Alabama
Tennessee
Alabama Men’s Basketball Begins Two-Game Homestand Saturday Against No. 15 Tennessee
2/9/2018 2:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Coleman Coliseum is sold out and only student tickets remain for Saturday’s game, which will tip at 5 p.m. CT and air live on SEC Network
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will play in front of a sold out Coleman Coliseum for the fourth time this year when it hosts No. 15/14 Tennessee on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network. It will mark the only meeting between the two teams this season.
Most recently, Alabama closed its two-game road swing last Tuesday night with a 67-63 loss at Mississippi State. The game featured eight ties and 11 lead changes before Mississippi State used a 6-0 spurt in the final two minutes to take control and captured its 16th win in 17 home games this season.
Alabama was led by freshman Collin Sexton, who topped three scorers in double figures with 18 points, to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Sophomores Braxton Key and Daniel Giddens each added 11 points, while junior Donta Hall contributed eight points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals in the losing effort.
THE BROADCAST
• Saturday's game will air on SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (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
• Tennessee and Alabama will meet for the 147th time in program history, with the Tide leading the all-time series, 78-68. That number ranks as the sixth-most times UA has played any one opponent, while the 78 victories rank sixth-most against any team in program lore.
• Alabama enters the Tennessee game tied for the league lead in the NCAA's Quadrant 1 wins (5) and tied for second in the SEC in both Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 victories (9).
• In league games, Alabama ranks as the top defensive team in the SEC. Through 11 conference games, Alabama leads the league in scoring defense (65.7), field goal percentage defense (.398) and blocks per game (5.7), while ranking second in steals (7.2) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.292).
• Alabama owns a record of 4-1 against Top-25 teams, including having won four consecutive games over ranked opponents. Alabama has toppled then-No. 5 Texas A&M (79-57 on Dec. 30), then-No. 17 Auburn (76-71 on Jan. 17), then-No. 12 Oklahoma (80-73 on Jan. 27) and then-No. 23 Florida (68-50 on Feb. 3).
• Since Avery Johnson's arrive in Tuscaloosa, Alabama owns a record of 9-8 when facing an AP Top-25 team. Prior to his arrival, the Tide dropped 21 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents.
• 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.
• Alabama leads the Southeastern Conference with 112 dunks this season, led by junior Donta Hall, who now has 49 dunks on the year. The Luverne, Ala., native is connecting on an impressive 73.8 percent (104-of-141) from the field, with nearly half of his made field goals this season coming above the rim (49 dunks on 104 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 4.52 makes a game).
• Alabama close out its two-game homestand when it welcomes the LSU Tigers on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. CT. It marks the second meeting between the two teams. In the previous meeting, the Tide captured a 74-66 victory over the Tigers in Baton Rouge, La., back on Jan. 13.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama dropped just its third game over the last nine contests when it fell on the road at Mississippi State last Tuesday night. It was the second game played between the two teams, as the Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs on its home floor, 68-62, back on Jan. 20.
• The Tide is averaging 73.1 points per game and outscoring the opposition by 4.1 points per contest (73.0-69.0). As a team, Alabama is connecting on 46.1 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Tide owns +0.9 advantage on the boards, 36.6-35.7 per game. Additionally, Alabama ranks second in the SEC and seven in the nation in blocked shots per game (6.0).
• In addition to blocking shots, the Alabama defense is allowing opponents to shoot 41.1 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from deep, while also averaging 6.9 steals a contest.
• In league games, Alabama ranks as the top defensive teams in the SEC. Through 11 conference games, Alabama leads the league in scoring defense (65.7), field goal percentage defense (.398) and blocks per game (5.7), while ranking second in steals (7.2) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.292).
• The Tide ranks eighth in the SEC in league games only in free throw percentage at 72.9 percent and is shooting 68.4 percent at the line for the season, which ranks 12th in the SEC. Furthermore, Alabama ranks 43rd nationally in free throws attempted (553) and is 70th in the nation in free throws made (378). In fact, nearly 22 percent of Alabama's point total (378 of 1,754 points) has come from the charity stripe.
• Four players are averaging double-figure scoring for the Tide, led by freshman Collin Sexton's 18.6 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 (3.3 apg) and field goals made (121) and attempted (282). Freshman John Petty ranks third on the team with 10.7 ppg and tops UA in threes made (61) and attempted (169), while his 2.1 treys made per game is sixth-best in the SEC.
• Junior Donta Hall leads the Tide in field goal percentage (.738, 104-of-141), 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 4.52 made per game). Hall also tops the team in dunks (49), rebounds (7.0 rpg) and blocks (2.3 bpg), while ranking second with 10.8 points per game. Sophomore guard Dazon Ingram is averaging 10.3 ppg, and ranks second on the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and assists (2.8 apg) a game. Meanwhile, Ingram's 5.4 defensive rebounds per contest is second-best in the SEC.
SCOUTING TENNESSEE
• Tennessee and Alabama will meet for the 147th time in program history, with the Tide leading the all-time series, 78-68. That number ranks as the sixth-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.
• Alabama owns a record of 44-18 in games played in Tuscaloosa, including a 27-9 slate when playing the Volunteers inside Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide has won three of the last four games against Tennessee when the two teams meet in Tuscaloosa, including a 63-57 victory back on Jan. 26, 2015 in the last meeting between the two teams under the arched roof.
• This marks the fifth straight year the two teams will meet only once during regular season play. The last time the two teams squared off twice in the same season came during the 2012-13 campaign.
• Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is in his third season at Tennessee and his 31st year as a collegiate head coach. During his three years in Knoxville, Barnes has guided the Volunteers to a record of 49-40 (.551) and owns a career record of 653-354 (.648).
• Tennessee enters Saturday night's contest having won six consecutive and nine of its last 10 contests to improve to 18-5 overall and 8-3 in SEC play, which is good for second place in the league standings. Sophomore forward Grant Williams leads the Vols with 15.9 points per game, while adding 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks a contest. Junior Admiral Scholfield is second on the team with 12.5 ppg, while topping the squad with 6.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Sophomore Lamonte Turner averages 11.0 ppg to give Tennessee three double-figure scorers on the year.
• As a team, the Volunteers are outscoring the competition by 10.3 points a game (77.0-66.7) and own a +2.3 advantage on the boards (36.5-34.2). The Vols currently lead the league in assists (16.9 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.4), while also ranking second in scoring margin, three-point field goal percentage (.391) and free throw percentage (.759).
ALABAMA-TENNESSEE – SERIES NOTES
• Saturday's contest will mark the 147th meeting in series history between to two schools, which is the sixth-most common opponent in program lore. The Crimson Tide, which has won three of the last four games over the Vols, owns a 78-68 edge in the all-time series.
• Alabama has won six of the last nine meetings and 14 of the last 21 games between the two teams. However, there have been close games played between the two teams as 10 of the last 14 games have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
• UA owns a 44-18 all-time record when playing Tennessee in Tuscaloosa, including a 27-9 mark under the arched roof of Coleman Coliseum. The Tide has won three of the last four games played between the two teams at Coleman, with the lone loss in the stretch coming on Feb. 1, 2014 (76-59).
• The series began during 1913-14 campaign.
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 4-1 against Top-25 teams, including four consecutive wins over ranked opponents. Alabama has toppled then-No. 5 Texas A&M (79-57 on Dec. 30), then-No. 17 Auburn (76-71 on Jan. 17), then-No. 12 Oklahoma (80-73 on Jan. 27) and then-No. 23 Florida (68-50 on Feb. 3).
• 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 17 total games played against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, Johnson has led the Tide to a record of 9-8. That's a huge improvement, especially considering prior his arrival, Alabama had lost 21 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents.
ALABAMA'S TOURNAMENT RESUME CONTINUES TO LOOK STRONG
• The Crimson Tide comes into the final full month of the season boasting a quality NCAA Tournament resume after 24 games played this season.
• Alabama is a perfect 2-0 against teams ranked in the top 10 of the RPI, defeating Rhode Island (No. 5) and Auburn (No. 8). Furthermore, the Tide boasts a 4-1 record against top-20 RPI teams with the victories over Oklahoma (No. 18) and Texas A&M (No. 18). The Crimson Tide owns a 6-4 record vs. ESPN.com's top-50 RPI and is 9-7 when playing teams ranked in the RPI top 100.
• The Tide is 4-1 this season when playing a team ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 and has won four consecutive contests against Top-25 opponents.
• According to the NCAA's Quadrant win-loss system, Alabama owns five quadrant one victories (5-4), which is tied for the most in the Southeastern Conference. In addition, the Crimson Tide boasts nine combined victories against Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 teams, which is tied for second in the league.
• According to ESPN.com's latest RPI rankings (as of Feb. 8), the Tide checks in at No. 41 in the nation and boasts the No. 16 overall strength of schedule and the No. 25 non-conference strength of schedule. WarrenNolan.com ranks the Tide No. 42 in its RPI with the No. 22 overall strength of schedule. Meanwhile, CBSsports.com rates the Tide at No. 42 in the RPI, boasting the No. 22 non-conference strength of schedule and the No. 15 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).
• Alabama was rated No. 24 by Blue Ribbon's Preseason Top 25, while NBC Sports ranked Alabama No. 23 nationally in its preseason rankings.
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