Alabama Returns To League Action on Wednesday Night at No. 22/24 LSU

Wednesday, January 29

Baton Rouge, La.

6 p.m. CT

Alabama

LSU

Alabama Returns To League Action on Wednesday Night at No. 22/24 LSU

1/28/2020 10:20:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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The Crimson Tide and Tigers will tipoff at 6 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN2

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's basketball team returns to league action on Wednesday when it travels to take on No. 22/24 LSU on Wednesday night in Baton Rouge, La. The contest, which will tipoff at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2, is the first of two games played between the teams this season. The Tide and Tigers will meet again in just over two weeks inside Coleman Coliseum (Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. CT).

LSU (15-4, 6-0 SEC) come into the contest atop the SEC standings and are the only unbeaten team in league action, while Alabama (12-7, 4-2) is two games back of the league-leaders.

Both teams enter the contest riding the two longest winning streaks in the SEC. The Tigers have won eight straight games entering Wednesday night's showdown with their last loss coming on Dec. 21 to USC. The Crimson Tide's four-game win streak is second-best in the league which began with its 83-64 win over previously unbeaten and then-No. 4 Auburn on Jan. 15.

Most recently, the Crimson Tide secured a 77-74 victory over Kansas State in the Big 12/SEC Challenge last Saturday to improve to 3-1 in its four games in the event. It marked the 10th win in UA's last 13 games and the team's eighth consecutive home victory – the longest since 2014.

The Broadcast

Saturday's game will be televised on ESPN2 with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (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.

Notes You Need To Know

The Tide enters Wednesday night's contest ranked among the top-10 nationally in four separate categories and lead the SEC in seven statistical categories. Most notably, Alabama is No. 5 in the nation in scoring offense at 82.8 points per game and is No. 6 in three-point field goals made per game at 10.4 (as of 1/27), leading the league in both areas. UA also leads the SEC in threes made (197), threes attempted (551) and three-point field goal percentage (.358). A full breakdown of the Tide's standings both in the SEC and nationally is can be found on page 7.
Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr. was named the SEC Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Monday. In leading the Crimson Tide to a pair of victories this past week, Lewis averaged 21.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in wins over Vanderbilt and Kansas State. He became the second Alabama player to earn SEC Player of the Week joining John Petty Jr. who earned the recognition for the week of Dec. 23.
Alabama has won three consecutive SEC games by double figures, which marks the first time since the 2011-12 campaign it has achieved that feat.
Dating back to the 2015-16 season, Alabama owns a record of 15-14 (.529) against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 and is 1-2 this season (UA defeated then-No. 4 Auburn on Jan. 15). The last time the Tide won on the road against a ranked opponent came on Feb. 3, 2018 at then-No. 23 Florida (won, 68-50).
The Tide has now won four consecutive, five of its last six and 10 of its last 13 games following a 77-74 win over Kansas State in Saturday's Big 12/SEC win. The three losses over the 11-game stretch have been by a combined 17 points. Two of the three defeats have come against ranked competition while all three coming on the road. UA fell to then-No. 21 Penn State (lost 73-71 after owning a nine-point second half lead), at Florida in double overtime (lost 104-98 despite holding a 21-point first half lead) and at then-No. 14 Kentucky (lost 76-67, within a possession with two minutes remaining).
Through six SEC games, Alabama leads the league in scoring offense (83.8), scoring margin (+9.0), total rebounding average (43.8), threes made per game (9.3) and defensive rebounds (32.7).
The Crimson Tide has had 11 games of 80 or more points and five 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.

About Alabama

Alabama enters the contest having played the second-toughest strength of schedule in the SEC. According to the latest KenPom.com rankings (as of 1/27), the Crimson Tide owns the No. 28 overall strength of schedule, which ranks second in the SEC, and the No. 48 non-conference SOS. Florida (20/25) leads the league in both categories.
Four Alabama players average double figures, while six average 8.4 points per game or better through its 19 contests played. Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr. (16.8 ppg) tops the team and ranks fourth in the SEC in scoring average, while junior John Petty Jr. (16.4 ppg) ranks second on the squad and sixth in the league. Combined the duo produces the second-highest combined points by any two players on the same team in the SEC (33.2 ppg).
Lewis leads the SEC and is 12th nationally in minutes per game (37.1), while also leading UA and ranking among the league leaders in scoring, assists (t4th - 4.6 apg) and steals (5th - 1.8 spg). A first-team All-SEC preseason honoree, he also tops the team in field goals made (116) and attempted (262), and is shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from beyond the arc and 82.4 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 (47.8 percent, 65-of-136) and is second in threes made per game (3.4), while ranking fourth and eighth nationally in the categories, respectively. Additionally, he leads the squad and ranks ninth in the conference in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and also tops UA in threes made and attempted while ranking second in steals (1.1 spg) and minutes (33.9 mpg) per game.
Freshman Jaden Shackelford and junior Herbert Jones also average in double figures at 12.3 and 10.1 ppg, respectively. Shackelford is second on the team in threes attempted, as 120 of 181 field goal attempts – approximately 66 percent – have come from beyond the three-point line. Jones is the team's best defender, leading the team in Blue Collar Points (386.5), Hard Hat Awards (10), charges taken (15), deflections (58) and floor dives (22). Junior Alex Reese (9.3 ppg) graduate senior Beetle Bolden (8.4 ppg) and also contribute on the offensive end.
As a team, the Tide has been outrebounded in just six of its 19 games played this year and owns a +2.3 advantage on the glass (41.5-39.2). The 41.5 rebounds per game leads the SEC and is seventh-best in the nation. Alabama has outscored the opposition by +6.2 points (82.8-76.6) and is shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 35.8 percent from beyond the arc and 71.6 percent from the foul line.
Through six SEC games, Alabama leads the league in scoring offense (83.8), scoring margin (+9.0), total rebounding average (43.8), threes made per game (9.3) and defensive rebounds (32.7).
Alabama's pace of play ranks among the national leaders as of Jan. 27. The Crimson Tide averages 77.9 possessions per 40 minutes ranks third-best in the country. Furthermore, UA's average possession length on offense is at 15.0 which ranks as the seventh-fastest in the nation.

About LSU

LSU, which comes into Wednesday's contest ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll and No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, captured its league-leading eighth straight win by securing a narrow 69-67 victory at Texas in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
The Tigers come into the contest with a 15-4 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in SEC play. In fact, LSU's last six wins have come by a combined 15 points, four of which were decided by a single possession. 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 15.7 ppg, while also topping the team in steals (2.1 spg), minutes (34.6) and field goals made (102) and attempted (209). Freshman Trendon Watford (13.2 ppg) along with sophomores Emmitt Williams (13.5 ppg), Javonte Smart (11.7 ppg) and Darius Days (11.6 ppg) all average double digits. Days also leads the team in rebounding (7.8 rpg), while Smart is the team leader in assists (4.6 apg) while Williams tops LSU in blocks (1.3 bpg).
As a team, the Tigers are outscoring the opposition by 10.0 points per contest (79.6-69.6) and outrebounding the competition by 7.6 rebounds per game (39.8-32.2). LSU is shooting 47.9 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from beyond the arc and 76.6 percent from the charity stripe. The Tigers leads the SEC in field goal percentage and ranks second in scoring offense, rebounding margin and rebounding defense
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 58-24 (.707) and has a career record of 149-69 (.683).

Alabama-LSU – Series Notes

Alabama and LSU will meet for the 182nd time in a series history that began during the 1915-16 season. Wednesday's game will mark the first of two meetings between the squads this season. The Tigers will invade Coleman Coliseum for the return game on Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. CT.
LSU snapped a five-game losing streak to Alabama by sweeping the season series. The Tigers secured an 88-79 win on their home floor on Jan. 8, 2018 followed by a 74-69 victory in Tuscaloosa on March 2, 2019. Despite the two losses, Alabama owns a 108-73 lead in the all-time series. The 181 meetings are the second-most Alabama has played against any single opponent, while the 108 wins rank as third best against any foe.
Despite having its winning streak in the series snapped, UA enters the matchup having won five of the last seven and 17 of the last 26 contests (17-9) 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.
The Tide had won three consecutive games at the PMAC prior to last season's setback. It was the first time since 1974-77 that UA had won three straight in Baton Rouge. In the 78 total games played at LSU, Alabama owns a record of 30-48.
Four of the last 13 games played between the two teams have been decided by three or fewer points, while nine of the last 14 have been decided by less than 10 points.

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