GAME RECAP HERE
Alabama begins a tough two-game stretch when it travels to Columbia, S.C., to take on the No. 19/16 South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET). The Gamecocks (19-4, 9-1) come into Tuesday's contest sitting atop the SEC standings.
South Carolina and Alabama will meet for the 43rd time in series history, and the only time this season. Alabama leads the all-time series, 26-16, but the Gamecocks have won three of the last five between the two teams. The Tide has lost four straight and seven of the last eight when playing at South Carolina. Alabama's last victory at Colonial Life Arena came on March 3, 2010 (won, 79-70).
Tuesday's game will be televised on SEC Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) on the call. Fans can listen to the radio broadcast on the Crimson Tide Sports Network as Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) will call all the action. Live stats for the contest can accessed through RollTide.com, while in-game updates and photos will be made available on Twitter on @AlabamaMBB.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
RADIO: Crimson Tide Sports Network
TV: SEC Network
LIVE STATS: South Carolina-Alabama Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA: @AlabamaMBB
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
• South Carolina and Alabama will meet for the 43rd time in series history, and the only time this season. Last season, the teams split a pair of contests, with each team winning on its home floor. The Tide captured a 73-50 victory over the Gamecocks on Jan. 13, 2016 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. South Carolina returned the favor when it knocked off Alabama, 78-64, on Jan. 30 in Columbia, S.C.
• Alabama will be looking for its first victory in Columbia, S.C., since taking a 79-70 decision over the Gamecocks on March 3, 2010. The Tide has dropped four straight games and seven of the last eight at Colonial Life Arena.
• Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell comes into the contest as one of the top players in the SEC, averaging team highs of 19.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while shooting team highs of 42.5 percent from beyond the arc and 83.5 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore guard P.J. Dozier is second on the team, averaging 14.1 points and 2.9 assists per game. Senior guard Duane Notice also averages double figures with 10.5 points per game.
• The Gamecocks come into the Tuesday night contest as one of the top defensive teams in the nation. South Carolina currently leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense (.263), and ranks fifth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.379) and eighth in scoring defense (61.5). South Carolina has held 13 of its 23 opponents to below 40 percent shooting in a contest.
• Carolina is led by fifth-year head coach Frank Martin. Martin owns a record of 89-67 (.571) during his tenure with the Gamecocks and is 206-121 (.630) now in his 10th season as a head coach (spent five years at Kansas State).
• South Carolina comes into Tuesday's game boasting the best overall record (19-4) in the SEC and currently sit atop the SEC standings at 9-1 – a game ahead of both Kentucky and Florida. The Gamecocks are 19-4 overall and 9-1 in conference play, with the lone loss coming at nationally-ranked Kentucky on Jan. 21. South Carolina is ranked No. 19 in the nation in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll and is No. 16 according to the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• South Carolina probable starters (starting five from last game): Guards: Sindarius Thornwell (19.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.9 apg), P.J. Dozier (14.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 apg), Duane Notice (10.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, .351 3FG%). Forwards: Chris Silva (9.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg), Malik Kotsar (6.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, .504 FG%).
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama will begin a stretch of playing a pair of nationally-ranked opponents when it travels to Columbia, S.C. to face the No. 19/20 South Carolina Gamecocks. It marks the second top-25 opponent for the Tide this season. Back on Dec. 11, Alabama fell to then-No. 24/24 Oregon, 65-56, in Eugene, Ore. Head coach Avery Johnson owns a record of 4-5 when facing a top-25 opponent.
• Alabama has 11 players that average double-digit minutes (10 of which are active) and eight guys who average between 5.5 and 12.1 points per game. The Tide's top two scorers are both freshmen, while six of the top seven are underclassmen.
• True freshman Braxton Key, who recorded a career high of 26 points in the win at Georgia on Jan. 25, leads the Tide in scoring (12.1 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg) and minutes (28.3 mpg). Key also ranks second in assists (2.1 apg) and three-point field goal percentage (.368).
• Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram leads the team in assists (3.7 apg), three-point field goal percentage (.464), assist-turnover ratio (1.4:1) and steals (1.2 spg), while ranking second in scoring (10.2 ppg) and minutes (26.7 mpg).
• Sophomore center Donta Hall tops the team in field goal percentage (.667), while ranking second in blocks (1.45 bpg) and third in rebounding (5.6 rpg). Junior Riley Norris ranks second in threes made (30) and is third in scoring (8.9 ppg), while graduate senior Bola Olaniyan, who is averaging a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per game in league play, is second on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg).
• As a team, Alabama is outscoring the competition by 4.2 points per game (69.4-65.1) and outrebounding opponents by 6.4 rebounds per game (39.0-32.6). The Tide is shooting .423 from the field and .323 from beyond the arc as a team. Alabama leads the SEC and ranks 26th nationally in rebounding margin. In addition, the Tide ranks second in the league and 36th in the nation in scoring defense.
• Alabama owns a record of 5-5 when playing in all road contests this season. The Tide is 3-4 in true road games and 2-1 when playing in a neutral site. In SEC play, Alabama owns a record of 3-2 in road contests.
ALABAMA-SOUTH CAROLINA - SERIES NOTES
• Alabama and South Carolina will meet for the 43rd time overall, with the Crimson Tide owning a 26-16 edge in the series history.
• Alabama and South Carolina played twice last season, with each team winning by double digits on its home floor. Alabama began with a 73-50 win over then-No. 19 South Carolina on Jan. 13, 2016 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. However, the Gamecocks answered with a 78-64 victory over the Tide on Jan. 30, 2016 in Columbia, S.C.
• Alabama has lost four straight and seven of the last eight games when playing at South Carolina. The last time the Tide won at USC came on March 3, 2010 (won 79-70).
• The teams have met 33 times as SEC opponents with UA winning 19 of those meetings.
• Twelve of the last 14 games between the teams have been decided by 10 or fewer points, including six coming down to just one possession.
• The series began during 1922-23 campaign.
ALABAMA-AUBURN: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
• What Won The Game For Auburn: Auburn connected on 15 three pointers and shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from beyond the arc. In comparison, the Tide connected on just 8-of-32 (25 percent) shots from three-point range.
• The Difference Maker: Ronnie Johnson. After going for 17 points off the bench in the first meeting between the teams back on Jan. 21, the Auburn senior transfer nearly replicated the feat, as he accounted for 15 points in Saturday's contest. In his two games against the Tide, Johnson averaged 16.0 ppg, connecting on 11-of-18 (.611) from the field and 4-of-8 (.500) from beyond the arc in an average of 20.5 mpg.
• The Wow Stat: Alabama dominated the glass, outrebounding the Tigers by a count of 47-28 and had a 21-8 edge on the offensive glass, which resuled in a 19-5 advantage in second chance points. However, that was counterd by Auburn outscoring Alabama 45-24 from beyond the three-point line.
• Coach Avery Johnson Quote: "Tonight we weren't at our best on the defensive end, especially defending the three-point line. We are a much better defensive team then we showed tonight in front of a capacity crowd that gave us their all. We just didn't give them our all. We started off the game lethargic. We had some of the most uncharacteristic turnovers I have ever seen. In terms of just giving them the ball, it wasn't anything to do with their defense in that situation. Give them credit, they made three-point shots."
THE TIDE AGAINST THE TOP 25
• Alabama will play its second top-25 team this season when it takes on the No. 19/20 South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday night in Columbia, S.C. The Tide lost to then-No. 24/24 Oregon, 65-56, back on Dec. 11, in Eugene, Ore.
• Under head coach Avery Johnson, Alabama owns a record of 4-5 when playing top-25 teams. The four wins over nationally-ranked teams a year ago were the most wins over ranked opponents in a single season since the 2001-02 campaign.
• Alabama was one of just 15 teams from across the nation last year who boasted at least four victories during the regular season against teams ranked in the Associated Press' top 25.
• The last time Alabama defeated a ranked opponent in a true road game came on Feb. 21, 2004, when the Tide upended then-No. 4 Mississippi State, 77-73, in Starkville, Miss.
• The Tide's last win over a top-25 team came when it captured a 63-62 victory over then-No. 15 Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Feb. 15, 2016.
Alabama begins a tough two-game stretch when it travels to Columbia, S.C., to take on the No. 19/16 South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET). The Gamecocks (19-4, 9-1) come into Tuesday's contest sitting atop the SEC standings.
South Carolina and Alabama will meet for the 43rd time in series history, and the only time this season. Alabama leads the all-time series, 26-16, but the Gamecocks have won three of the last five between the two teams. The Tide has lost four straight and seven of the last eight when playing at South Carolina. Alabama's last victory at Colonial Life Arena came on March 3, 2010 (won, 79-70).
Tuesday's game will be televised on SEC Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Dane Bradshaw (analyst) on the call. Fans can listen to the radio broadcast on the Crimson Tide Sports Network as Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) will call all the action. Live stats for the contest can accessed through RollTide.com, while in-game updates and photos will be made available on Twitter on @AlabamaMBB.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
RADIO: Crimson Tide Sports Network
TV: SEC Network
LIVE STATS: South Carolina-Alabama Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA: @AlabamaMBB
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Alabama dropped its second consecutive game, falling at home to Auburn, 82-77. It marked the first back-to-back losses for the Tide since opening December with defeats at Texas on Dec. 2 and at then-No. 24 Oregon on Dec. 11.
- A pair of freshman lead the Tide offensively. Forward Braxton Key, who is one of nine freshmen in the nation to lead their team in both scoring and rebounding, averages team highs of 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while also topping the team in minutes (28.3 mpg). Guard Dazon Ingram, who ranks second in points (10.2 ppg) and minutes (26.7 mpg), leads UA in assists (3.7 apg), steals (1.2 spg) and 3-point shooting (.464). Six of Alabama's top seven scorers are underclassmen.
- The last time Alabama defeated a ranked opponent in a true road game came on Feb. 21, 2004, when the Tide upended then-No. 4 Mississippi State, 77-73, in Starkville, Miss.
- South Carolina and Alabama come into the game as two of the top defenses in the SEC. USC leads the league in scoring defense (61.5) and field goal percentage defense (.379). UA is second in scoring defense (65.1) and fifth in field goal percentage defense (.415).
- Alabama's Avery Johnson will face his 10th ranked opponent. The Tide's second-year head coach is 4-5 when facing teams ranked in the AP top 25.
- Alabama is a perfect 12-0 when holding teams to 62 or fewer points, but falls to 1-9 when allowing the opposition to score more than 62.
- According to KenPom.com, Alabama ranks 27th in the nation in both average team height and bench production. The same site also lists the Crimson Tide 231st out of 351 Division I programs in overall experience.
- Key was named the SEC Freshmen of the Week, the league office announced on Jan. 30. Key is the first Crimson Tide player to earn a weekly honor this season and became the first Alabama player to win the weekly freshman award since Shannon Hale earned the honor back on March 3, 2014.
- Next up, Alabama will face its second consecutive top-25 opponent when it welcomes No. 15/12 Kentucky to Coleman Coliseum. The Tide and Wildcats will tip at noon CT and will be televised on CBS.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
• South Carolina and Alabama will meet for the 43rd time in series history, and the only time this season. Last season, the teams split a pair of contests, with each team winning on its home floor. The Tide captured a 73-50 victory over the Gamecocks on Jan. 13, 2016 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. South Carolina returned the favor when it knocked off Alabama, 78-64, on Jan. 30 in Columbia, S.C.
• Alabama will be looking for its first victory in Columbia, S.C., since taking a 79-70 decision over the Gamecocks on March 3, 2010. The Tide has dropped four straight games and seven of the last eight at Colonial Life Arena.
• Senior guard Sindarius Thornwell comes into the contest as one of the top players in the SEC, averaging team highs of 19.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while shooting team highs of 42.5 percent from beyond the arc and 83.5 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore guard P.J. Dozier is second on the team, averaging 14.1 points and 2.9 assists per game. Senior guard Duane Notice also averages double figures with 10.5 points per game.
• The Gamecocks come into the Tuesday night contest as one of the top defensive teams in the nation. South Carolina currently leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense (.263), and ranks fifth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.379) and eighth in scoring defense (61.5). South Carolina has held 13 of its 23 opponents to below 40 percent shooting in a contest.
• Carolina is led by fifth-year head coach Frank Martin. Martin owns a record of 89-67 (.571) during his tenure with the Gamecocks and is 206-121 (.630) now in his 10th season as a head coach (spent five years at Kansas State).
• South Carolina comes into Tuesday's game boasting the best overall record (19-4) in the SEC and currently sit atop the SEC standings at 9-1 – a game ahead of both Kentucky and Florida. The Gamecocks are 19-4 overall and 9-1 in conference play, with the lone loss coming at nationally-ranked Kentucky on Jan. 21. South Carolina is ranked No. 19 in the nation in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll and is No. 16 according to the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• South Carolina probable starters (starting five from last game): Guards: Sindarius Thornwell (19.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.9 apg), P.J. Dozier (14.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.8 apg), Duane Notice (10.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, .351 3FG%). Forwards: Chris Silva (9.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg), Malik Kotsar (6.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, .504 FG%).
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama will begin a stretch of playing a pair of nationally-ranked opponents when it travels to Columbia, S.C. to face the No. 19/20 South Carolina Gamecocks. It marks the second top-25 opponent for the Tide this season. Back on Dec. 11, Alabama fell to then-No. 24/24 Oregon, 65-56, in Eugene, Ore. Head coach Avery Johnson owns a record of 4-5 when facing a top-25 opponent.
• Alabama has 11 players that average double-digit minutes (10 of which are active) and eight guys who average between 5.5 and 12.1 points per game. The Tide's top two scorers are both freshmen, while six of the top seven are underclassmen.
• True freshman Braxton Key, who recorded a career high of 26 points in the win at Georgia on Jan. 25, leads the Tide in scoring (12.1 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg) and minutes (28.3 mpg). Key also ranks second in assists (2.1 apg) and three-point field goal percentage (.368).
• Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram leads the team in assists (3.7 apg), three-point field goal percentage (.464), assist-turnover ratio (1.4:1) and steals (1.2 spg), while ranking second in scoring (10.2 ppg) and minutes (26.7 mpg).
• Sophomore center Donta Hall tops the team in field goal percentage (.667), while ranking second in blocks (1.45 bpg) and third in rebounding (5.6 rpg). Junior Riley Norris ranks second in threes made (30) and is third in scoring (8.9 ppg), while graduate senior Bola Olaniyan, who is averaging a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per game in league play, is second on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg).
• As a team, Alabama is outscoring the competition by 4.2 points per game (69.4-65.1) and outrebounding opponents by 6.4 rebounds per game (39.0-32.6). The Tide is shooting .423 from the field and .323 from beyond the arc as a team. Alabama leads the SEC and ranks 26th nationally in rebounding margin. In addition, the Tide ranks second in the league and 36th in the nation in scoring defense.
• Alabama owns a record of 5-5 when playing in all road contests this season. The Tide is 3-4 in true road games and 2-1 when playing in a neutral site. In SEC play, Alabama owns a record of 3-2 in road contests.
ALABAMA-SOUTH CAROLINA - SERIES NOTES
• Alabama and South Carolina will meet for the 43rd time overall, with the Crimson Tide owning a 26-16 edge in the series history.
• Alabama and South Carolina played twice last season, with each team winning by double digits on its home floor. Alabama began with a 73-50 win over then-No. 19 South Carolina on Jan. 13, 2016 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. However, the Gamecocks answered with a 78-64 victory over the Tide on Jan. 30, 2016 in Columbia, S.C.
• Alabama has lost four straight and seven of the last eight games when playing at South Carolina. The last time the Tide won at USC came on March 3, 2010 (won 79-70).
• The teams have met 33 times as SEC opponents with UA winning 19 of those meetings.
• Twelve of the last 14 games between the teams have been decided by 10 or fewer points, including six coming down to just one possession.
• The series began during 1922-23 campaign.
ALABAMA-AUBURN: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
• What Won The Game For Auburn: Auburn connected on 15 three pointers and shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from beyond the arc. In comparison, the Tide connected on just 8-of-32 (25 percent) shots from three-point range.
• The Difference Maker: Ronnie Johnson. After going for 17 points off the bench in the first meeting between the teams back on Jan. 21, the Auburn senior transfer nearly replicated the feat, as he accounted for 15 points in Saturday's contest. In his two games against the Tide, Johnson averaged 16.0 ppg, connecting on 11-of-18 (.611) from the field and 4-of-8 (.500) from beyond the arc in an average of 20.5 mpg.
• The Wow Stat: Alabama dominated the glass, outrebounding the Tigers by a count of 47-28 and had a 21-8 edge on the offensive glass, which resuled in a 19-5 advantage in second chance points. However, that was counterd by Auburn outscoring Alabama 45-24 from beyond the three-point line.
• Coach Avery Johnson Quote: "Tonight we weren't at our best on the defensive end, especially defending the three-point line. We are a much better defensive team then we showed tonight in front of a capacity crowd that gave us their all. We just didn't give them our all. We started off the game lethargic. We had some of the most uncharacteristic turnovers I have ever seen. In terms of just giving them the ball, it wasn't anything to do with their defense in that situation. Give them credit, they made three-point shots."
THE TIDE AGAINST THE TOP 25
• Alabama will play its second top-25 team this season when it takes on the No. 19/20 South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday night in Columbia, S.C. The Tide lost to then-No. 24/24 Oregon, 65-56, back on Dec. 11, in Eugene, Ore.
• Under head coach Avery Johnson, Alabama owns a record of 4-5 when playing top-25 teams. The four wins over nationally-ranked teams a year ago were the most wins over ranked opponents in a single season since the 2001-02 campaign.
• Alabama was one of just 15 teams from across the nation last year who boasted at least four victories during the regular season against teams ranked in the Associated Press' top 25.
• The last time Alabama defeated a ranked opponent in a true road game came on Feb. 21, 2004, when the Tide upended then-No. 4 Mississippi State, 77-73, in Starkville, Miss.
• The Tide's last win over a top-25 team came when it captured a 63-62 victory over then-No. 15 Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Feb. 15, 2016.
