Alabama
Texas A&M
Alabama Returns to Action on Tuesday Night at Texas A&M
2/18/2019 1:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide will take on Aggies for second time this year when they square off at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team will look to get back to its winning ways when it travels to College Station, Texas, where it will take on the Texas A&M Aggies on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. CT.
It will mark the second meeting between the two teams this season. Texas A&M took an 81-80 victory in Coleman Coliseum back on Jan. 12 thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Aggie guard TJ Starks, which capped a 12-point second half comeback.
The Crimson Tide owns an 12-7 edge in the all-time series against the Aggies. The two teams have played some exciting games in the series history, as 12 of the 19 contests in the series have been decided by single digits. In fact, six of the last seven games between the two teams have been decided by a single possession with each winning on a buzzer beater in the last two meetings (Collin Sexton hit a buzzer beater to beat Texas A&M, 71-70, in the SEC Tournament on March 8, 2019).
THE BROADCAST
• Tuesday's game will air on SEC Network with Dave Neal (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst) on the call.
• The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network, Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
• Alabama boasts a record of 3-1 against team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 entering this weekend's game. The three wins is tied for second in the SEC for most wins against ranked opponents (LSU has three, Kentucky has 5). Furthermore, the Tide's .750 winning percentage against ranked opponents leads the SEC, ahead of Kentucky (5-2, .714) and LSU (3-2, .600).
• The Crimson Tide suffered its second consecutive SEC loss when it dropped a 71-53 decision to Florida on Saturday afternoon in Coleman Coliseum. UA will be looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the year when it takes on Texas A&M on Tuesday night. Saturday's game against the Gators marked the fewest rebounds (23), assists (6) and field goals made (19) and attempted (43) in a game this season for Alabama, while the 53 points scored and the 45.5 percent shooting (10-of-22) from the foul line were the second-fewest in any contest on the year.
• The 70-point mark seems to be a key for the Crimson Tide team this season. On the year, Alabama has a record of 15-3 when scoring 70 or more points in a game. However, the Tide is 0-7 this season when scoring less than 70 points in a contest.
• The Alabama reserves have been a strength of this year's team, averaging nearly 26 points per contest (25.9) entering the contest at Texas A&M. For the year, the Crimson Tide bench has been outscored just four times and is outscoring its counterparts by 7.7 points per contest (25.9-18.2).
• Alabama will return to Tuscaloosa for three of its next four games, beginning with a home contest against Vanderbilt on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 5 p.m. CT. It will mark the second meeting in two weeks between the teams. In the previous match-up, Alabama defeated Vandy, 77-67, on Feb. 9 in Nashville.
ABOUT ALABAMA
• Alabama fell to 15-10 on the year and 6-6 in SEC play when it dropped its second consecutive contest by double figures, falling to Florida 71-53 this past Saturday in Coleman Coliseum. The Tide began the game by committing three turnovers and missing its first six shots as the Gators opened with a 12-2 run and never looked back. It was the second consecutive season Florida defeated Alabama by double figures on its home court and the eighth straight win for the Gators in Coleman Coliseum.
• Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. leads a balanced scoring attack that features eight Alabama players averaging at least 5.5 points per game, while 10 players are averaging double-digit minutes. Three UA players average in double figures as Lewis' 14.4 points per game tops the Tide and ranks 11th in the SEC. Sophomore John Petty Jr. ranks second on the team at 11.2 ppg, while senior Donta Hall is collecting 10.9 points per game.
• Lewis leads UA in assists (2.9 apg), minutes (31.1) and free throw shooting (76-of-95, .800), while ranking second in steals (20), threes made (41) and attempted (108). Meanwhile, Hall tops the team in total dunks (48), rebounds (8.5 rpg), blocks (1.9 bpg), double-figure contests (18) and double-doubles (10). He currently ranks among the league leaders in double-doubles (1st), rebounding (3rd) and blocked shots (7th). Petty leads the Tide in three-point field goals made (47) and attempted (133) and ranks second on the team in minutes (28.8) and in rebounding (3.9).
• Junior Tevin Mack, who scored a season-high 25 points in the win over Georgia, is averaging 8.9 ppg, while junior Dazon Ingram (7.6 ppg), senior Riley Norris (6.2 ppg) and sophomores Herbert Jones (6.2 ppg) and Alex Reese (5.5 ppg) are all averaging at least 5.5 points per contest. Ingram tops the team in three-point shooting (14-of-31, .452), while Norris is second (19-of-50, 38.0 percent) over his 17 games played. Meanwhile Jones, who is considered one of the top defenders in the Southeastern Conference, tops UA with 17 charges taken and in total steals (22).
• As a team, Alabama enters Tuesday's contest as one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. The Tide has outrebounded 18 of its 25 opponents on the year and ranks fifth in the SEC and 48th nationally with a 4.2 advantage on the glass (37.5-33.4). UA is shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from beyond the arc on the year, while outscoring the competition by 1.9 points per game (74.4-72.5).
• Through 12 games in conference play, Lewis leads the team in scoring at 13.7 ppg, while Petty is averaging 12.0 ppg and has knocked down 40.3 percent of his shots from beyond the arc (25-of-62). Meanwhile, Hall is averaging nearly a double-double at 10.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game – a number that tops the SEC in conference games only. Ingram leads the Tide in assists (2.7) and in steals per game (9) throughout SEC play.
• As a team in league play, Alabama is tied for sixth overall in the current SEC standings with a 6-6 with six games remaining. The Tide is averaging 72.9 points per game in conference play, while outrebounding teams by +2.2 (36.6-34.2). The Tide is shooting 44.5 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from beyond the arc and 68.8 percent from the charity stripe in SEC play. The Tide ranks second in the SEC in league games in defensive rebounds (25.9), ranks third in blocked shots (4.8) and rebounding margin (+2.3) and fourth in rebounding offense (36.6).
ABOUT TEXAS A&M
• Sophomore guard TJ Starks leads the Aggies in scoring (13.0 ppg), assists (3.6 apg) and field goals made (114) and attempted (314). Junior Wendell Mitchell (12.9 ppg) and sophomore Savion Flagg (12.2 ppg) also average in double figures for A&M. Flagg leads the team in minutes (34.1) and rebounds (7.5) per game. Meanwhile, Mitchell leads the team in steals (1.8 spg) and threes made (44) and attempted (114). Meanwhile, junior Josh Nebo, who finished with career highs of 21 points to go along with seven boards and four blocks, leads the team in field goal percentage (.735) and blocks per game (2.5).
• As a team, Texas A&M enters the contest shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from beyond the arc, while being outscored by 0.8 points per game on the year (71.8-72.6). The Aggies own a +1.2 advantage over the opposition on the glass (38.0-36.8), but average just 12.6 assists per game while turning it over 14.1 times per contest on average.
• Billy Kennedy, who was named the 2016 SEC Coach of the Year, is in his eighth season as the head coach of the Aggie basketball program. During his head coaching career (21 seasons), Kennedy's teams have averaged 20 wins over his last 13 seasons as a head coach and owns a record of 147-112 (.568) at Texas A&M and boasts a career mark of 358-291 (.552).
NCAA TOURNAMENT RESUME
• Heading into Tuesday's game at Texas A&M, Alabama is a combined 8-8 against Q1 and Q2 teams, owning 3-6 mark against Quadrant 1 opponents and a 5-2 record vs. teams in Quadrant 2 this season. Combined, UA's eight wins against Q1 and Q2 opposition this year trails only LSU (13), Kentucky (10), Mississippi State (10) and Tennessee (11). Alabama is tied with Auburn with eight such wins, followed by Ole Miss with seven combined Q1 and Q2 wins.
• Alabama, along with Auburn (8-8) and Ole Miss (7-7), boasts the conference's fifth-best winning percentage against Quadrant 1 and 2 opposition. The Tide's 8-8 mark equates to a .500 winning percentage, trailing only Tennessee (11-2, .846), LSU (13-4,.765), Kentucky (11-4, .733) and Mississippi State (11-7, .611).
• Alabama owns a 3-1 record against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and is 4-1 when playing teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll this season. The three wins is tied for second in the SEC for most wins against ranked opponents (LSU has three, Kentucky has 5). Furthermore, the Tide's .750 winning percentage against ranked opponents leads the SEC, ahead of Kentucky (5-2, .714) and LSU (3-2, .600).
• UA enters the game with a NET Ranking of No. 50 nationally, while owning the No. 19 overall strength of schedule. Of the Tide's remaining six regular season contests, three are projected to be against Q1 opposition (vs. LSU on March 2, vs. Auburn on March 5 and at Arkansas on March 9), while two will be against Q2 teams (at Texas A&M on Feb. 19 and at South Carolina on Feb. 26).
• Alabama's three Quadrant 4 opponents is the lowest number among SEC schools (tied with LSU).
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