Alabama Begins Final Home Stretch of Season with Rematch vs. Vanderbilt on Saturday Night - Alabama Athletics
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ā Alabama will return to Tuscaloosa for three of its next four games, beginning with a home contest against Vanderbilt on Saturday at 5 p.m....
The Crimson Tide will play three of its next four games at Coleman Coliseum, beginning with the Commodores on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPNU
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ā Alabama will return to Tuscaloosa for three of its next four games, beginning with a home contest against Vanderbilt on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT. It will mark the second meeting in two weeks between the teams. In the previous match-up, Alabama defeated Vandy, 77-67, on Feb. 9 in Nashville.
Alabama and Vanderbilt will play for the 140th time in series history when the two teams square off on Saturday night. It's the ninth-most games against any single opponent in the UA record books. With the Crimson Tide's 10-point win at Vanderbilt just two weeks ago, it now leads the all-time series, 70-69.
The Crimson Tide will be looking to complete its first season sweep of the Commodores in more than 30 years. The last time UA swept the season series vs. Vandy came during the 1986-87 campaign when Alabama won 75-71 in Tuscaloosa and 71-67 in Nashville. The Tide will also be in search of its first back-to-back wins in the series since claiming a 58-54 win in Memorial Gymnasium back in 2013 and a 68-63 home win the following season in Tuscaloosa.
THE BROADCAST
ā¢ Saturday's game will air on ESPNU with Mike Couzens (play-by-play) and Mark Adams (analyst) on the call.
ā¢ 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.
PROMOTIONS
ā¢ Halftime performance by the ZOOperstars
NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW
ā¢ Alabama is 9-9 against Quadrant 1 (2-6) and Quadrant 2 (7-3) opponents this year (as of 2/21). The nine wins against Q1 and Q2 teams ranks sixth-best in the SEC. The Crimson Tide trails only LSU (13-5), Kentucky (12-4), Mississippi State (12-8), Tennessee (11-2) and Auburn (10-8) in combined Q1 and Q2 victories. Furthermore, Alabama's seven Q2 wins (7-3) is tied for the second-most wins among the SEC in the category and is tied for seventh-most nationally. Finally, the Tide's 18 combined games vs. Q1 and Q2 opposition is tied for the most in the SEC.
ā¢ Alabama has not scored more than 62 points during its current three-game losing skid, which is UA's longest of the season. In fact, the Crimson Tide is 0-8 on the year when it does not hit the 70-point mark, but boasts a 15-3 record when scoring 70 or more points this season.
ā¢ The Crimson Tide suffered its third consecutive loss ā the longest losing streak of the season ā when it dropped a 65-56 road contest at Texas A&M last Tuesday night. With the loss, Alabama lost the season series to the Aggies, who also defeated UA 81-80 back on Jan. 12 in Coleman Coliseum. In both contests, the Tide held a 12-point second half advantage only to see Texas A&M rally to take a late lead and hold on to for the win.
ā¢ Coming into Saturday's game against Vanderbilt, the Tide is ranked No. 52 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings (as of Feb. 21) and own the No. 28 overall strength of schedule. Alabama is 9-9 against Quadrant 1 (2-6) and Quadrant 2 (7-3) opponents this year (as of 2/21). The nine wins against Q1 and Q2 teams ranks sixth-best in the SEC. The Crimson Tide trails only LSU (13-5), Kentucky (12-4), Mississippi State (12-8), Tennessee (11-2) and Auburn (10-8) in combined Q1 and Q2 victories. Furthermore, Alabama's seven Q2 wins (7-3) is tied for the second-most wins among the SEC in the category and is tied for seventh-most nationally. Finally, the Tide's 18 combined games vs. Q1 and Q2 opposition is tied for the most in the SEC.
ā¢ The 70-point mark seems to be a key for the Crimson Tide team this season. On the year, Alabama has a record of 15-3 when scoring 70 or more points in a game. However, the Tide is 0-8 this season when scoring less than 70 points in a contest.
ā¢ The Crimson Tide owns a 9-3 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.
ā¢ Alabama closes the month of February with its lone road game in the current four-game stretch when it travels to Columbia, S.C., to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. That contest will be televised on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET). It is the first and only meeting between the two teams this season.
ABOUT ALABAMA
ā¢ Alabama is in the midst of a season-long three-game losing streak following its 65-56 loss at Texas A&M last Tuesday night in College Station, Texas. With the setback, the Crimson Tide fell to 15-11 on the year and 6-7 in SEC play. Alabama led for nearly 27 minutes of the contest including a majority of the opening half. The Tide led by 12 points with just over 12 minutes remaining in the contest, but the Aggies used a huge 24-6 run that spanned eight-plus minutes turning the deficit into a six point A&M lead.
ā¢ Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. leads a balanced scoring attack that features eight Alabama players averaging at least 5.5 points per game, while 10 players are averaging double-digit minutes. Three UA players average in double figures as Lewis' 14.0 points per game tops the Tide and ranks 13th in the SEC. Sophomore John Petty Jr. ranks second on the team at 11.0 ppg, while senior Donta Hall is collecting 10.7 points per game.
ā¢ Lewis leads UA in assists (2.8 apg), minutes (31.1) and free throw shooting (76-of-95, .800), while ranking second in steals (21), threes made (42) and attempted (115). Meanwhile, Hall tops the team in total dunks (50), rebounds (8.4 rpg), blocks (1.8 bpg), double-figure contests (18) and double-doubles (10). He currently ranks among the league leaders in double-doubles (1st), rebounding (3rd) and blocked shots (7th). Petty leads the Tide in three-point field goals made (47) and attempted (134) and ranks second on the team in minutes (28.7) and in rebounding (4.0).
ā¢ Junior Tevin Mack, who scored a season-high 25 points in the win over Georgia, is averaging 9.1 ppg, while junior Dazon Ingram (7.5 ppg), senior Riley Norris (6.4 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 (14-of-34, .441), while Norris is second (22-of-57, 38.6 percent) over his 18 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 (23).
ā¢ As a team, Alabama enters Saturday's contest as one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. The Tide has outrebounded 18 of its 26 opponents on the year and ranks sixth in the SEC and 72nd nationally with a 3.7 advantage on the glass (37.3-33.5). UA is shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from beyond the arc on the year, while outscoring the competition by 1.5 points per game (73.7-72.2).
ā¢ Through 12 games in conference play, Lewis leads the team in scoring at 13.0 ppg, while Petty is averaging 11.6 ppg and has knocked down 39.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc (25-of-63). Meanwhile, Hall is averaging nearly a double-double at 10.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game ā a number that tops the SEC in conference games only. Ingram leads the Tide in assists (2.6) and is tied with Lewis in steals (9) throughout SEC play.
ā¢ As a team in league play, Alabama is one of five teams separated by two games entering the final two weeks of the regular season. The Tide owns a 6-7 record in league play with five games remaining, three of which will be played in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is averaging 71.6 points per game in conference play, while outrebounding teams by +1.6 (36.2-34.5). The Tide is shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 34.0 percent from beyond the arc and 68.5 percent from the charity stripe in SEC play. The Tide ranks second in the SEC in league games in defensive rebounds (25.8), ranks third in blocked shots (4.7), fourth in rebounding offense (36.2) and fifth in rebounding margin (+1.6).
ABOUT VANDERBILT
ā¢ Vanderbilt dropped its 14th consecutive contest, and 13th straight in SEC play, with a 58-46 loss at No.5 Tennessee last Tuesday night. With the defeat, the Commodores fell to 9-17 on the year and 0-13 in SEC play. Eight of Vandy's 13 league losses were by 10 points or less, including a narrow overtime loss at home against then-No. 1 Tennessee on Jan. 23 (88-83).
ā¢ Vanderbilt was led on the year by freshman sensation Darius Garland, however, a knee injury just five games into the season sidelined the 6-2 guard for the rest of the year. Sophomore guard Saben Lee, who scored 24 points against the Tide in the first meeting this season, tops the team with an average of 12.9 points, 3.8 assists and 0.9 steals per contest. Lee does a lot of his damage at the charity stripe, leading the team in free throws made (121) and attempted (172).
ā¢ Freshmen Simisola Shittu (11.4 ppg) and Aaron Nesmith (11.5 ppg) also average in double figures entering Saturday night's contest. Shittu tops the team with 6.7 rebounds per game and in field goals made (109) and attempted (234). Meanwhile, Nesmith is second on the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and tied for the team lead in blocks with Shittu (15).
ā¢ As a team, Vandy is being outscored by the opposition by -1.2 points a game (72.3-71.1) and owns a +0.8 advantage on the glass (36.1-35.3). The Commodores are shooting 42.9 percent from the floor, 32.7 percent from beyond the arc and 68.4 percent from the charity stripe on the season.
ā¢ Head Coach Bryce Drew officially became the 27th head coach in Vanderbilt history on April 6, 2015. Now in his third season, Drew led the Commodores to the NCAA Tournament in his first season in Nashville, marking the first time in the history of the program a first-year Vanderbilt coach led his team to the tournament. Drew owns a record of 40-53 (.430) at Vandy and a 164-102 (.612) in seven seasons as a head coach.
NCAA TOURNAMENT RESUME
ā¢ Heading into Saturday night's game vs. Vanderbilt, Alabama is a combined 9-9 against Q1 and Q2 teams, owning 2-6 mark against Quadrant 1 opponents and a 7-3 record vs. teams in Quadrant 2 this season. Combined, UA's nine wins against Q1 and Q2 opposition this year trails only LSU (13), Kentucky (12), Mississippi State (12), Tennessee (11) and Auburn (10). Following Alabama is Ole Miss and South Carolina, both with seven combined Q1 and Q2 wins.
ā¢ Alabama boasts the conference's sixth-best winning percentage against Quadrant 1 and 2 opposition. The Tide's 9-9 mark equates to a .500 winning percentage, trailing only Tennessee (11-2, .846), Kentucky (12-4, .750), LSU (13-5, .722), Mississippi State (12-8, .600) and Auburn (10-8, .556).
ā¢ Alabama's seven Q2 wins not only rank in a tie for second in the SEC, but is tied for seventh nationally in the category.
ā¢ Alabama owns a 3-1 record against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and is 4-1 when playing teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll this season. The three wins is tied for second in the SEC for most wins against ranked opponents (Kentucky has five, LSU has three). Furthermore, the Tide's .750 winning percentage against ranked opponents leads the SEC, ahead of Kentucky (5-2, .714) and LSU (3-2, .600).
ā¢ UA enters the game with a NET Ranking of No. 52 nationally, while owning the No. 29 overall strength of schedule. Of the Tide's remaining five regular season contests, four are projected to be against Q1 and Q2 opposition (Quadrant 1 remaining opponents ā vs. LSU on March 2, vs. Auburn on March 5 and at Arkansas on March 9; Quadrant 2 remaining opponents ā at South Carolina on Feb. 26).
ā¢ Alabama's three Quadrant 4 opponents is the lowest number among SEC schools (tied with LSU).
