Alabama
Arkansas
Alabama Men’s Basketball Hosts Arkansas Saturday Night in Front of a Sold Out Coleman Coliseum
2/23/2018 2:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Tide and Razorbacks will tip off at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama begins its final two-game homestand when it welcomes the Arkansas Razorbacks to Coleman Coliseum on Saturday at 5 p.m. on SEC Network. It is the only meeting between the teams this season.
The teams will play in front of a sold out crowd at Coleman Coliseum, marking the Tide's fifth home sellout of the year.
Alabama is coming off a 90-71 defeat at No. 12/13 Auburn last Wednesday night. With the loss, the Tide splits the season series against the Tigers, as Alabama took round one with a 76-71 win over Auburn back on Jan. 17 in Tuscaloosa.
Freshman guard Collin Sexton led the Tide with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. He was joined in double figures by sophomore Braxton Key, who finished with 11 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds, while Avery Johnson Jr. added 10 points off the bench.
THE BROADCAST
• Saturday's game will air on SEC Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (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 4 p.m. CT on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
OPENING TIP
• Both Alabama and Arkansas enter Saturday's game with identical 8-7 league records with three games remaining in the regular season. In fact, both the Tide and Razorbacks are two of six teams tied for third place overall in the league standings entering the final week of conference play.
• Alabama boasts a 3-1 record against teams in the ESPN.com RPI top 11 (as of Feb. 23). The Tide split its two games with No. 6 Auburn and defeated both No. 7 Rhode Island and No. 11 Tennessee.
• Saturday's game with Arkansas features two of the top scorers and the top dunkers in the Southeastern Conference this season. Both Collin Sexton and Jaylen Bradford enter the contest tied for second among the league's scoring leaders at 18.4 points per game. Meanwhile, Donta Hall (63 dunks) and Daniel Gafford (55 dunks) are the top dunkers in the SEC.
• The NCAA selection committee is no longer using only RPI top 50, top 100, 200 and 201 and above as dividing categories. Instead, the new terminology will be quadrants 1, 2, 3 and 4 – something the helps bolster the Tide's 2017-18 tournament resume. Quadrant 1 RPI wins include home 1-30; neutral 1-50; away 1-75. Quadrant 2 include home 31-75; neutral 51-100; away 76-135. Entering the Arkansas game, Alabama is tied for second in the SEC in Quadrant 1 wins (6) and is tied for third in the league in Q1 and Q2 wins combined with 11. Moreover, only six other teams in the nation have more Q1 victories than the Tide: North Carolina (10), Kansas (10), Auburn (8), Villanova (8), Virginia (8) and Xavier (7).
• Alabama leads the Southeastern Conference with 135 dunks this season, led by junior Donta Hall, who now has 63 dunks on the year. The Luverne, Ala., native is connecting on an impressive 75.1 percent (130-of-173) from the field, with nearly half of his made field goals this season coming above the rim (63 dunks on 130 made field goals). Hall would lead the nation in field goal percentage, however, he is just shy of the NCAA's minimum standard for the category of five made field goals per game (Hall is currently averaging 4.85 makes a game).
• In league games, Alabama ranks as the top defensive team in the SEC. Through 15 conference games, Alabama tops the SEC in scoring defense (67.3), field goal percentage defense (.394) and blocks per game (5.4), while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.304) and third in steals (6.5).
• Alabama will play its final home game when it welcomes the Florida Gators for Senior Night on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN. It will be the second meeting between the two teams this season, as the Tide captured a 68-50 win at Florida back on Feb. 3.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama dropped its second straight road contest when it fell at Auburn, 90-71, on Wednesday night. After holding the Tigers to their lowest scoring output this season in the first matchup (Alabama won, 76-71), Auburn's 90 points were the most allowed by the Tide this season.
• The Tide is averaging 73.4 points per game and outscoring the opposition by 4.0 points per contest (73.4-69.4). As a team, Alabama is connecting on 46.9 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Tide has matched its opponents on the boards 36.1-36.1. Additionally, Alabama ranks second in the SEC and is sixth in the nation in blocked shots per game (5.9).
• In addition to blocking shots, the Alabama defense is allowing opponents to shoot 40.7 percent from the field, which ranks 30th in the nation, and 31.5 percent from deep, which is 26th-best in the country. The Tide is also averaging 6.6 steals a contest.
• In league games, Alabama ranks as the top defensive team. Through 15 SEC games, Alabama leads the league in scoring defense (67.3), field goal percentage defense (.394) and blocks per game (5.4), while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.304) and third in steals (6.5).
• The Tide ranks 10th in the SEC in league games only in free throw percentage at 69.9 percent, which is an improvement from shooting 67.5 percent at the line during the entire season, which ranks 12th in the SEC. Furthermore, Alabama ranks 37th nationally in free throws attempted (637) and is 84th in the nation in free throws made (460). In fact, nearly 21 percent of Alabama's point total (430 of 2,054 points) has come from the charity stripe.
• Three players are averaging double-figure scoring for the Tide, led by freshman Collin Sexton's 18.4 ppg. That number not only tops the team, but also ranks in a tie for second in the SEC. Sexton also tops the team in assists (3.4 apg) and field goals made (144) and attempted (326). Freshman John Petty ranks third on the team with 10.6 ppg and tops UA in threes made (71) and attempted (195), while his 2.5 treys made per game is fourth-best in the SEC.
• Junior Donta Hall leads the Tide in field goal percentage (.751, 130-of-173), 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 4.85 makes per game). Hall also tops the team in dunks (63), rebounds (7.0 rpg) and blocks (2.3 bpg), while ranking second with 11.4 points per game. Sophomore guard Dazon Ingram is averaging 10.0 ppg, and ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and assists (2.87 apg) a game. Meanwhile, Ingram's 5.0 defensive rebounds per contest is fifth-best in the SEC.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
• Alabama and Arkansas will meet for the 59th time in series history with the Razorbacks owning a narrow 30-28 lead. Arkansas has four of the last five games over the Crimson Tide heading into Saturday night's contest, including having won three consecutive games in the series. However, prior to the Razorbacks' recent success, Alabama had won seven of the 10 games played.
• Arkansas claimed a 62-61 victory over Alabama in the last meeting the two teams played in Tuscaloosa, on March 2, 2016. The loss snapped the Crimson Tide's seven-game home winning streak over the Razorbacks. Despite that loss, Alabama still owns an impressive 19-6 (.760) record when playing Arkansas under the arched roof of Coleman Coliseum.
• Head coach Mike Anderson, who was Arkansas' 12th head men's basketball coach in program history on March 23, 2011, is one of just 10 current Division I coaches with 10-plus years of head coaching experience and no losing seasons. Now in his seventh season with the Razorbacks, Anderson owns a record of 147-83 (.642) and a 347-181 (.658) in 16 seasons as a head coach.
• Arkansas checks in at No. 31 in the ESPN.com updated RPI (as of 2/22), one spot behind Alabama, with wins in four of the last five games. The Razorbacks have a 9-9 record against the top 100 RPI and a 4-5 mark against top-50 RPI teams.
• The Razorbacks are led by three players in double figures, including Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon, who combine to make up the top scoring backcourt in the Southeastern Conference at 35.8 combined points per contest. Barford enters Saturday's game tied with Alabama's Collin Sexton for second in the league in scoring average at 18.4 ppg, while Macon averages 17.4 ppg. Both Barford (43.9 percent) and Macon (43.4 percent) rank among the league's top three-point shooters.
• Macon leads Arkansas in assists per game (3.9), threes made (76) and attempted (175) and free throw percentage (.877). Meanwhile, Barford tops the Razorbacks in three-point shooting and steals (30).
• Freshman Daniel Gafford is third on the team with 11.6 ppg, while topping the team with 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Gafford also leads the team in field goal percentage (.615).
ALABAMA-ARKANSAS – SERIES NOTES
• Saturday's game between Alabama and Arkansas will be the 59th meeting in series history, with the Razorbacks owning a slim 32-28 edge in the all-time series. The Razorbacks have won three straight and four of the last four games in the series.
• Saturday's game mark the only meeting between the two teams this season.
• Nineteen of the 28 Alabama wins in the series have come on its home floor, claiming a 19-6 all-time record against Arkansas in Coleman Coliseum. However, the Razorbacks won for just the sixth time in Tuscaloosa when the two teams last squared off under the arched roof, as Arkansas took a 62-61 victory on March 2, 2016. It was Arkansas' first win at Alabama since a capturing a 63-57 victory back on Jan. 27, 2007 – snapping a streak of seven straight losses on the Tide's home floor.
• Alabama has lost three straight games at Bud Walton Arena and owns an all-time record of 6-18 when playing at Arkansas. In fact, the Tide's lone win on the Razorbacks' home floor over the last 10 games dating back to the 2004-05 season came on Feb. 23, 2012.
• Forty-eight of the 58 games played in the series have come as conference opponents.
• The Crimson Tide is 3-2 in overtime contests against Arkansas. All five overtime games have come within the last 13 seasons.
• The series began during 1947-48 campaign.
ALABAMA'S TOURNAMENT RESUME CONTINUES TO LOOK STRONG
• The Crimson Tide comes into the final few weeks of the season boasting a quality NCAA Tournament resume after 28 games played this season.
• Alabama is 3-1 against teams ranked in the top 11 of ESPN.com's RPI (as of 2/22), defeating Auburn (No. 6), Rhode Island (No. 8) and Tennessee (No. 11). Furthermore, the Tide boasts a 4-3 record against top-25 RPI teams with a victory over Texas A&M (No. 24), while all three losses in the category (No. 6 Auburn, No. 16 Kentucky and No. 18 Arizona) having come in true road contests.
• The Tide is 5-2 this season when playing a team ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 and has won five consecutive contests against Top-25 opponents.
• According to the NCAA's Quadrant win-loss system, Alabama owns six Q1 victories (6-5) and is tied for second in the Southeastern Conference in Q1 wins. In addition, the Crimson Tide boasts 11 combined victories against Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 teams, which is tied for third-most in the league.
• According to ESPN.com's latest RPI rankings (as of Feb. 22), the Tide checks in at No. 30 in the nation and boasts the No. 11 overall strength of schedule and the No. 31 non-conference strength of schedule. WarrenNolan.com ranks the Tide No. 30 in its RPI with the No. 7 overall strength of schedule. Meanwhile, CBSSports.com rates the Tide at No. 30 in the RPI, boasting the No. 25 non-conference strength of schedule and the No. 13 overall SOS.
• Alabama is receiving votes in both polls this week and has been receiving votes to be ranked in all but three weeks of the season, and was ranked as high as No. 24 nationally by the AP poll (week 4).
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