Alabama Begins Three-Game Road Stretch at Penn State on Saturday Afternoon

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will open a three-game stretch away from Tuscaloosa when it travels to State College, Pa., to square off with the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT). The true road game is the Tide's second of the season (played at Rhode Island on Nov. 15). It is also part of UA's current seven-game stretch in which six contests are being played away from Coleman Coliseum.

After its contest against the Nittany Lions, Alabama will next face Samford on Dec, 21 (6:30 p.m. CT) inside Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., in what will be a true road game for the Tide. That will be followed by the 2019 Rocket City Classic vs. Belmont on Dec. 21 in Huntsville, Ala. (2:30 p.m. CT) to conclude the road swing.

The Crimson Tide enters the Penn State contest riding its first two-game winning streak of the season following a 78-68 victory against Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 6. UA, which stepped away from competition this week due to finals, also defeated Southern Miss, 83-68, in the final game of the Battle 4 Atlantis which was played back on Nov. 29.

It is the second time in two seasons that Alabama and Penn State will square off on the hardwood. Last season marked the first time in 35 years that the two teams faced one another (last played on Dec. 11, 1982). The Crimson Tide captured a 73-64 victory over the Nittany Lions in the contest that was played in Coleman Coliseum on Dec. 21, 2018. The win gave UA its fourth-straight win in the series, improving to 4-1 in five all-time match-ups vs. Penn State.

The Broadcast

Saturday's game will air on Big Ten Network with Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (analyst) on the call.
The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, Roger Hoover (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

Notes You Need To Know

Saturday's contest is the return game of a home-and-home contract between the two teams that began when the Crimson Tide faced the Nittany Lions last season in Coleman Coliseum. Alabama captured a 74-63 victory in that contest which was played on Dec. 21, 2018. The last time the two teams met on the hardwood prior to last year's showdown was nearly 36 years ago today on Dec. 11, 1983, when UA secured a 75-67 double overtime win, which was also the last time the Alabama played a game at Penn State.
It will mark the Crimson Tide's second trip to State College, Pa., in program history. The only other occurrence came on Dec. 11, 1983 – a game UA won in overtime, 75-67.
Most recently, the Crimson Tide played its only home game in a 40 day stretch that spans from Nov. 19 (vs. Furman) to Dec. 29 (vs. Richmond) when it captured a 78-68 victory over Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks made national headlines a week prior to the contest when they went on the road and pulled off an 85-83 victory over then-No. 1 Duke on Nov. 26. However, it was Alabama who stormed ahead with a strong second half performance to pull out the 10-point victory.
UA shot a scorching 72.7 percent from the field (16-of-22) and from beyond the arc (8-of-11) in the second half of its victory over Southern Miss on Nov. 28. The Tide secured the 83-68 win by knocking down eight of its final nine shots from the field. It marked the team's best half of shooting since March 21, 2011 when Alabama connected on 75.0 percent of its field goal attempts in the second half vs. New Mexico.
Alabama's pace of play ranks among the national leaders entering the game at Penn State. The Crimson Tide average of 78.5 possessions per 40 minutes is at 78.5 which ranks fifth-best in the country. Furthermore, UA's average possession length is at 14.6 which ranks as the eighth-fastest in the nation.
Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr. leads the Crimson Tide and ranks among the league leaders in scoring (3rd – 18.6 ppg), assists (T-10th – 4.4 apg) and steals (10th – 1.8 spg) coming into the Penn State game. He is one of only two players in the conference to rank among the league leaders in all three categories, joining Mississippi State's Tyson Carter (5th – 17.9 ppg, T-7th – 4.6 apg and 7th – 1.9 spg).
In the second half of its last two games combined, Alabama has outscored the opposition by 10.5 points (45-5-35.0) while shooting 60.9 percent (28-of-46) from the field and 50.0 percent (14-of-28) from deep.
Junior guard John Petty Jr. enters the game at Penn State on a tear. Petty has reached double digits in five straight games and is averaging 19.4 points per game over the stretch. He is shooting 50.8 percent (30-of-59) from the field and 53.8 percent (21-of-39) from beyond the arc, making a total of 21 treys – an average of 4.2 threes made per game during the stretch.
During his three games played at the Battle 4 Atlantis last week, Petty averaged 22.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent (21-of-39) from the field, 61 percent (14-of-23) from beyond the arc and 92 percent (11-of-12) from the charity stripe. That included a career night in which Petty collected career highs of 34 points and 12 rebounds in the Tide's loss to Iowa State.
Kira Lewis Jr. is showing why the SEC coaches voted him to the league's preseason first team. Entering Saturday's contest, Lewis is averaging 18.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, which rank No. 3 and No. 10 in the SEC, respectively. In the season opener vs. Penn (Nov. 5), the Meridianville, Ala., native went off for a career high 30 points and eight rebounds. He became the third Alabama men's basketball player in program history – and the first in over 30 years – to score 30 or more points in a season-opening contest in program history, joining Michael Ansley (30 vs. New Mexico State Nov. 27, 1987) and Mike Nordholz (37 vs. Jacksonville State on Dec. 1, 1966).

About Alabama

Three Alabama players average double figures, while seven average at least 7.5 points per game through its eight contests played. Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr. tops the squad and ranks third in the SEC with 18.6 points per game. He leads UA and is tied for 10th in the league with 4.4 assists, while he also tops the team in steals (1.8 spg), minutes (37.8) and field goals made (56) and attempted (116). A first-team All-SEC preseason honoree, Lewis is shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 38.1 percent (16-of-42) from beyond the arc.
John Petty Jr. is second on the team in scoring average at 15.0 points per contest which includes five consecutive double-digit contests. The junior guard ranks second in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (44.4 percent) and leads the team in threes made (24) and rebounding (7.0 rpg) while ranking second in steals (1.5 spg) and minutes (33.6 mpg) per game.
Freshman Jaden Shackelford also average in double figures at 11.8 ppg. He leads the team in threes attempted as 54 of 84 field goal attempts have come from beyond the three-point line.
Graduate senior Beetle Bolden (8.8 ppg), redshirt freshman Javian Davis (8.9 ppg) and juniors Herbert Jones (7.6 ppg) and Alex Reese (7.5 ppg) are all contributing offensively.
As a team, the Crimson Tide has been outrebounded only twice in eight games played this year. Alabama owns a +2.1 advantage on the glass (39.4-37.3). Alabama has outscored the opposition by +1.6 points (79.4-77.8) and is shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from beyond the arc and 70.4 percent from the foul line.
The Tide enters the contest leading the SEC and ranked 10th in the nation in three-point field goals made per game (10.1), while the team's 34.9 three-point field goal percentage ranks third in the SEC.

About Penn State

Penn State enters the contest coming off one of its biggest wins in years when it toppled No. 4 and previously unbeaten Maryland, 76-69, on Tuesday night in State College, Pa. It marked Penn State's third win in the last four games. The Nittany Lions have also won games at Georgetown, vs. Syracuse and vs. Wake Forest, among others.
Penn State boast four players who average double figures led by senior Lamar Stevens, who has collected more than 1,800 points and 700 rebounds for his career. The 6-8, 221-pound forward is averaging a team-leading 16.6 points per game, while topping the team in field goals made (60) and attempted (133). He also ranks second in rebounds (7.6 rpg) and steals (1.5 spg).
Sophomore Myreon Jones, a native of Birmingham, Ala., is second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and leads the squad in three-point field goal percentage (.400), free throw percentage (.870), assists (3.3 apg) and minutes (30.4 mpg). Senior Mike Watkins is averaging a near double-double at 10.2 points and a team-leading 9.4 rebounds per game, while sophomore Isaiah Brockington collects 10.2 ppg.
As a team, the Nittany Lions are among the top rebounding teams in the nation, entering the game ranked 27th in the nation in rebounds per game (41.0). Additionally, Penn State is 10th in the country in blocks per game (6.3) and 17th nationally in steals per contest (9.7) while outscoring the opposition by 12.6 points per game (79.5-66.9).
Head coach Patrick Chambers is in his ninth season at the helm of the Nittany Lions' program, compiling a record of 135-142 (.496) during his tenure in Happy Valley. During his 11 seasons as a head coach, including two years as the head coach at Boston University, Chambers owns a career record of 177-170 (.510).

Increasing The Pace Of Play

Head coach Nate Oats has brought an entertaining style of play to the Capstone. That much became evident in the season-opening contest vs. Penn when the Crimson Tide put up 76 shots (27-of-76, 35.5 percent), which is more than any game since it posted 76 shots in a triple overtime loss at LSU on Feb. 13, 2013. Furthermore, the last time an Alabama team put up 76 shots in regulation came on Dec. 4, 2004 when it had 80 field goal attempts in a 79-72 win over Charlotte.
Through eight games this season, Alabama ranks among the top teams in the nation when it comes to the pace of play. According to KenPom.com's latest numbers (as of Dec. 10), the Tide ranks fifth in the nation in Raw Tempo (78.5), while the average offensive possession length is 14.6, good for eighth nationally.

Stepping Up In The Second Half

During the recent two-game winning streak, Alabama has pulled away from each opponent in the second half. Over the stretch, the Tide is outscoring the opposition 45.5-35.0 over the final 20 minutes of a game while shooting 60.9 percent (28-of-46) from the field and 50.0 percent (14-of-28) from beyond the arc.
UA held a narrow 38-35 lead over Southern Miss on Nov. 30 but outscored the Golden Eagles 45-33 over the fnial 20 minutes. As a team, the Tide shot a scorching 72.7 percent from the field (16-of-22) and from beyond the arc (8-of-11) in the second half of that contest. Alabama secured the win by knocking down eight of its final nine shots from the field.
It marked the team's best half of shooting since March 21, 2011 when Alabama connected on 75.0 percent of its field goal attempts in the second half vs. New Mexico.
Alabama outscored Stephen F. Austin 46-37 in the second half after holding just a 32-31 halftime lead, shooting 50.0 percent from the field.

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