Alabama
Texas A&M
Alabama Men’s Basketball Closes Regular Season at Texas A&M on Saturday
3/2/2018 11:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Tide and Aggies will tip off at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN2
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama plays its final game of the regular season when it travels to take on Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN2. It marks the second game played between the two teams this season. The Tide and Aggies opened the conference season back on Dec. 30 when Alabama captured a 79-57 victory over then-No. 5 Texas A&M in Coleman Coliseum.
Most recently, Alabama dropped its fourth consecutive contest – its longest losing streak since the 2013-14 season – when it fell at home to Florida, 73-52, on Tuesday night in Coleman Coliseum. It was just the fourth home loss of the season for the Tide under the arched roof (12-4) and the third home loss in SEC play (6-3).
Freshman Collins Sexton led the Crimson Tide with 14 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists, while sophomore Braxton Key contributed 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Alabama dominated the glass, outrebounding the Gators by a count of 46-31, including a 20-6 edge on the offensive boards. However, despite the big advantage on the offensive glass, the Tide only held an 11-5 edge in second chance points.
THE BROADCAST
• Saturday's game will air on ESPN with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (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 noon p.m. CT on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
OPENING TIP
• The Crimson Tide has won four of the last five games overall in the series coming into Saturday's showdown. However, Alabama has dropped four of the last five contests played at College Station, Texas. The Tide's only win at Reed Arena during the stretch came in the final game of the 2014-15 season. In that contest, Alabama escaped with 61-60 victory on March 7, 2015 under the watchful eye of Avery Johnson, who was in the stands watching Avery Johnson Jr. play as a freshman for Texas A&M.
• Alabama is 3-2 against teams ranked in the top 16 of ESPN.com's RPI (as of March 1), defeating Auburn (No. 7), Tennessee (No. 9) and Rhode Island (No. 16). Furthermore, the Tide boasts a 4-3 record against top-25 RPI teams with a victory over Texas A&M (No. 22), while all three of its losses in the category have come on the road (at No. 7 Auburn, at No. 15 Kentucky and at No. 18 Arizona).
• Since Avery Johnson's arrive in Tuscaloosa, Alabama owns a record of 10-9 when facing an AP Top-25 team. Prior to his arrival, the Tide dropped 21 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents.
• 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 Texas A&M game, Alabama is tied for sixth in the SEC in Quadrant 1 wins (5) while only three teams in the league in Q1 and Q2 wins combined with 10. Moreover, only 16 other teams in the nation have more Q1 victories than the Tide.
• Alabama leads the Southeastern Conference with 136 dunks this season, led by junior Donta Hall, who now has 64 dunks on the year. The Luverne, Ala., native is connecting on an impressive 73.3 percent (132-of-180) from the field, with nearly half of his made field goals this season coming above the rim (64 dunks on 132 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 4.55 makes a game).
• In league games, Alabama ranks as the top defensive team in the SEC and is the only team in the league to rank in the top three in each of the major categories. Through 17 conference games, Alabama tops the SEC in blocks per game (5.4), ranks second in field goal percentage defense (.404), while ranking third in scoring defense (68.1), three-point field goal percentage defense (.311) and third in steals (6.5).
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama lost for the fourth straight game when it fell at home to Florida, 73-52, on Tuesday night. The Crimson Tide's current four-game skid is only its second losing streak of the season and the longest since the 2014-15 season. Alabama has not lost five consecutive games since the 2003-04 season.
• Despite the recent skid, the Tide is averaging 72.6 points per game and outscoring the opposition by 2.9 points per contest (72.6-69.7). As a team, Alabama is connecting on 46.2 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Tide owns a +0.3 advantage on the glass this season (36.2-35.9) and boasts a +5.7 advantage in points in the paint (34.3-28.6). Additionally, Alabama ranks second in the SEC and seventh in the nation in blocked shots per game (5.8).
• In addition to blocking shots, the Alabama defense is allowing opponents to shoot 41.2 percent from the field, which ranks 39th in the nation, and 31.8 percent from deep, which is 29th-best in the country. The Tide is also averaging 6.6 steals a contest.
• In league games, Alabama ranks as one of the top defensive teams in the conference. Through 17 SEC games, Alabama leads the league in blocks per game (5.4), ranks second in field goal percentage defense (.404) and ranks third in scoring defense (68.1), three-point field goal percentage defense (.311) and steals (6.5).
• Alabama ranks 29th nationally in free throws attempted (686) and 86th in the nation in free throws made (461). Just over 21 percent of Alabama's point total (461 of 2,179 points) has come from the charity stripe. That number could be more, however, the Tide's 67.2 percent foul shooting ranks 304th in the nation.
• Three players are averaging double-figure scoring for the Tide, led by freshman Collin Sexton's 18.1 ppg. That number not only tops the team, but ranks second in the SEC. Sexton also tops the team in assists (3.5 apg) and field goals made (152) and attempted (352). Freshman John Petty ranks third on the team with 10.5 ppg and tops UA in threes made (76) and attempted (205), while his 2.5 treys made per game is tied for fourth-best in the SEC.
• Junior Donta Hall leads the Tide in field goal percentage (.733, 132-of-180), 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 4.55 makes per game). Hall also tops the team in dunks (64), rebounds (7.0 rpg) and blocks (2.3 bpg), while ranking second with 10.9 points per game. Sophomore guard Dazon Ingram is averaging 10.0 ppg, and ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg) and assists (2.6 apg) a game. Meanwhile, Ingram's 4.9 defensive rebounds per contest leads the team and ranks sixth in the SEC.
SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
• Alabama leads Texas A&M, 11-5, in the all-time series and owns a 5-2 edge when playing one another as SEC rivals. The Tide has won four of the last five games in the series entering Saturday's contest. Four of the last seven games between the two teams have been decided by three points or less, with three of the last seven coming down to a single point.
• Billy Kennedy, who was named the 2016 SEC Coach of the Year, is in his seventh season as the head coach of the Aggie basketball program. During his head coaching career (20 seasons), Kennedy's teams have averaged 20 wins over his last 12 seasons as a head coach, earning four league titles and making six trips to the postseason (3 NCAA, 2 NIT, 1 CBI). He owns a record of 134-96 (.583) at Texas A&M and boasts a career mark of 345-275 (.556).
• Texas A&M and Alabama opened the SEC season and will close league play facing off against one another. In the first matchup between the teams this season, the Crimson Tide captured a 79-57 victory over the then-No. 5-ranked Aggies in Tuscaloosa. The full recap and box score from that game can be found on page 11 of the game notes.
• Aggies' big man Tyler Davis currently leads the team with 14.6 points per game, while also adding 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks a contest. Junior Admon Gilder is second on the team with 12.0 ppg, while shooting a team-leading 40.0 percent (40-of-100) from beyond the arc. Junior D.J. Hogg averages 11.4 ppg and leads the team in assists (2.7), threes made (56) and threes attempted (146)
• Sophomore center Robert Williams give the Aggies four players who average double figures with 10.6 ppg and leads the squad in rebounding (9.2 rpg), blocks (2.5 bpg) and field goal percentage (.630).
• As a team, Texas A&M enters the contest ranked as one of the top rebounding teams in the SEC, topping the league in rebounds per game (41.1) and rebounding margin (+5.8). Meanwhile, the Aggies also rank as one of the top defensive teams in the conference, leading the SEC in blocks per game (5.9) and ranking second in field goal percentage defense (.401).
ALABAMA-TEXAS A&M – SERIES NOTES
• The contest between Alabama and Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon will mark the 17th meeting in series history and the eighth time the two teams will meet as SEC rivals.
• Alabama owns an 11-5 edge in the previous 16 games, including having won four of the last five in the series.
• The two teams not only close league play, but they opened the SEC season back on Dec. 30 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide defeated then-No. 5 Texas A&M 79-57 in a game it led wire-to-wire. With the victory, Alabama has now won four straight games at home over the Aggies.
• The Tide and Aggies played just once last season, as Texas A&M hung on to take a 56-53 win over Alabama in College Station, Texas.
• Alabama owns a record of 2-4 when playing Texas A&M in Reed Arena. Coincidentally, the Tide's last win in College Station came in the regular season finale of the 2014-15 season when it captured a 61-60 victory over the Aggies on March 7, 2015.
• Ten of the 16 contests in the series have been decided by single digits, including one overtime contest (12/13/08). Four of the last seven games between the two teams have been decided three points or less, including three consecutive. Alabama has won four of the five contests, with the lone loss coming last season on Feb. 25, 2017 (lost, 56-53).
• The first game in the series was played in 1958-59.
ALABAMA HAS BUILT A SOLID TOURNAMENT RESUME
• Despite its current four-game losing streak, the Crimson Tide boasts a quality NCAA Tournament resume heading into the final game of the regular season.
• Alabama is 3-2 against teams ranked in the top 16 of ESPN.com's RPI (as of March 1), defeating Auburn (No. 7), Tennessee (No. 9) and Rhode Island (No. 16). Furthermore, the Tide boasts a 4-3 record against top-25 RPI teams with a victory over Texas A&M (No. 22), while all three of its losses in the category have come on the road (at No. 7 Auburn, at No. 15 Kentucky and at No. 18 Arizona).
• 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 five Q1 victories (5-5) and is tied for fifth 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 fifth-most in the league.
• Only 16 teams in the nation has more Q1 wins than Alabama does this season.
• According to ESPN.com's latest RPI rankings (as of March 1), the Tide checks in at No. 57 in the nation and boasts the No. 10 overall strength of schedule. WarrenNolan.com ranks the Tide No. 59 in its RPI with the No. 10 overall strength of schedule. Meanwhile, CBSSports.com rates the Tide at No. 59 in the RPI and the No. 10 overall SOS.
• Alabama has been receiving votes to be ranked in all but four weeks of the season, and was ranked as high as No. 24 nationally by the AP poll (week 4).
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