| MBB/WBB Alabama Men’s Basketball Comes Up Short to Auburn, 66-60, in Regular Season Home Finale
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Alabama Hosts Auburn in Final Home Game of Regular Season - University of Alabama Athletics
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will take on in-state rival Auburn on Tuesday night in the final regular season home contest of the year. It marks the second meeting between the two teams this season, as the Tigers captured an 84-63 victory over the Tide back on Feb. 2 in Auburn Arena.
The Crimson Tide and Tigers set to tip off at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPNU
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will take on in-state rival Auburn on Tuesday night in the final regular season home contest of the year. It marks the second meeting between the two teams this season, as the Tigers captured an 84-63 victory over the Tide back on Feb. 2 in Auburn Arena.
Tuesday's game will mark the 160th 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 95-64 edge in the series, as the 95 victories also rank fourth-best against any foe in program history.
UA owns an all-time record of 42-8 when playing Auburn in Coleman Coliseum, including wins in eight of the last nine games played between the teams under the arched roof. The Tide is 49-9 when hosting the Tigers in Tuscaloosa.
Despite the loss last month in Auburn, Alabama has won 12 of the last 19 games played between the two teams, including eight of the last nine games played in Coleman Coliseum. Auburn's only win during that stretch came on Feb. 4, 2017.
PROMOTIONS
• Mardi Gras Night – Bead Giveaways for all fans; Mardi Gras hats and king cake giveaways to students only
THE BROADCAST
• Tuesday's game will air on ESPNU with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Daymeon Fishback (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.
NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW
• The Crimson Tide fell to then-No. 13 LSU, 74-69, last Saturday afternoon inside Coleman Coliseum. UA actually held a six-point lead midway through the second half, but the Tigers were able to rally in a back-and-forth contest that went down to the wire and featured four lead changes and two ties over the final eight minutes of regulation. With the loss, Alabama fell to 3-2 this season against top-25 teams with losses coming at then-No. 3 Tennessee (71-68 on Jan. 19) and the Tigers by a combined eight points.
• Alabama owns a 3-2 record against AP Top-25 opponents this season, with all three victories coming during the month of January. Despite the setback, the Tide ranks third in the conference with three top-25 victories this season and winning percentage vs. ranked opponents (.600). Only Kentucky (5-3, .625) and LSU (4-2, .667) rank ahead of UA in both categories. On the season, Alabama has knocked off then-No. 22/21 Mississippi State, 83-79, on Jan. 29, then-No. 13 Kentucky (77-75) on Jan. 5 and then-No. 20 Ole Miss (74-53) on Jan. 22.
•Alabama is 9-11 against Quadrant 1 (2-8) and Quadrant 2 (7-3) opponents this year (as of 3/4). The nine wins against Q1 and Q2 teams ranks sixth-best in the SEC. The Crimson Tide trails only LSU (16-5), Kentucky (13-5), Tennessee (12-3), Mississippi State (11-8) and Auburn (11-9). Furthermore, Alabama's seven Q2 wins (7) is tied for second-most in the conference and ninth-most nationally in the category.
• Coming into Tuesday's game against Auburn, the Tide is ranked No. 54 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings (as of March 4) and own the No. 22 overall strength of schedule. Alabama is 9-11 against Quadrant 1 (2-8) and Quadrant 2 (7-3) opponents this year. The nine wins against Q1 and Q2 teams ranks sixth-best in the SEC. The Crimson Tide trails only LSU (16-5), Kentucky (13-5), Tennessee (12-3), Mississippi State (11-8) and Auburn (11-9) in combined Q1 and Q2 victories. Furthermore, Alabama's seven Q2 wins ranks in a tie for second-most among all SEC teams in the category and is ninth-most nationally.
• Coming into its final regular-season home contest, the Crimson Tide owns a 10-4 record under the arched roof of Coleman Coliseum, with two of those defeats coming on buzzer-beating three-pointers. Most recently, Alabama fell to Texas A&M on Jan. 12 when TJ Starks drained an improbable shot from beyond the arc as the buzzer sounded, lifting the Aggies to an 81-80 victory. The other occurrence came back on Dec. 4 when Georgia State's three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Panthers an 83-80 victory.
• Senior Donta Hall is 20 points shy of becoming just the fifth player in program history with at least 1,000 points, 800 rebounds and 200 blocks. Entering Tuesday's game against Auburn, Hall has compiled 980 points, 801 career rebounds and 224 career blocks in his career. Should he reach the mark, the Luverne, Ala., native will join Leon Douglas (1,909 points, 1,279 rebounds and 235 blocks), Robert Horry (1,591 points, 929 rebounds and 286 blocks), Jermareo Davidson (1,268 points, 918 rebounds and 221 blocks) and JaMychal Green (1,656 points, 912 rebounds and 212 blocks) as the only players in program history to achieve the feat.
•Alabama will close out the regular season slate when it travels to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday night. It will mark the first meeting between the teams this season and is set to tip off at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network
ABOUT ALABAMA
• Alabama had its two-game winning streak snapped last Saturday with a narrow 74-69 loss to then-No. 13/14 LSU inside Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide led by as many as six points at the midway point of the second half, but an LSU three-pointer with just over four minutes remaining gave the Tigers the lead for good as they held on for the win. UA entered the contest having won seven straight home contests over AP Top-25 teams.
• Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. leads a balanced scoring attack that features eight Alabama players averaging at least 5.5 points per game. Three UA players average in double figures as Lewis' 14.0 points per game tops the Tide and ranks 13th in the SEC. Senior Donta Hall ranks second on the team at 11.1 ppg, while sophomore John Petty Jr. is collecting 10.8 points per game.
• Lewis leads UA in assists (2.9 apg), minutes (31.8) and free throw shooting (82-of-104, .788), while ranking second in steals (23) and threes made (49) and attempted (133). Meanwhile, Hall tops the team in total dunks (57), rebounds (8.6 rpg), blocks (1.8 bpg), double-figure contests (21) and double-doubles (13). He currently ranks among the league leaders in double-doubles (1st), rebounding (2nd) and blocked shots (8th). Petty leads the Tide in three-point field goals made (52) and attempted (150) and ranks second on the team in rebounding (4.3) and minutes (29.4).
• Junior Tevin Mack, who scored a season-high 25 points in the win over Georgia, is averaging 8.8 ppg, while junior Dazon Ingram (7.3 ppg), senior Riley Norris (7.0 ppg) and sophomores Herbert Jones (6.1 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 (15-of-37, .405), while Norris is second (27-of-71, 38.0 percent) over his 21 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 (26).
• As a team, Alabama enters Tuesday's contest as one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. The Tide has been outrebounded in just nine of its 29 games on the year and ranks seventh in the SEC and 81st nationally with a +3.3 advantage on the glass (37.5-34.2). UA is shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from beyond the arc on the year, while outscoring the competition by 1.6 points per game (73.2-71.6). Additionally, the Tide is 19th in the nation in blocks per game (4.8).
• Through 16 games in conference play, Lewis leads the team in scoring at 13.3 ppg, while Petty is averaging 11.2 ppg and has knocked down 38.0 percent of his shots from beyond the arc (30-of-79). Meanwhile, Hall is averaging nearly a double-double at 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game – a number that tops the SEC in conference games only. Ingram and Lewis share the team lead in assists (2.8), while Jones leads the Tide in steals (12) against league opposition.
• As a team in league play, Alabama is one of six teams separated by one game entering the final two games of the regular season. The Tide owns an 8-8 record in league play entering the final week of the regular season. Alabama is averaging 71.0 points per game in conference play, while outrebounding teams by +1.2 (36.8-35.6). The Tide is shooting 43.5 percent from the field, 34.1 percent from beyond the arc and 66.8 percent from the charity stripe in SEC play. The Tide leads the SEC in league games in three-point field goal percentage defense (.315), ranks second in defensive rebounds (26.5), third in rebounding offense (36.8), fourth in blocked shots (4.4) and field goal percentage (.436) and is fifth in scoring defense (71.6).
ABOUT AUBURN
• Auburn owns a 20-9 overall record and a 9-7 mark in SEC play. Most recently, the Tigers secured an 80-75 home victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night in Auburn Arena. The Tigers were outrebounded 41-21, including 14-1 on the offensive glass, however, Auburn knocked down 13 three-pointers for the game and shot 61 percent in the second half to hang on for the five-point win.
• Three Auburn players average in double figures led by senior Bryce Brown's 16.0 points per game, which also ranks sixth in the SEC. Brown also tops the team in threes made (98) and attempted (240). His 3.4 threes made per game is tied for the conference lead, while his 40.8 three-point shooting percentage is second-best in the SEC. Junior Jared Harper is second on the team in scoring average (15.1 ppg) while ranking second in the SEC in assists (6.0 apg). He also ranks third in the SEC in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) and is fourth in minutes played (33.5 mpg). Sophomore forward Chuma Okeke is averaging 11.3 points and a team-leading 6.6 rebounds per game.
• As a team, Auburn is outscoring the competition by 12.0 points per game (80.4-68.4), while outrebounding opponents by +0.5 boards per game (35.7-35.2). The Tigers lead the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (.377), three-pointers made per game (11.1) and turnover margin (+4.9). Auburn also ranks second in steals per game (9.0) and scoring margin (+12.0) and is third in assists (14.9) and scoring average entering Tuesday night's contest.
• Bruce Pearl is in his fifth season at Auburn and owns a record of 90-71 (.559). Now in his 24th season as a collegiate coach, Pearl owns an overall mark of 552-216 (.719). Pearl's teams have led their conference in scoring 17 of the 23 years that he has been a head coach.
TOPPLING THE TOP 25
• Head coach Avery Johnson has led his teams to success when playing against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 during his time at the Capstone.
• In 26 total games played against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 (including NCAA Tournament contests), Johnson has led the Tide to a record of 14-12 (.538). That's a huge improvement, especially considering prior his arrival, Alabama had lost 21 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents.
• This season, the Tide is 3-2 against top-25 competition, with all three victories coming in the month of January. Alabama has defeated then-No. 22 Mississippi State (83-79 on Jan. 29) while also recording wins over then-No. 20 Ole Miss (74-53 on Jan. 22) and then-No. 13 Kentucky (77-75 on Jan. 5). The losses came by a combined eight points, narrowly falling 71-68 at then-No. 3 Tennessee on Jan. 19 and then-No. 13 LSU, 74-69, on March 2.
NCAA TOURNAMENT RESUME
• UA enters the game with a NET Ranking of No. 53 nationally, while owning the No. 26 overall strength of schedule in the latest release (as of March 4). Both of the Tide's remaining regular season contests are projected to be against Quadrant 1 opponents (vs. Auburn on March 5 and at Arkansas on March 9).
• Heading into Tuesday's game against Auburn, Alabama is a combined 8-11 against Q1 and Q2 teams, owning 2-8 mark against Quadrant 1 opponents and a 6-3 record vs. teams in Quadrant 2 this season. Combined, UA's eight wins against Q1 and Q2 opposition this year trails only LSU (16), Kentucky (13), Tennessee (12), Mississippi State (11) and Auburn (11). Alabama is tied for sixth with Florida, while both rank ahead of Ole Miss (7-10) and South Carolina (7-13), both with seven combined Q1 and Q2 wins.
• Alabama's six Q2 wins is third-best in the SEC, trailing only Auburn (9-2) and LSU (7-3). Even more impressive is the Quadrant 2 win total ranks in a tie for 12th-most in the nation.
• Alabama is a combined 9-1 against Q3 (6-1) and Q4 opposition (3-0) teams this season, with the lone loss coming on a buzzer beater to Georgia State – a game in which the Tide held a 22-point second half lead before allowing the Panthers to come back and take the victory. The number of Q4 opponents is tied for the lowest number among all SEC schools (tied with LSU).
• Alabama owns a 3-2 record against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and is 4-2 when playing teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll this season. The three wins ranks third in the SEC for most wins and best winning percentage against ranked opponents (Kentucky is 5-3, .625, LSU is 4-2, .667). The Tide, Wildcats and Tigers are the only three teams to have a winning record against ranked opponents this season.
JoseyWalesTheOutlaw
Member
Maybe the barn guards will off on their 3 point shooting. If so Bama has a chance.
TerryP
Staff
Wiley is listed as doubtful again...whatever that ends up meaning.
The good thing about that is the tiebreakers start with the #1 team in the SEC and work their way down. The win against UK comes into play heavily there. The wins against MSU, OM, and UofSC are pluses on Bama side. (MSU dropped both games to UK so I believe that gives Bama the heads up.) Florida goes against the Tide but they're closing with LSU and Kentucky.
It seems weird to say "there's a lot of ball left" with only two games remaining. But, a lot can happen.
I'm looking more at what a win would mean in the SECT. The Tide is one game out of fourth place as odd as that may sound. And, like last year, we're looking at tiebreakers coming into play.
The good thing about that is the tiebreakers start with the #1 team in the SEC and work their way down. The win against UK comes into play heavily there. The wins against MSU, OM, and UofSC are pluses on Bama side. (MSU dropped both games to UK so I believe that gives Bama the heads up.) Florida goes against the Tide but they're closing with LSU and Kentucky.
It seems weird to say "there's a lot of ball left" with only two games remaining. But, a lot can happen.
#80
Member
You are correct I just looked at the schedule of the teams ahead of us and below LSU, KY and TN and they have some tough games. If we could some how win these last two games we could end up finishing in 4th place. It's a stretch but that would be unreal.
Should I turn the radio off?
We let them tie us up, and we just got a shot clock violation..
Barn on a 14-2 run
Aaaaaand we just threw the ball right to them..
This is disgusting..
This is disgusting..
Even if we win ( which is a big IF) I’ve been done with CAJ for the last month. This guy can’t coach college BB.
50+yeartidefan
Member
The same ole "dead period "
Nothing goes in...mistakes passing...bad shots...bad rebounding...
Awful.....
My goodness
Nothing goes in...mistakes passing...bad shots...bad rebounding...
Awful.....
My goodness
The talent is there just no leadership by the coach. He seems to be shy about getting in someone’s face for making a bad decision.
