No. 14/13 Alabama Welcomes Louisiana Tech to Coleman Coliseum in 2021-22 Regular Season Opener

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Year three of the Nate Oats era will officially tip off Tuesday night when the No. 14/13 Alabama Crimson Tide welcomes the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs to Coleman Coliseum. The contest is set to tipoff at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on SEC Network.

Approximately 20 minutes prior to tipoff, the University of Alabama will honor Cameron Luke Ratliff. Ratliff, affectionately known as "Fluffopotamus" or "Fluff," was an active student leader and president of Crimson Chaos, who tragically passed away on Friday, April 2, 2021 at the age of 23.

The Broadcast

Tuesday's game will be available on SEC Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (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 and Tom Stipe (engineer) turning the dials. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

Notes You Need To Know

The Crimson Tide enters the year ranked No. 14 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 and No. 13 in the Ferris Mowers USA Today Coaches Poll. It marks the first time since 2011 that Alabama will begin the season ranked in the AP Preseason poll, checking in at No. 19 that year. It's also the highest preseason ranking for the Tide since beginning the 2006-07 campaign at No. 11 nationally.
Alabama will face what is arguably the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation this season. The Tide is set to take on eight teams that were picked to win their respective league (including SEC), four foes among the nation's top-15 teams according to the Preseason AP Poll and three of last year's final four teams. In all, the Tide will face 13 teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason top-25 poll.
Up Next: Alabama will continue its four-game homestand to open the season when it welcomes South Dakota State to Coleman Coliseum on Friday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. CT. The Jackrabbits are preseason favorites to win the Summit League and one of the eight opponents (including SEC's Kentucky) the Tide will face that were picked to win their respective league.
Oats enters his third season at the helm of the Crimson Tide program in 2021-22. Coming off of last year's record-setting campaign, Oats has compiled a record of 42-22 (.656) at The Capstone. He owns a career record of 138-65 (.680) through six seasons as a D-I head coach, which include four years as the head coach at Buffalo.

About Alabama

Alabama returns 10 letterwinners and its top-two scorers from last season's 26-7 SEC Championship team. The Crimson Tide did lose four senior starters who helped lead the program to its first NCAA Sweet 16 since 2004, however, preseason first team All-SEC guards Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford lead what is arguably one of the top backcourts in the nation.
Leading the returnees are the team's top two scorers off last season's squad in Preseason First Team All-SEC honoress Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford. Both players, along with freshman sensation JD Davison and senior leader Keon Ellis, help make up one of the top backcourts in the nation.
In addition to receiving first team recognition from the coaches and the media, Shackelford was named to the Preseason Watch List for the Jerry West Award, while Quinerly was named to the NABC Player of the Year, Wooden Award and Bob Cousy Award Watch Lists.
Despite losing four starters, the Crimson Tide does return its top two scorers in Shackelford (14.0 ppg) and Quinerly (12.9 ppg). Both Shackelford (63-of-184) and Quinerly (52-of-120) ranked among the league leaders in total threes made, while Quinerly led the team in three-point field goal percentage at 43.3 percent. Ellis, who is poised to have a breakout season in 2021-22. Despite averaging 5.5 points a game last year, Ellis shot 50.4 percent (60-of-119) from the floor and 38.9 percent (21-of-54) for beyond the arc, both of which ranked second on the team. He is also the leading returning player in both rebounds (4.0 rpg) and steals (35) per game.
Their experience will certainly be needed as head coach Nate Oats welcomes in five newcomers on this year's team as he looks to replace four starters from a year ago. In addition to the newcomers, redshirt freshman Alex Tchikou, who is coming off an achilles injury that forced him to redshirt last season, returns to suit up for the 2021-22 campaign.
Oats will also rely on veteran newcomer Noah Gurley who comes to Tuscaloosa after having played in 88 games and made 83 starts across his three seasons at Furman. The Fayette, Ga., native finished his career with the Paladins as a three-time All-SoCon performer. Last season, Gurley averaged 15.4 points, 2.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds on his way to earning second team All-SoCon honors.
In addition to the transfers, Oats welcomes a trio of highly-rated freshmen to campus this year in five star signee JD Davison and a pair of four-star prospects in Charles Bediako and Jusaun Holt.
Coming off a historic season last year, excitement is certainly high for the upcoming 2021-22 Alabama men's basketball season. So much so, the Alabama Athletics TIDE PRIDE/Ticket Office announced prior to the start of the regular season that it set a record in season tickets sold, which surpassed the 7,000 mark as of Nov. 4.

About Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech returns seven letterwinners, including four starters, off last season's roster that won 24 games, claimed a Conference USA West Division title and reached the Final Four of the National Invitation Tournament. The Bulldogs were picked to finish second in Conference USA this season.
Of the seven returnees, Amorie Archibald and Exavian Christon return for their fifth season and have a combined 210 games of playing experience. Meanwhile, the frontcourt duo of Kenneth Lofton, Jr. and Isaiah Crawford, both of whom were Third Team All-Conference USA selections last season, were voted as Preseason All-Conference nominees.
Lofton (12.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Crawford (11.8 ppg) 5.1 rpg) combined to account for nearly 23 combined points and 13 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Archibald returns as the team leader in assists per game (3.3), while averaging 10.0 poins a contest.
The Bulldogs welcome seven newcomers – transfers Keaston Willis (Incarnate Word), LaDamien Bradford (Texas A&M) and David Green (Hofstra) as well as four straight out of high school in Kaleb Stewart, Terran Williams, Will Allen and Ben Ponder.
Eric Konkol, who garnered four postseason awards last season including Conference USA Coach of the Year last season, enters his seventh season at the helm of a program that is coming off a 24-win season and an NIT Final Four appearance. He owns an all-time record of 129-65 (.644).

In The Preseason Rankings

After finishing No. 5 in the final Associated Press Top-25 poll last season, which matched the highest ranking in program history, Alabama will begin the 2021-22 season ranked No. 14 in the AP Top-25 preseason poll
UA was also ranked No. 13 nationally in the Ferris Mowers USA Today Preseason Top 25
It's the first time since 2011 that Alabama has been ranked by the AP in the preseason poll, checking in at No. 19 that year, and the highest preseason AP ranking since 2006-07 (No. 11)
Alabama will have eight games versus teams ranked among the AP top 25 and 13 games against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes (does not include the possibility of playing Belmont and Kansas in Orlando)
Four non-conference games will come against teams ranked in the poll's top-15 – No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 8 Baylor, No. 12 Memphis, No. 15 Houston (possibility of playing No. 3 Kansas in Orlando)
Five SEC teams ranked among top 25 (tied for most of any conference)
The Tide is one of five SEC teams ranked in the top-25 poll, joining Kentucky (No.10), Arkansas (No. 16), Tennessee (No. 18) and Auburn (No. 22)
An additional two SEC teams received votes to be ranked: LSU (No. 37) and Mississippi State (No. 41)

Quinerly, Shackelford Both Honored With Preseason Awards

The Tide's backcourt duo of Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford have already begun to get noticed as one of the top guard tandems in not only the SEC, but in the nation
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame recently announced the Quinerly was named to the Watch List for the Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard, while Shackelford was selected to the West Award Watch List for the top shooting guard
The duo also garnered recognition from around the league, as both SEC and national media members selected Quinerly and Shackelford both to the Preseason All-SEC First Team