No. 10/7 Alabama Ready to Take on No. 18/17 Missouri Saturday in Battle of Top-25 Teams

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 10/7 Alabama begins a two-game road swing when it takes on No. 18/17 Missouri on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN in a battle between Top-25 teams. It marks the only meeting between the two squads during the regular season.

Alabama (15-4, 10-0 SEC) enters its contest at Mizzou (12-3, 5-3) with a perfect 10-0 record in SEC play – the program's best start in conference play in 65 years dating back to the famed Rocket 8 team in 1955-56. That year, the Crimson Tide finished with a perfect 14-0 mark in conference play.

Most recently, Alabama captured a 78-60 victory over LSU on Wednesday night to finish off a season series sweep of the Tigers. Coupled with its 105-75 victory at LSU back on Jan. 19, the Crimson Tide combined to beat LSU by 48 points this year. It also marked the seventh time in 10 league contests UA has won by double figures.

The Crimson Tide owns a four-game lead over second place Missouri, which enters the contest at 5-3 in SEC action. The Tide boasts the largest lead of any conference in the nation (as of 2/4) while Baylor is the only other team that owns as much as a three-game lead on its conference (3.5 games).

The Broadcast

Saturday's game will be available on ESPN with Karl Ravech (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (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

The Crimson Tide has grown its lead primarily due to the effort on both the offensive and defensive ends. In SEC games only, UA's defense is the most efficient in the SEC, ranking first in field goal percentage defense (.368) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.262), while ranking second in steals (9.0) and third in scoring defense (67.9). Offensively, UA leads the league in scoring offense (84.2), scoring margin (+16.3), three-point shooting (.399) and threes made per game (11.8), while ranking third in field goal percentage (.457).
Alabama remained in the national rankings, checking it at No. 10 in the Associated Press Top-25 and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches poll. The last time the Crimson Tide was ranked inside the AP Top-10 in the month of February came in 2002. That year, UA was ranked as high as No. 5 in the month of February on its way to claiming the SEC regular season title.
Alabama ranks among the top-25 in the nation in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com (as of 2/4). The Crimson Tide is 24th nationally in offensive efficiency coming into Saturday's contest at Missouri and ranks No. 3 overall in defensive efficiency. UA is one of only eight teams across the nation that can boast the same: Gonzaga (2/13), Baylor (3/2), Illinois (7/17), Michigan (8/7), Virginia (11/18), Texas (15/22) and Houston (18/5).
The Crimson Tide is ranked No. 8 in the NCAA NET rankings (as of 2/4) which leads all SEC teams. Alabama is also projected by ESPN's Joe Lunardi as a No. 1 see in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Tide is one of five SEC teams ranked among the top-30, which also includes No. 13 Tennessee, No. 27 Florida, No. 28 Missouri and No. 30 Arkansas. UA owns a record of 5-1 against Quad 1 opponents and 5-2 versus Quad 2 foes.
Nationally, Alabama currently ranks second in the NCAA in three-pointers attempted (566), fourth in threes made (201) and ninth in threes made per game (10.6) coming into its contest at Missouri. The Crimson Tide is also third nationally in average possession length on offense (14.3) and ninth in the nation in adjusted tempo (74.3 possessions per game).
At a perfect 10-0 in league play, Alabama has four more wins than anyone else in the league standings and has outscored its league competition by a combined +163 points. The next closest team is Florida and Arkansas, who have both outscored its league competition by a combined +31 points.
The 10 wins to begin SEC play is even more impressive when you consider seven league wins have come against the teams predicted to finish in the top seven of the league as selected by the media in the preseason. Alabama, which was predicted to finish fifth overall in the SEC standings, has won at Tennessee (predicted to win the league), twice vs. Kentucky (picked 2nd), twice vs. LSU (3rd), vs. Florida (4th), vs. Arkansas (6th) and at Auburn (7th). Ole Miss (9th) is the only team UA has defeated that was not among the top seven in the preseason rankings.
The Tide's 10-straight SEC wins is the second-best start to league play in program history. Only the 1955-56 "Rocket 8" team was better, finishing that year with a perfect 14-0 mark in league play. Moreover, Alabama currently owns a four-game lead in the league which is the biggest lead in all of college basketball. Baylor is the next closes, leading the Big 12 by 3.5 games entering this weekend's action.

About Alabama

Alabama enters contest at Missouri atop the league standings at 10-0, four games ahead of the Tigers (5-3). Most recently, the Crimson Tide defeated LSU for a second time this season, 78-60, last Wednesday night. Coupled with its 30-point win (105-75) win in Baton Rouge, La., back on Jan. 19, Alabama swept the season series by a combined 48 points.
Four Crimson Tide players are averaging 11.0 or more points per game for head coach Nate Oats on the season. Guard Jaden Shackelford leads the way, averaging 13.8 ppg. Guard John Petty Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring average at 13.2 ppg, followed by forward Herbert Jones (12.1 ppg ) and Jahvon Quinerly (11.1 ppg).
Jones, considered one of the top defensive players in the entire nation and one of 15 players from across the nation named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, leads the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg), steals (1.8 spg), Blue Collar Points (402, 21.2 BCP per game), deflections (69), floor dives (15) and Hard Hat Awards (10), while ranking second in charges taken (7) and blocked shots (1.1 bpg). He also boasts much improved offensive numbers during his senior season. In addition to averaging double digits, Jones is collecting 2.8 assists per contest, while shooting 46.6 percent from the field (75-of-161) and leads the team in free throw shooting (78.6 percent, 66-of-84), three point shooting (46.7 percent, 14-of-30) and free throws made and attempted.
The combination of Petty (46-of-116) and Shackelford (36-of-105) have combined to hit 82 of the Tide's 201 three-pointers (40.8 percent) and have 221 of the team's 566 total attempts from beyond the arc (39.0 percent). Combined, the duo is shooting 37.1 percent (82-of-221) from beyond the arc.
As a team, Alabama is outscoring the opposition by 10.6 points per contest (79.8-69.2) while shooting 43.7 percent from the field, 35.5 percent from deep and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe.
It's the Crimson Tide's defense that has set the tone to its 10-0 start in SEC play. UA leads the league in defensive efficiency, ranking first in field goal percentage defense (36.8 percent) and three-point field goal percentage defense (26.2 percent), while ranking second in steals (9.1) and third in scoring defense (67.9).
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.
Head coach Nate Oats is in his second season at the helm of the Crimson Tide program and owns a record of 31-19 (.620) during his time at the Capstone. Oats, who is in his sixth season as a collegiate head coach, owns a career record of 127-62 (.672).

About Missouri

No. 18/17 Missouri enters Saturday's contest with No. 10/7 Alabama sporting a 12-3 overall mark and is in second place in the SEC at 5-3, four games behind the Crimson Tide. The Tigers have won five of their last six games, most recently taking down Kentucky, 75-70, last Wednesday night. It was the second consecutive win for Mizzou that game by five points or less, as it defeated TCU, 102-98, in overtime on Jan. 30 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Four Tigers are averaging double figures on the season, led by guard Xavier Pinson who tops the team in scoring (15.1 ppg) and assists (3.4) coming into Saturday's game. Guard Dru Smith is second on the team with 13.9 ppg and leads Mizzou in three-point field goal percentage (39.6 percent), free throw percentage (85.0 percent), minutes (32.5 mpg) and steals (1.8 spg).
Forward Jeremiah Tilmon is third on the team in scoring average at 13.5 ppg and leads Missouri in rebounding (7.9 rpg), blocks (1.3 bpg) and field goal percentage (64.2 percent). Guard Mark Smith also averages double digits at 10.5 points per contest, and tops Mizzou in threes made (26) and attempted (76) and ranks second in minutes played (29.7 mpg).
As a team, the Tigers are outscoring the opposition by 5.0 points per contest (75.2-70.2) and outrebounding the competition by 2.2 rebounds per game (37.3-35.1). Offensively, Missouri is shooting 45.4 percent from the field. 31.0 percent from three-point range and 70.8 percent from the charity stripe. Defensively, the Tigers are allowing opponents to shoot 41.4 percent from the floor and 30.5 percent from beyond the arc.
In conference play, Mizzou is outscoring foes by 1.6 points (72.0-70.4) while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Tigers ranks third in the league in scoring defense in league games only, and rank fifth in field goal percentage.
Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin is in his fourth year at the helm of the program and his 13th season overall as a head coach. Martin, who spent three years in the SEC as the head coach of Tennessee (2011-14), owns a career coaching record of 248-170 (.593) and is 62-49 (.559) in two seasons at Missouri.

Alabama-Missouri – Series Notes

Alabama and Missouri will square off in the lone regular season match-up between the teams this season. The teams split its two games last year, with each winning on its home floor. The Tide captured the first meeting, 88-74, despite an SEC record 31-of-31 free throws made by the Tigers. Mizzou returned the favor with a 69-50 victory in Columbia, Mo., in the regular season finale, which turned out to be the final game of the year. A full recap and box score from those contests can be found on the right on page seven and top of page eight.
Saturday's contest will mark the 11th meeting between the teams as SEC rivals and 17th contest overall in the series history. The Tide owns an 11-5 edge in the all-time series, with Alabama having won seven of the last nine games over the Tigers.
Prior to last year's season-ending loss at Missouri, the Crimson Tide's lone defeat over the previous seven games against Mizzou came in Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 31, 2018 when the Tigers captured a 69-60 victory.
It will mark only the fourth time in the last 11 games between the teams that the Crimson Tide has played in Columbia, Mo., but the second consecutive time the two teams will meet inside Mizzou Arena Alabama's only other appearances in Mizzou Arena dating back to the 2013-14 season – both wins – came on Feb. 15, 2017 (won, 57-54) and Jan. 16, 2019 (won, 70-60).
Nine of the 16 games played between the two teams have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
The first game of the series was played on Dec. 10, 1977.

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No. 10/7 Alabama Ready to Take on No. 18/17 Missouri Saturday in Battle of Top-25 Teams

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Herbert Jones

John Petty Jr.

Jahvon Quinerly

Jaden Shackelford

University of Alabama Athletics

No. 10/7 Alabama Ready to Take on No. 18/17 Missouri Saturday in Battle of Top-25 Teams

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Herbert Jones

John Petty Jr.

Jahvon Quinerly

Jaden Shackelford

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