Alabama
Auburn
Alabama Men’s Basketball Set for Rematch with Auburn on Wednesday Night
2/20/2018 12:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Tide and Tigers set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama will travel to take on rival No. 12/13 Auburn on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. It will be the second game between the two teams this season. The Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers, 76-71, back on Jan. 17 in Coleman Coliseum.
In the first meeting between the rivals, freshman John Petty went 8-of-13 from beyond the arc and finished with 27 points to help snap the Tigers' 14-game winning streak, which was the longest in the nation coming into the contest. The win was even more impressive considering the Crimson Tide played without leading scorer Collin Sexton, who was ruled out with an abdominal injury prior to tip off.
Herbert Jones and Dazon Ingram both reached double figures to help push the Tide past the Tigers. Ingram went 10-of-13 from the charity stripe to score 16 points, while adding three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Jones finished with 11 points and seven rebounds to go along with four assists, four steals and a block.
Most recently, Alabama lost for just the fourth time in its last 12 games when it dropped an 81-71 decision at Kentucky last Saturday afternoon. The contest was a back-and-forth game throughout that featured eight ties and 15 lead changes. It was not decided until the final 3:35, when the Wildcats went on a 12-4 game-ending run that turned a 69-67 contest into the final 10-point difference for UK.
Four Alabama players scored in double figures against the Wildcats, led by junior forward Donta Hall who collected team highs of 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the loss. Hall was joined in double figures by a trio of freshmen. John Petty added 13 points on the strength of three treys, Collin Sexton collected 12 points and a team-high three assists, while Alex Reese matched his career high with 10 points – all of which came in the first half of play.
THE BROADCAST
• Wednesday's game will air on SEC Network with Mike Morgan (play-by-play) and Pat Bradley (analyst) on the call.
• The radio broadcast can be found on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call, with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.
OPENING TIP
• In league games, Alabama ranks as the top defensive team in the SEC. Through 14 conference games, Alabama tops the SEC in scoring defense (65.6), field goal percentage defense (.392) and blocks per game (5.4), while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.299) and third in steals (6.7).
• Over his last three games, junior Donta Hall is averaging 17.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. At the same time, the junior forward is shooting 82.1 percent from the field (23-of-28), while 12 of his 23 made field goals have been dunks. He currently leads the SEC with 61 dunks this season.
• With the win over then-No. 15 Tennessee on Feb. 10, Alabama has won five straight games over AP Top-25 opponents. In addition to the 78-50 win over the Volunteers, the Crimson Tide owns wins over then-No. 5 Texas A&M, then-No. 17 Auburn, then-No. 12 Oklahoma and then-No. 15 Tennessee this season. Alabama is 5-1 this season against ranked opposition, with the lone loss coming to then-No. 14 Minnesota back on Nov. 25 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Since Avery Johnson's arrive in Tuscaloosa, Alabama owns a record of 10-8 when facing an AP Top-25 team. Prior to his arrival, the Tide dropped 21 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents.
• Alabama has a record of 3-0 against teams ranked in the top 15 of the latest ESPN.com RPI rankings, with wins over No. 7 Rhode Island, No. 8 Auburn and No. 15 Tennessee. Moreover, the Tide is 4-2 when facing teams in ESPN.com's top 21 RPI. Alabama lost to No. 17 Arizona and No. 18 Kentucky – both coming in true road games – and defeated No. 21 Texas A&M.
• The NCAA selection committee is no longer using only RPI top 50, top 100, 200 and 201 and above as dividing categories. Instead, the new terminology will be quadrants 1, 2, 3 and 4 – something the helps bolster the Tide's 2017-18 tournament resume. Quadrant 1 RPI wins include home 1-30; neutral 1-50; away 1-75. Quadrant 2 include home 31-75; neutral 51-100; away 76-135. Entering the Auburn game, Alabama ranks third in the SEC in Quadrant 1 wins (6), while only eight other teams in the nation have more Q1 victories than the Tide.
• Alabama begins its final two-game homestand when it welcomes the Arkansas Razorbacks to Coleman Coliseum on Saturday night at 5 p.m. on SEC Network. It is the only meeting between the teams this season.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama dropped a hard-fought battle with Kentucky, 81-71, last Saturday at Rupp Arena in a contest that featured eight ties and 15 lead changes throughout.
• The Tide is averaging 73.4 points per game and outscoring the opposition by 4.8 points per contest (73.4-68.6). As a team, Alabama is connecting on 46.9 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Tide owns +0.3 advantage on the boards, 36.2-35.9 per game. Additionally, Alabama ranks first in the SEC and is sixth in the nation in blocked shots per game (5.9).
• In addition to blocking shots, the Alabama defense is allowing opponents to shoot 40.7 percent from the field, which ranks 29th in the nation, and 31.3 percent from deep, which is 21st-best in the country. The Tide is also averaging 6.7 steals a contest.
• In league games, Alabama ranks as the top defensive team. Through 14 SEC games, Alabama leads the league in scoring defense (65.6), field goal percentage defense (.392) and blocks per game (5.4), while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.299) and third in steals (6.7).
• The Tide ranks 10th in the SEC in league games only in free throw percentage at 70.4 percent, which is an improvement from shooting 67.6 percent at the line for the season during the entire season, which ranks 12th in the SEC. Furthermore, Alabama ranks 53rd nationally in free throws attempted (615) and is 93rd in the nation in free throws made (416). In fact, nearly 21 percent of Alabama's point total (416 of 1,983 points) has come from the charity stripe.
• Four players are averaging double-figure scoring for the Tide, led by freshman Collin Sexton's 18.1 ppg. That number not only tops the team, but also ranks third in the SEC. Sexton also tops the team in assists (3.5 apg) and field goals made (136) and attempted (314). Freshman John Petty ranks third on the team with 10.9 ppg and tops UA in threes made (70) and attempted (186), while his 2.6 treys made per game is fourth-best in the SEC.
• Junior Donta Hall leads the Tide in field goal percentage (.751, 127-of-169), which would lead the country but he's just shy of meeting the minimum requirement of 5.0 or more field goals made per game (Hall is at 4.88 makes per game). Hall also tops the team in dunks (61), rebounds (7.1 rpg) and blocks (2.3 bpg), while ranking second with 11.6 points per game. Sophomore guard Dazon Ingram is averaging 10.0 ppg, and ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and assists (2.8 apg) a game. Meanwhile, Ingram's 5.0 defensive rebounds per contest is fifth-best in the SEC.
SCOUTING AUBURN
• Bruce Pearl is in his fourth season at Auburn and owns a record of 67-58 (.536). Now in his 23rd season as a collegiate coach, Pearl owns an overall mark of 529-203 (.723). Pearl's teams have led their conference in scoring 16 of the 22 years that he has been a head coach.
• Auburn comes into Wednesday's contest atop the SEC standings with an 11-3 mark in league contests and a 23-4 mark overall. The Tigers own a two-game lead over second place Tennessee (9-5), while the Tide is three games back entering the game.
• The two teams squared off in Coleman Coliseum back on Jan. 20, with Alabama claiming a 76-71 victory. The loss was Auburn's first in league play and also snapped the Tigers' 14-game winning streak which was the best in the nation at the time. The box score and recap from that contest can be found on page 11.
• Four Auburn players average in double figures led by junior Bryce Brown's 16.4 points per game, while also topping the team in threes made (87) and attempted (215) and minutes per game (30.8). Sophomore Mustapha Heron ranks second in the team with 16.1 ppg, while sophomore Jared Harper (13.5 ppg) and junior Desean Murray (10.7 ppg) also average in double figures.
• Murray leads the Tigers with 7.0 rebounds per contest, while Harper tops the team with 5.8 assists per game. Sophomore Anfernee McLemore, who is out for the season with a leg injury, was leading the SEC with 2.7 blocks per game, while also adding 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds a game.
• Auburn is one of the top offensive teams in the country as it enters the contest leading the SEC in scoring offense (84.7 points per game), scoring margin (+12.1) and free throw percentage (.781). The Tigers also leads the league in three-pointers made per game (9.9).
• Alabama held Auburn to 71 points in the first meeting between the two teams, which is the lowest point total from the Tigers this season.
ALABAMA-AUBURN – SERIES NOTES
• Wednesday's game will mark the 157th 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 94-62 edge in the series.
• It marks the second meeting between the teams this season. Alabama snapped Auburn's 14-game winning streak – the best in the nation at the time – with a 76-71 victory back on Jan. 17 in Coleman Coliseum. The Tide, one of two teams to beat the Tigers in league play, used a 13-4 second half run to take the lead for good and held on for the win. The box score and recap can be found on page 11.
• UA owns an all-time record of 42-8 when playing Auburn in Coleman Coliseum. The Tide is 49-9 when hosting the Tigers in Tuscaloosa. However, Alabama has dropped two straight in Auburn Arena and owns a record of 26-30 when playing the Tigers on the Plains.
• Alabama has won 11 of the last 16 games played between the two teams, including eight of the last nine games played in Coleman Coliseum. The last time the Crimson Tide won at Auburn came on Feb. 17, 2015 (won, 79-68).
• The two teams have played in 11 overtimes in series history, with the last one coming Feb. 21, 2001. Auburn has won eight of the 11 games that have went to extra time.
• The series began during 1923-24 campaign.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE D
• Alabama enters the final stretch of games as the league's best defensive team during SEC play.
• Through 14 conference games, that Crimson Tide ranks at or near the top in every defensive category.
Category Average Rank
Scoring Defense 65.6 1
Field Goal Percentage Defense .392 1
Blocks Per Game 5.4 1
3-Point Field Goal Percentage Defense .299 2
Steals Per Game 6.7 3
TOPPLING THE TOP 25
• Alabama head coach Avery Johnson has led his teams to success when playing against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 during his three seasons at the Capstone.
• In 18 total games played against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, Johnson has led the Tide to a record of 10-8. That's a huge improvement, especially considering prior his arrival, Alabama had lost 21 consecutive games to nationally-ranked opponents.
• This season alone, the Crimson Tide boasts a record of 5-1 against Top-25 teams, including five consecutive wins over ranked opponents. Alabama has toppled then-No. 5 Texas A&M (79-57 on Dec. 30), then-No. 17 Auburn (76-71 on Jan. 17), then-No. 12 Oklahoma (80-73 on Jan. 27) and then-No. 23 Florida (68-50 on Feb. 3) and then-No. 15 Tennessee (78-50 on Feb. 10).
• The five wins over ranked opponents in a single season is a new program record. This year's record mark topped the four victories over ranked foes which was set in four different seasons (1981-82, 1986-87, 2001-02 and 2015-16).
• That number is not only a school record, but also ranks among the nation's leader. The Crimson Tide is one of just three schools who has five or more top-25 wins this season.
Ranked Wins School Home Road Neutral
6 Oklahoma 3 2 1
6 Texas Tech 4 1 1
5 Alabama 4 1 0
5 Duke 1 2 2
4 Florida 0 2 2
4 NC State 2 1 1
4 Oklahoma State 1 2 1
4 Texas A&M 1 2 1
4 Xavier 3 1 0
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