9) and Auburn (No. 5).
• Junior forward Donta Hall added nine points, seven rebounds and a career-high eight blocked shots – the fifth-most in a single game in program history. He now has 49 blocks this season, an average of 2.5 swats per game. That number ranks second in the SEC and 23rd nationally. In large part ot Hall's defensive presence, Alabama enters Wednesday's game leading the SEC and ranked fourth in the nation in blocks per game as a team (6.3).
• 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 0.77 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.
• In home SEC games, freshman John Petty has been sensational. In his four home conference games, Petty is averaging 17.3 points per game, while shooting 53.5 percent from the field and 51.4 percent from deep. However, in road contests, the Huntsville, Ala., native is only averaging 3.5 ppg, shooting 16.7 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent from beyond the arc.
• Due to a variety of issues (injuries, illnesses, ailments, etc.), Alabama has used 10 different starting lineups while a total of 49 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 21 contests on the year.
• Alabama begins a stretch of playing four of its next six games away from home when it travels to Gainesville, Fla., to square off against the No. 23/24 Florida Gators in the first of two meetings between the two teams. Saturday's game will tip off at 3 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama stepped out of conference play when it squared off with No. 12/11 Oklahoma on Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. The Crimson Tide used a 13-0 run midway through the second half to come away with an impressive 80-73 victory over the Sooners, which marked Alabama's third victory over a ranked opponent this season.
• The Tide is averaging 74.4 points per game and outscoring the opposition by 4.4 points per contest (74.4-70.0). As a team, Alabama is connecting on 46.5 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Tide owns +1.0 advantage on the boards, 37.1-36.1 per game. Additionally, Alabama leads the SEC and ranks sixth in the nation in blocked shots per game (6.3).
• In addition to blocking shots, the Alabama defense is allowing opponents to shoot 40.8 percent from the field and 32.1 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 fifth 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 68.3 percent at the line for the season. Furthermore, Alabama ranks 76th nationally in free throws attempted (479) and is 104th in the nation in free throws made (327). In fact, 21.0 percent of Alabama's point total (327 of 1,563points) 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 87th nationally. Sexton also tops the team in assists (3.4 apg) and field goals made (102) and attempted (235). Freshman John Petty ranks second on the team with 11.8 ppg and tops UA in threes made (60) and attempted (155), while his 2.9 treys made per game is second-best in the SEC.
• Junior Donta Hall leads the Tide in field goal percentage (.738, 93-of-126), 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 (43), rebounds (7.0 rpg) and blocks (2.5 bpg), while ranking fourth with 10.9 points per game. Sophomore guard Dazon Ingram is averaging 11.0 ppg, and ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and assists (3.2 apg) a game. Meanwhile, Ingram's 5.7 defensive rebounds per contest is second-best in the SEC.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
• Missouri and Alabama will meet for the 13th time overall and the eighth time as SEC opponents. The Crimson Tide owns a record of 9-3 in the all-time series, including a 5-2 mark as conference foes. Alabama has won five consecutive games over the Tigers entering Wednesday night's contest.
• Wednesday's game marks the fifth time in the last six games played between the two teams that has taken place at Coleman Coliseum. Alabama owns a record of 5-0 when hosting Mizzou and has won four of those five games by double digits.
• Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin is in his first year at the helm of the program and his 10th season overall as a head coach. Martin, who spent three years in the SEC as the head coach of Tennessee (2011-14), owns a career coaching record of 199-129 (.607) and is 35-23 (.603) as a head coach in the SEC.
• Missouri is led by graduate transfer Kassius Robertson, who tops the team in scoring average (15.7 ppg), three-point field goal percentage (.412) and minutes (34.4 mpg). Senior Jordan Barnett ranks second in the team with 14.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 33.3 minutes per contest
• Mizzou has outrebounded its opponents in 17 of the 21 games this season. The Tigers rank third in the SEC in rebounding margin (+6.5) in overall games and lead the league in rebounds allowed (31.3). Missouri also ranks third in the league in threes made per game (9.0) and is outscoring the opposition by an averaging 6.8 points per game (74.0-67.2).
• Most recently, the Tigers dropped a 74-62 decision at Mississippi State last Saturday night in Starkville, Miss. It was Missouri's third consecutive loss and its fourth loss in the last five contests. The loss dropped Mizzou to 1-3 on the road in league play, with its only win coming at South Carolina back on Jan. 3 (won, 79-68).
ALABAMA-MISSOURI – SERIES NOTES
• Alabama and Missouri will square off for the only time this season on Wednesday night. The game will be the seventh meeting between the two teams as SEC rivals and 13th contest overall in the series history.
• The Tide owns a 9-3 edge in the all-time series, with the Tide having won five straight games over the Tigers. Alabama has never lost to Missouri in Tuscaloosa, owning a 5-0 edge in Coleman Coliseum.
• Wednesday's contest will mark the fifth time in the last six games played between the two team that the Tigers have played in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has only one appearance in Columbia, Mo., dating back to the 2013-14 season, which came last year in a 57-54 win at Mizzou on Feb. 15, 2017.
• Seven of the 12 games played between the two teams have been decided by less than 10 points.
TOPPLING THE TOP 25
• Alabama head coach Avery Johnson has led his teams to success when playing against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 during his three seasons at the Capstone.
• This season alone, the Crimson Tide boasts a record of 3-1 against Top-25 teams, including wins over then-No. 5 Texas A&M (79-57 on Dec. 30), then-No. 17 Auburn (76-71 on Jan. 17) and then-No. 12 Oklahoma (80-73 on Jan. 27).
• In 2015-16, the Tide was one of 15 teams nationally that defeated four AP top-25 teams – the first time since 2001-02 that UA recorded at least four wins against top-25 competition.
• In 16 total games played against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, Johnson has led the Tide to a record of 8-8. That's a huge improvement, especially considering prior his arrival, Alabama had lost 21 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents.
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