Special Afternoon in Store When Alabama Hosts No. 25 LSU on Saturday - University of Alabama Athletics
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team will begin a two-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when it welcomes No. 25 LSU to Coleman Coliseum. It will
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University of Alabama Athletics will pay tribute to Wendell Hudson at halftime of the contest
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team will begin a two-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when it welcomes No. 25 LSU to Coleman Coliseum. It will mark the second consecutive game that the Crimson Tide will play a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and second meeting this season between the two teams as UA fell, 90-76, to then-No. 22 LSU in the first contest of the year back on Jan. 29 in Baton Rouge, La.
Saturday's game will be a special one as Wendell Hudson, the University of Alabama's first African American scholarship athlete, will be honored at halftime. The ceremony will see his No. 20 jersey retired (the number 20 will remain in circulation but the jersey will be retired), as Hudson's jersey will become the first in Alabama Athletics' history to be retired in any sport. In addition to the jersey retirement, a men's basketball scholarship has been endowed by a generous donor in his honor and student-athlete uniforms will be adorned by a WH patch for the remainder of the winter and spring sport seasons. For more information about Wendell Hudson or the ceremony, fans can CLICK HERE.
Most recently, sophomore Kira Lewis Jr. recorded the program's second-ever triple-double and the Tide set a pair of school and conference records, but it was not enough as it dropped a heartbreaker in overtime, falling 95-91 at No. 11/11 Auburn on Wednesday. Alabama nearly completed an improbable comeback after trailing 16-0 to start the game, thanks in large part to connecting on a school and Southeastern Conference record 22-of-59 three-pointers. The 22 made treys bettered the program's former mark of 19 while the 59 attempts demolished the school record of 41 – both of which were recorded against East Tennessee State on Dec. 1, 2004.
Promotions
- First 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a Hard Hat
- Saturday's game will be televised on ESPN2 with Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (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.
- Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr. has played at another level over the Tide's last two games. After going for a career-best 37 points in Alabama's 105-102 overtime win at Georgia on Feb. 8, the 18-year old point guard topped that performance by accounting for UA's second triple-double in program history in the 95-91 overtime loss at No. 11 Auburn last Wednesday. In that contest, Lewis went for 10 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists – with just one turnover – in 45 minutes of action to join Roy Rogers as the only players in program lore to achieve the feat. Lewis, who is averaging 17.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 one assists on the season, is the only player in the SEC, one of three in power 5 programs and one of only eight around the nation to average at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists per game.
- The Tide enters Saturday's contest ranked No. 2 in the nation (as of 2/14) in scoring offense at 83.0 points per game. Additionally, UA is No. 3 in three-point field goals made per game at 10.7, to lead the league in both categories. UA also tops the SEC in threes made (256), threes attempted (731) and three-point field goal percentage (.350). In all, the Tide leads the SEC in six statistical categories and ranks in the top 20 nationally in seven.
- Alabama has made 246 three-pointers this season and is four made threes away from breaking the program's single-season school record in the category. The current record of 259 made threes was set during the 2015-16 campaign which was accomplished across 33 games. Additionally, UA needs 33 three-point attempts to break the program record of 763 threes which was set in that same 2015-16 season. The Tide is playing its 25th game of the year on Saturday.
- Alabama enters the contest vs. LSU having played the toughest schedule in the SEC, according to the latest NET Rankings that were released on Feb. 14. The Crimson Tide boasts the No. 9 overall strength of schedule which tops the conference.
- Dating back to the 2015-16 season, Alabama owns a record of 15-16 (.484) against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 and is 1-4 this season (UA defeated then-No. 4 Auburn on Jan. 15).
- Injuries have played a major factor on the Crimson Tide's 2019-20 season. Junior Herbert Jones (essentially five games factoring in his injury just over eight minutes into the season-opening game vs. Penn), graduate senior Beetle Bolden (four games) and season-ending injuries to forwards James Rojas (24 games) and Juwan Gary (24 games), both of which were expected to play significant minutes this season, injuries have cost UA players a total of 56 games this season.
- According to Ken Pomeroy's "Luck" statistic, the Crimson Tide ranks 338th out of 353 D-I teams. The category takes into account "the deviation between a team's actual winning percentage and what one would expect from its game-by-game efficiencies. Essentially, a team involved in a lot of close games should not win (or lose) all of them. Those that do will be viewed as lucky (or unlucky)."
- Entering the game against LSU, Alabama has played four straight games that were decided by five points or less, three of which were losses. In fact, five of the Tide's 11 games in conference play were decided by six points or less, with UA going 1-4 in those games. On the season, Alabama owns a record of 2-6 in games decided by six or fewer points. In all, those six losses have been by a combined 18 points, while the four such losses in SEC play were by a combined 15 total points.
- Alabama has lost three straight games to LSU and will look to avoid its first four-game losing streak in the series since dropping five straight from 1990-92.
- Three UA players average double digits, while six average 8.5 ppg or better on the year. Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr. (17.1 ppg) tops the team and ranks fifth in the SEC in scoring average, while junior John Petty Jr. (15.5 ppg) ranks second on the squad and 10th in the league. Combined the duo produces the second-highest combined points by any two players on the same team in the SEC (32.6 ppg).
- Lewis leads the SEC and ranks seventh nationally in minutes per game (37.45), while also leading UA and ranking among the league leaders in scoring, assists (3rd - 5.1 apg) and steals (t4th - 1.8 spg). A first-team All-SEC preseason honoree, he also tops the team in field goals made (149) and attempted (346), and is shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from beyond the arc and 80.4 percent from the charity stripe.
- Petty is one of the top three-point shooters in the nation. He leads the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (45.1 percent, 74-of-164) and is second in threes made per game (3.1), while ranking fifth and 21st nationally in the categories, respectively. Additionally, he leads the squad and is tied for sixth in the conference in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and also tops UA in threes made and attempted while ranking second in steals (1.3 spg) and minutes (34.4 mpg) per game.
- Freshman Jaden Shackelford also average in double figures at 13.8 ppg and ranks third in the league at 2.5 threes made per game. He also leads the team in threes attempted, as 171 of his 258 field goal attempts – approximately 66 percent – have come from beyond the three-point line. Juniors Alex Reese (9.7 ppg) and Herbert Jones (9.4 ppg) both are averaging near double digits as well.
- Jones, who has been sidelined multiple games and is slowly coming back from a fractured left wrist, is the team's best defender, leading the team in Blue Collar Points (431.5), Hard Hat Awards (11) and charges taken (19), while ranking second in deflections (62) and floor dives (23). Graduate senior Beetle Bolden (8.5 ppg), who has missed four games throughout the year with a variety of ailments, also contribute on the offensive end and ranks third on the squad in three-point field goal percentage (.341).
- As a team, the Tide averages 40.6 rebounds per game which ranks second in the SEC and is 11th-best in the nation and owns a +0.1 advantage on the glass (40.6-40.5). Alabama has outscored the opposition by +4.1 points (83.0-78.9) and is shooting 44.1 percent from the field, 35.0 percent from beyond the arc and 70.5 percent from the foul line.
- Alabama's pace of play ranks among the national leaders. According to the latest KenPom.com rankings (as of 2/11), the Crimson Tide averages 77.2 possessions per 40 minutes ranks third-best in the country. Furthermore, UA's average possession length on offense is at 15.0 which is fifth-fastest in the nation.
- The Crimson Tide has had 13 games of 80 or more points and seven games of scoring 90 or more this season. The program record of games of scoring 80 or more points is 17 which was set on three occasions (1986-87, 1978-79 and 1976-77). The 1971-72 team had a school record 12 games of 90 or more points with nine such games occurring in 2001-02 and 1974-75.
- LSU comes into Saturday's contest ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press poll and is the first time receiving votes (No. 26) in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Tigers are tied atop the league standings following a narrow 82-78 victory over Missouri this past Tuesday night.
- The Tigers come into the contest with an 18-6 overall record and a 9-2 mark in SEC play. Seven of LSU's 11 league contests have been decided by five or fewer points, winning six of those contests by a combined total of 18 points (6-1). The Tigers have made a habit of winning close contests as last season their six overtime games were two shy of matching the NCAA D-I record for overtime games played in the season, going 4-2 in those contests.
- Senior Skylar Mays leads five players who average in double figures at 16.2 ppg, while also topping the team in steals (2.0 spg), minutes (34.1) and field goals made (129) and attempted (262). Freshman Trendon Watford (13.8 ppg) along with sophomores Emmitt Williams (13.9 ppg), Javonte Smart (12.4 ppg) and Darius Days (12.0 ppg) all average double digits. Days also leads the team in rebounding (7.5 rpg), while Smart is the team leader in assists (4.2 apg) while Williams tops LSU in blocks (1.3 bpg).
- As a team, the Tigers are outscoring the opposition by 8.6 points per contest (80.7-72.1) and outrebounding the competition by 7.2 rebounds per game (39.7-32.5). LSU is shooting 47.9 percent from the field, 30.9 percent from beyond the arc and 77.5 percent from the charity stripe. The Tigers ranks 15th in the nation in rebounding margin, while also ranking 18th nationally in field goal percentage. Additionally, LSU is second behind UA and 10th in the nation in scoring offense.
- LSU head coach Will Wade is in his third year at the helm of the LSU program. During his time in Baton Rouge, Wade owns a record of 61-26 (.701) and has a career record of 152-71 (.682).
- Alabama and LSU will meet for the 183rd time in a series history that began during the 1915-16 season. Saturday's game will mark the second meeting between the squads this season. The Tigers captured a 90-76 victory over the Tide in Baton Rouge, La., back on Jan. 29. A box score and recap from that contest can be found on page 10.
- Alabama owns a 108-74 lead in the all-time series. The 182 meetings are the second-most Alabama has played against any single opponent, while the 108 wins rank as third best against any foe.
- Following its win just over two weeks ago, LSU has now won three consecutive games over Alabama for the first time since doing so from 2014-16. Prior to the Tigers' recent success, Alabama had won five-straight over LSU. Despite having its five-game winning streak in the series halted, UA enters Saturday's matchup having won five of the last eight and 17 of the last 27 contests (17-10) against the Tigers
- Alabama and LSU have played in 10 overtime games in series history, including two triple overtime contests (2/10/90 & 2/23/13) and a quadruple overtime contest (2/12/72) – one of only two four-overtime game in school history. Alabama has an impressive 8-2 record when it has played LSU in overtime.
- Alabama boasts a record of 72-21 when playing LSU in Tuscaloosa and a 41-9 mark in all-time games played at Coleman Coliseum. The Tide has won two of the last three games over the Tigers and has captured victories in 12 of the last 14 games played under the arched roof.
- The series began in 1915-16
