Saturday, January 16
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
2:30 p.m. CT
Alabama
vs
Arkansas
Alabama Seeks to Continue Winning Ways When it Hosts Arkansas on Saturday
1/15/2021 12:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide and Razorbacks will tip off at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will begin a stretch of playing three of its next four games under the arched roof of Coleman Coliseum beginning on Saturday when it hosts Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. It will be the first of two games between the Hogs and Tide this year as Alabama will play the return game in Fayetteville, Ark., on Feb. 24 (8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 or ESPNU)
The Tide (10-3, 5-0 SEC) enters the contest having won six straight and seven of its last eight games following an 85-65 victory at Kentucky last Tuesday night to remain atop the SEC standings. Over the six-game stretch, Alabama has scored at least 82 points on five occasions and is averaging 83.8 ppg while nearly doubling its opponents in threes made (66-35). The Tide's defense has limited foes to 70.3 points per game while shooting just 38.7 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from beyond the arc during the streak.
Saturday's game between Alabama and Arkansas (10-3. 2-3) will be the 64th meeting in series history, with the Razorbacks owning a 35-28 edge in the all-time series. Arkansas has won six straight and seven of the last eight games in the series. The six consecutive wins by Arkansas is the longest current winning streak by an SEC team against the Crimson Tide.
The Broadcast
- Saturday's game will be available on SEC Network with Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) on the call.
- The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play), Bryan Passink (analyst) and Roger Hoover (sideline) on the call. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
Team Notes
- Saturday's matchup pits two of the top offensive teams in the SEC in both Alabama and Arkansas. In SEC play, the Crimson Tide leads the league in scoring offense at 83.6 points per game, while the Razorbacks are in third at 82.8 points per contest. Both teams also shoot a lot of threes, as Alabama is first in both threes made (54) and attempted (139) with Arkansas closely behind in third (44-of-128).
- John Petty Jr. is just four made three-pointers away from becoming the school's all-time leader in the category. The record is currently held by former standout Brian Williams who made 263 treys from 1996-99. Petty enters Saturday's contest with 260 made threes for his career. He also needs just four points to become the 28th player in program history to reach 1,300 points for his career (1,296).
- Alabama ranks among the top-40 in the nation in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com (as of 1/14). The Crimson Tide is 19th nationally in offensive efficiency coming into Saturday's contest against Arkansas and ranks No. 28 overall in defensive efficiency. Additionally, the Tide is the fifth-fastest team in the nation, averaging 14.2 seconds per possession according to the same site.
- Alabama will be looking to win its seventh straight game which would mark the longest winning streak since starting the 2011-12 campaign with seven consecutive victories. The Tide's five-straight SEC wins is the best since winning eight straight to start the 1987 SEC season.
- The Crimson Tide is ranked No. 23 in the NCAA NET rankings (as of 1/15) which is third-best among SEC teams. Alabama is one of five SEC teams ranked among the top-30, which also includes No. 4 Tennessee, No. 19 LSU, No. 25 Missouri and No. 30 Arkansas.
- With a perfect 5-0 record in league play, the Crimson Tide is in first place by itself through the early portion of the SEC season. The Crimson Tide leads LSU (4-1) by a game leading into play this weekend. It's the first time an Alabama team began conference play with five straight wins in 34 years, dating back to the 1986-87 campaign when UA started that SEC season 8-0.
- While Alabama is known for what it can do offensively, it's the Crimson Tide's defense that has helped it to a 5-0 start to SEC play. Only considering teams that have played more than one conference game, Alabama leads the SEC in field goal percentage defense (37.3 percent) and three-point field goal percentage defense (26.3 percent), while ranking third in steals (8.8) and fourth in scoring defense (70.6).
About Alabama
- Alabama enters Saturday's home contest vs. Arkansas riding a six-game winning streak – the longest winning streak dating back to winning six straight during the 2014-15 campaign. The Crimson Tide extended its best win streak in six years with an impressive 85-65 victory at Kentucky last Tuesday night. It was UA's first win at Rupp Arena since 2006, snapping an eight-game losing streak in Lexington.
- Four Crimson Tide players are averaging 12.5 or more points per game for head coach Nate Oats in the early part of the season. Guard Jaden Shackelford leads the way at 13.5 ppg while John Petty Jr. is second on the team with 13.3 ppg. Guard Jahvon Quinerly, who has missed the last three games with a medical condition, averages 13.0 ppg while forward Herbert Jones is at 12.5 ppg.
- Jones, considered one of the top defensive players in the entire nation, leads the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg), three-point field goal percentage (.526, 10-of-19), charges taken (4), Blue Collar Points (271.5, 20.9 BCP per game), deflections (43), floor dives (10) and Hard Hat Awards (7). He also boasts much improved offensive numbers during his senior season. In addition to averaging double digits, Jones is collecting 1.9 assists per contest, while shooting 46.3 percent from the field (57-of-123).
- The combination of Petty (26-of-73) and Shackelford (26-of-74) have combined to hit 52 of the Tide's 127 three-pointers (40.9 percent) and have 147 of the team's 381 (38.6 percent) total attempts from beyond the arc. Combined, the duo is shooting 35.4 percent (52-of-127) from beyond the arc.
- As a team, Alabama is outscoring the opposition by 8.4 points per contest (79.4-71.0) while shooting 42.4 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from deep and 68.9 percent from the charity stripe.
- It's the Crimson Tide's defense that has set the tone to its 5-0 start in SEC play. When considering teams that have played more than one game so far during the conference season, UA leads the league in defensive efficiency, ranking first in field goal percentage defense (37.3 percent) and three-point field goal percentage defense (26.3 percent), third in steals (8.8) and fourth in scoring defense (70.6).
- This season, the Tide welcomed back four starters and five of its top seven scorers off last year's team, three were named as All-SEC performers a year ago. Petty (Second Team All-SEC), Shackelford (All-Freshman) and Jones (All-Defensive) all earned a spot on the postseason teams. Both Petty and Jones tested the NBA waters, with Petty, who was one of the last players to withdraw his name, announcing his return in early August and Jones in mid-June.
- Alabama was predicted to finish fifth overall as voted on by a select panel of both SEC and national media members. Additionally, Petty All-SEC Preseason First Team honors by both the coaches and media members, while Jones earned a spot on the preseason second team as voted on by the league's head coaches. Petty was selected to the 2020 Jerry West Award Watch List for the nation's top shooting guard. He was also tabbed preseason All-SEC by Blue Ribbon Yearbook.
- Head coach Nate Oats is in his second season at the helm of the Crimson Tide program and owns a record of 26-18 (.591) during his time at the Capstone. Oats, who is in his sixth season as a collegiate head coach, owns a career record of 122-61 (.667).
About Arkansas
- Arkansas has opened the season with a 10-3 mark overall and a 2-3 record in SEC play under second year head coach Eric Musselman. The Razorbacks opened the season with nine straight wins, including its first league game at Auburn (won, 97-85), however, the Hogs have dropped three of its last four contests. Most recently, Arkansas dropped a 92-76 decision at LSU last Wednesday night.
- Five players average in double digits for the Razorbacks, which helps contribute to a league-leading 87.2 points per game. Arkansas also tops rebounds per game (43.0) and offensive rebounds per game (13.8). Offensively, the Razorbacks are shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from beyond the arc while outscoring the competition by an average of 18.0 points a game (87.2-67.2), which ranks second-best in the league.
- Leading the offensive attack is Moses Moody who leads the team with 16.8 points and 32.5 minutes per game. JD Notae, who is coming off a 22-point performance at LSU, is second at 15.9 ppg. Both Moody (25-of-65) and Notae (27-of-81) have combined to account for 52 made threes and 35.6 percent shooting from deep (52-of-146).
- Guard Desi Sills (11.9 ppg), forward Justin Smith (11.6 ppg) and guard Jalen Tate (10.4 ppg) all average in double figures for Arkansas. Smith is the team's leading rebounder at 7.1 rpg, Tate leads in assists (4.5 apg) and Sills in steals (1.6 spg).
- Arkansas leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to only 24.6 percent from deep this season. The Hogs also lead the league in steals per game (8.8), turnovers forced (17.1) and turnover margin (+5.1).
- Musselman owns a record of 30-15 (.667) in his second season at the helm of the Arkansas program. Now in his sixth year as a collegiate head coach, Musselman, the son of former NBA and collegiate head coach Bill Musselman, owns a record of 140-49 (.741).
Alabama-Arkansas – Series Notes
- Saturday's game between Alabama and Arkansas will be the 64th meeting in series history, with the Razorbacks owning a 35-28 edge in the all-time series.
- The Razorbacks have won six straight and seven of the last eight games in the series. The six consecutive wins by Arkansas is the longest current winning streak by an SEC team against the Crimson Tide.
- Despite a big performance by Jaden Shackelford (28 points), Alabama fell short to Arkansas, 82-78, in the only meeting between the two teams last year. Alex Reese added 14 but Arkansas' Mason Jones (30 points) and Jimmy Whitt Jr. (26 points) were the difference. UA began the game on a 12-0 run and led for 25:12 compared to Arkansas leading for just 12:54, but could not pull out the win.
- Nineteen of the 28 Alabama wins in the series have come on its home floor, claiming a 19-8 all-time record against Arkansas in Coleman Coliseum. However, the Razorbacks won three consecutive games in Tuscaloosa, capturing an 82-78 a year ago on Feb. 1, 2020, a 76-73 decision on Feb. 24, 2018 and a 62-61 victory on March 2, 2016. Prior to that game, Arkansas had dropped seven consecutive games on the Tide's home floor.
- Fifty-three of the 63 games played in the series have come as conference opponents.
- The Crimson Tide is 3-2 in overtime contests against Arkansas. All five overtime games have come within the last 13 seasons.
- The series began during 1947-48 campaign.
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
Forward/Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's BasketballFirst Official Practice Highlights
Monday, September 22
Elite Eight Postgame: Nate Oats, Chris Youngblood, Labaron Philon & Mark Sears
Saturday, March 29
Elite Eight Preview: Oats, Sears, Philon, Youngblood, Nelson & Omoruyi
Friday, March 28
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Postgame: Nate Oats, Mark Sears, Aden Holloway & Chris Youngblood
Thursday, March 27
