Alabama
Auburn
Alabama Men’s Basketball Readies for Rivalry Match-Up at Auburn on Saturday
2/1/2019 9:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide and Tigers will tip off at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will open the month of February when it begins a stretch of playing three of its next four games on the road as the Tide travels to take on in-state rival Auburn on Saturday at 7 p.m. inside Auburn Arena. The contest, which will be the first of two games played between the teams (Auburn plays at Alabama on March 5), will be televised on ESPN2.
Saturday's game will mark the 159th meeting on the hardwood between the two schools, which is the fourth-most games UA has played against any one opponent. The Crimson Tide owns a 95-63 edge in the series, with the 95 victories also ranking fourth-best against any foe in program history. Alabama owns a record of 26-31 when playing the Tigers on the Plains, including falling in three straight games. Since the Tigers' arena opened in 2010, Alabama has a record of 3-5.
Most recently, the Crimson Tide is coming off an 83-79 victory over No. 22/21 Mississippi State last Tuesday night in Coleman Coliseum. It was the third top-25 team that Alabama has defeated in the month of January (also defeated then-No. 13 Kentucky 77-75 on Jan. 5 and then-No. 20 Ole Miss 74-53 on Jan. 22). On the year, Alabama boasts a 3-1 record when facing top-25 competition and has now won seven consecutive home games when playing teams ranked in the AP Top-25.
THE BROADCAST
• Saturday's game will air on ESPN2 with Beth Mowins (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) on the call.
• The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Wimp Sanderson (analyst) on the call. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW
• For the third time in the month of January, Alabama defeated an AP Top-25 opponent when it knocked off No. 22/21 Mississippi State, 83-79, on Tuesday night in Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide, which has now won seven straight home game vs. ranked teams and improved to 9-4 over the last two seasons when playing an opponent ranked in the top 25, also defeated then-No. 13 Kentucky (77-75) on Jan. 5 and then-No. 20 Ole Miss (74-53) on Jan. 22.
• Coming into Tuesday's game against Auburn, the Tide is ranked No. 43 in the latest NCAA Net Rankings (as of Jan. 31) and own the No. 15 overall strength of schedule, which leads all SEC programs. Additionally, UA has faced the second-most difficult league schedule to date, trailing only Georgia. Alabama has played a total of 11 games against Quadrant 1 (2-4) and Quadrant 2 (5-0) opponents this season and boasts a record of 7-4 in such contests. The seven combined wins rank third in the conference entering this weekend's action, trailing only Tennessee (9-1), Kentucky (8-3), LSU (8-3) and Mississippi State (8-5). Furthermore, Alabama has a perfect 5-0 record when playing teams ranked in Quadrant 2, which not only leads the SEC but ranks among 11 other schools in the nation to have played at least five opponents in Q2 without a loss.
• The Alabama reserves have been a strength of this year's team, averaging just over 27 points per contest (27.1) entering the contest at Auburn. In fact, over the last seven games alone, the UA bench is averaging 33.3 points per game and have scored 33 points or more six times over the seven-game stretch. For the year, the Crimson Tide bench has been outscored just twice on the season and it outscoring its counterparts by 8.2 points per contest (27.1-18.9).
• The Tide is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation entering the game at Auburn. Alabama has won the rebounding battle in 17 of its 20 games this season. For the year, Alabama ranks third in the SEC and 35th nationally in rebounding margin (+5.7), outrebounding the opposition by an average of 39.0-33.4. In SEC games only, the Tide has outrebounded six of its seven SEC opponents and leads the league in rebound margin at +5.3 (40.3-35.0).
• In addition to the total rebounds, Alabama is also one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the nation. The Tide is averaging 12.2 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks third in the SEC and 47th nationally. As a result, UA is outscoring the competition by +2.4 points per game in second chance points this season (13.1-10.7).
• Head coach Avery Johnson boasts a record of 14-11 when playing teams ranked in the Associated Press Top-25, including a 3-1 record this season. Johnson has guided the Crimson Tide to seven consecutive wins at home and nine wins in the last 13 overall games played against ranked opponents. His record is even more impressive considering the Tide had lost 21 consecutive games against ranked opponents prior to his arrival.
• Alabama is ranked 12th in the nation and fifth in the SEC in blocks per game (5.4) entering Saturday's game at Auburn. In SEC games only, the Tide leads the league at 5.4 blocks per game.
• Alabama will return to Coleman Coliseum for its only home contest in the current four-game stretch when it welcomes the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The game, which will be the lone meeting during the regular season between the two teams, will tip at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on SEC Network.
ABOUT ALABAMA
• Alabama captured an 83-79 victory over No. 22 Mississippi State last Tuesday night in Coleman Coliseum, improving to 3-1 in home games during league play and 8-2 on the year. The Bulldogs led for only 44 seconds throughout the game, as the Crimson Tide led by as many as 14 points in the second half and hung on for the four-point win to record UA's seventh consecutive home victory over a ranked opponent.
• Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. leads a balanced scoring attack that features eight Alabama players averaging at least 6.0 points per game. Three UA players average in double digits as Lewis' 13.7 points per game tops the Tide and ranks 15th in the SEC. Sophomore John Petty Jr., who tied his career high with 30 points at then-No. 3 Tennessee, ranks second on the team at 11.8 ppg, while senior Donta Hall is collecting 11.7 points per game.
• Lewis leads UA in assists (2.8 apg), minutes (30.7) and free throw shooting (58-of-69, .841), while ranking second in steals (16) and threes made (31) and attempted (85). Meanwhile, Hall tops the team in total dunks (42), rebounds (8.9 rpg), blocks (2.1 bpg), double-figure contests (16) and double-doubles (10). He currently ranks among the league leaders in double-doubles (1st), rebounding (3rd) and blocked shots (T5th). Petty leads the Tide in three-point field goals made (41) and attempted (114) and ranks second on the team in minutes (29.3) and third in rebounding (4.2).
• Junior Tevin Mack, who scored a season-high 22 points in the win over Kentucky back on Jan. 5, is averaging 8.7 ppg, while junior Dazon Ingram (7.5 ppg), senior Riley Norris (6.8 ppg) and sophomores Herbert Jones (6.6 ppg) and Alex Reese (6.2 ppg) are all averaging over 6.0 points per contest. Norris tops the team in three-point shooting (14-of-35, 40.0 percent) over his 12 games played. Meanwhile Jones, who is considered one of the top defenders in the Southeastern Conference, tops UA with 15 charges taken and 18 steals.
• As a team, Alabama enters Saturday's contest as one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. The Tide has outrebounded 17 of its 20 opponents on the year and ranks third in the SEC and 35th nationally with a 5.7 advantage on the glass (39.0-33.4). UA is shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 33.4 percent from beyond the arc on the year, while outscoring the competition by 4.1 points per game (75.8-71.8).
• Through seven games in conference play, Petty leads the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg and has knocked down 44.2 percent of his shots from beyond the arc (19-of-43). Meanwhile, Hall is averaging a double-double at 12.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game – a number that tops the SEC in conference games only. Lewis is scoring 11.1 ppg in league play and tops the team in free throw percentage (86.4 percent). Jones (2.9 apg) and Ingram (2.9 apg) are the top two assist men in SEC games.
• As a team in league play, Alabama leads the SEC in rebounding offense (40.3), blocked shots (5.4), rebound margin (+5.3) and defensive rebounds (27.6) per game. The Tide also ranks among the league leaders in three-point field goal percentage defense (2nd - .301), scoring defense (4th - 72.4), rebounding defense (3rd - 35.0) and both offensive (3rd - .345) and defensive (2nd - .717) percentage.
ABOUT AUBURN
• Auburn claimed a share of the 2018 SEC championship and enters Saturday's contest sporting a 14-6 overall record and a 3-4 mark in SEC play. Most recently, the Tigers began its current three-game homestand with a 92-58 victory over Missouri in Auburn Arena last Wednesday night. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak in league play.
• Four Auburn players average in double figures led by senior Bryce Brown's 16.8 points per game, which also ranks fifth in the SEC. Brown also tops the team in threes made (71) and attempted (177) and free throw percentage (.841). His 3.6 threes made per game leads the conference while his 40.1 three-point shooting percentage is fourth-best in the SEC. Junior Jared Harper is second on the team in scoring average (15.4 ppg) while leading the SEC in assists (6.5 apg). He also ranks third in the SEC in assist/turnover ratio (2.7) and is second in minutes played (33.6 mpg). Sophomore forward Chuma Okeke is averaging 10.6 points and a team-leading 6.4 rebounds per game, while sophomore center Austin Wiley is also averaging double figures at 10.8 ppg.
• As a team, Auburn currently ranks second in the SEC in scoring offense (84.2 ppg) and scoring margin (+15.4, 84.2-68.8). The Tigers lead the league in turnover margin (+5.6), offensive rebounds per game (14.4), offensive rebounding percentage (.377) and threes made per game (11.1). Auburn is shooting 45.6 percent from the floor, 36.7 percent from deep and 69.8 percent from the charity stripe.
• Bruce Pearl is in his fifth season at Auburn and owns a record of 84-68 (.553). Now in his 24th season as a collegiate coach, Pearl owns an overall mark of 546-213 (.719). Pearl's teams have led their conference in scoring 17 of the 23 years that he has been a head coach.
ALABAMA-AUBURN – SERIES NOTES
• Saturday's game will mark the 159th meeting on the hardwood between the two schools, which is the fourth-most games UA has played against any one opponent. The Crimson Tide owns a 95-63 edge in the series, as the 95 victories also rank fourth-best against any foe in program history.
• Alabama has dropped three straight in Auburn Arena and owns a record of 26-31 when playing the Tigers on the Plains. Since the Tigers' arena opened in 2010, Alabama has a record of 3-5.
• UA owns an all-time record of 42-8 when playing Auburn in Coleman Coliseum. The Tide is 49-9 when hosting the Tigers in Tuscaloosa. However, When playing Auburn in a neutral site, the Tigers own a 23-20 lead, but Alabama has won eight of the 10 games played between the two teams in the SEC Tournament.
• Alabama has won 12 of the last 18 games played between the two teams, including eight of the last nine games played in Coleman Coliseum. The last time the Crimson Tide won at Auburn came on Feb. 17, 2015 (won, 79-68).
• Last season, Alabama and Auburn played a total of three games, which marked the first time since the 1998-99 season the rivals have squared off three times during the same year. The Crimson Tide took two of the three games, winning in Coleman Coliseum by a score of 76-71 on Jan. 17 and 81-63 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on March 9. The Tigers defeated the Tide in Auburn Arena, 90-71, on Feb. 21 for their lone win in the series last year.
• The two teams have played in 11 overtimes in series history, with the last one coming Feb. 21, 2001. Auburn has won eight of the 11 games that have went to extra time.
• The series began during 1923-24 campaign.
NCAA TOURNAMENT RESUME
• Heading into this weekend's action, Alabama is in better shape to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament this season that it was at this time a year ago. Entering this exact time a year ago, the Tide owned a 13-7 overall record – identical to this year – and had a combined record of 3-4 against teams in Quadrant 1 (1-2) and Quadrant 2 (2-3) opposition.
• Heading into Saturday's game, Alabama is a combined 7-4 against Q1 and Q2 teams, owning 2-4 mark against Quadrant 1 opponents and a 5-0 record vs. teams in Quadrant 2 this season. Alabama is the only team in the SEC, and one of 11 teams nationally, to have played at least five games without a loss against Q2 teams.
• Combined, UA's 7 wins against Q1 and Q2 opposition this year trails only Tennessee (9), Kentucky (8), LSU (8) and Mississippi State (8).
• UA enters the game at Auburn with a NET Ranking of No. 43 nationally, while owning the No. 15 overall strength of schedule, which leads all SEC teams. In fact, the Tide has played the second-toughest league slate to date. Only Georgia has played a tougher SEC schedule heading into this weekend's action.
• Of the Tide's remaining 11 regular season contests, five are projected to be against Q1 opposition, while four will be against Q2 teams.
• Alabama's three Quadrant 4 opponents is the lowest number among SEC schools (tied with LSU).
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