Alabama begins a stretch of playing three of its next four contests at Coleman Coliseum when it squares off against No. 15/12 Kentucky on Saturday afternoon at noon CT. It marks the second consecutive top-25 opponent for the Tide, who will play in front of a sellout crowd at Coleman Coliseum for the third consecutive home game.
Alabama is coming off a quadruple overtime upset victory at No. 19/16 South Carolina, 90-86, last Tuesday night. It marked the Tide’s first true road win over a top-25 team since knocking off then-No. 4 Mississippi State, 77-73 on Feb. 21, 2004, in Starkville, Miss. Furthermore, it was the second four overtime game in program history, as the Tide also took a four-point win over LSU on Feb. 12, 1972, winning 103-79.
Saturday’s contest marks the 146th game played between Alabama and Kentucky – the sixth-most games played against any one opponent in UA men’s basketball history. The Wildcats own a 108-37 edge in the all-time series, including having won six straight games and 13 of the last 15 overall. The Tide owns a record of 23-30 when playing Kentucky in Tuscaloosa, including a 17-19 mark in contests played at Coleman Coliseum.
Saturday’s game will be televised on CBS with Spero Dedes (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery (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: CBS
LIVE STATS: Kentucky-Alabama Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA: @AlabamaMBB
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
· A pair of freshman lead the Tide offensively. Forward Braxton Key, who is one of 10 freshmen in the nation to lead their team in both scoring and rebounding, averages team highs of 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while also topping the team in minutes (28.2 mpg). Guard Dazon Ingram, who ranks second in points (10.1 ppg), leads UA in assists (3.6 apg), steals (1.2 spg) and 3-point shooting (.464). Six of Alabama’s top seven scorers are underclassmen.
· Alabama’s Avery Johnson will face the 11th ranked opponent during his tenure. The Tide’s second-year head coach is 5-5 when facing teams ranked in the AP top 25, including 1-1 this season.
· The last time Alabama defeated top-25 ranked SEC opponents in consecutive games came during the 1999-2000 season. That year, the Tide defeated No. 11 Auburn, 68-64, on Feb. 22, 2000, followed by a 80-75 win vs. No. 7 Tennessee on Feb. 26, 2000.
· Kentucky, which won all three games between the two teams a year ago, has won six straight games in the series. The Tide’s last win over the Wildcats came on Jan. 22, 2013.
· Forward Braxton Key is one of 10 freshmen from around the country who currently leads his team in both scoring and rebounding this season.
· The Tide, which leads the SEC and ranks 26th nationally with a +6.6 rebounding margin, has outrebounded its opponents in 19 of its 23 games this year, including 10 of its 11 SEC foes.
· According to KenPom.com, Alabama ranks 29th in the nation in both average team height and 31st in bench production. The same site also lists the Crimson Tide 233rd out of 351 Division I programs in overall experience.
· Alabama is a perfect 12-0 when holding teams to 62 or fewer points, but falls to 2-9 when allowing the opposition to score more than 62.
· Alabama will next play its lone road game in the current four-game stretch when it travels to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
SCOUTING KENTUCKY
• Saturday’s game marks the 146th game played between Alabama and Kentucky – the sixth-most games played against any one opponent in UA men’s basketball history. The Wildcats own a 108-37 edge in the all time series, including having won six straight games overall. The Tide owns an all-time record of 23-30 when playing Kentucky in Tuscaloosa, Ala., including a 17-19 record at Coleman Coliseum.
• Kentucky head coach John Calipari comes into Saturday’s game with an all-time record of 639-189 (.781) in his 25th season at the helm of the men’s basketball program. Now in his eighth season at UK, Calipari owns a record of 236-51 (.822). Calipari is one win shy of securing a 23rd consecutive 20-win season.
• The Wildcats are led on the year by freshman guard Malik Monk, who comes into Saturday’s contest at Alabama leading the SEC in scoring at 21.9 ppg. He is attempting to become just the fourth freshman to lead the league in scoring and the first since LSU’s Chris Jackson averaged 30.2 ppg in 1989. Monk also tops the team in threes made (77), attempted (185) and percentage (.416). Freshman guard De’Aaron Fox is second on the team in scoring at 16.0 ppg, while leading the team in assists (5.5 apg) and steals (1.6 spg).
• As a team, Kentucky’s scoring average of 90.2 ranks third nationally and first among Power Five schools. The Wildcats also lead the league and rank eighth in the nation in scoring margin at +15.9. In addition, UK is eighth in the country in free throws attempted (645), 10th in blocks per game (5.8 bpg) and 16th in free throws made (447).
• Kentucky ranks as one of the youngest teams in terms of experience, according to kenpom.com. UK ranks No. 343 out of 351 in terms of experience per minute. Only Iowa, Mississippi State, Washington and Oregon State are younger among Power Five institutions.
• Kentucky probable starters (starting five from last game): Guards: De’Aaron Fox (16.0 ppg, 5.4 apg, 4.0 rpg), Malik Monk (21.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 41.6 3FG%), Isaiah Briscoe (14.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.4 apg). Forwards: Edrice Adebayo (12.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.6 bpg), Wenyen Gabriel (6.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg).
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama, which is 14-9 on the year and fourth in the SEC with a 7-4 league record, begins a stretch with three of its next four games at Coleman Coliseum when it hosts No. 15/12 Kentucky on Saturday afternoon. It’s the first top-25 team to play in Tuscaloosa, Ala., this season and marks the third top-25 opponent this year for the Tide. Alabama is 1-1 against ranked opposition, falling at then-No. 24/24 Oregon, 65-56, in Eugene, Ore., and most recently capturing a 90-86 quadruple overtime win at South Carolina. Head coach Avery Johnson owns a career record of 5-5 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 5.4 and 11.8 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 was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the week of Jan. 30, leads the Tide in scoring (11.8 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg), double figure scoring games (13) and minutes (28.2 mpg). Key also ranks second in assists (2.1 apg) and three-points field goal percentage (.357).
• Redshirt freshman Dazon Ingram leads the team in assists (3.6 apg), three-point field goal percentage (.464), assist-turnover ratio (1.3:1) and steals (1.2 spg), while ranking second in scoring (10.1 ppg) and double figure scoring games (11).
• Sophomore center Donta Hall tops the team in field goal percentage (.655) and blocks (1.6 bpg), while ranking second in rebounding (5.7 rpg). Junior Riley Norris ranks second in threes made (30) and is third in scoring (9.0 ppg), while graduate senior Corban Collins tops the team in threes made (32), ranks third in three-point field goal percentage (.348) and is fourth in scoring (7.8 ppg).
• As a team, Alabama is outscoring the competition by 4.3 points per game (70.3-66.0) and outrebounding opponents by 6.6 rebounds per game (40.0-33.4). The Tide is shooting .423 from the field and .321 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 8-3 when playing at Coleman Coliseum this year (8-4 in all home games, which includes the game vs. Clemson in Birmingham’s Legacy Arena) and is 3-2 in SEC play.
ALABAMA-KENTUCKY – SERIES NOTES
• Saturday’s game will mark the 146th meeting in series history between to two schools, and the only time this season the teams will square off on the hardwood. The Wildcats swept the regular season series a year ago, winning 77-61 in Tuscaloosa back on Jan. 9 and 78-53 in Lexington on Feb. 16. The two teams matched up for a third time in the 2016 SEC Tournament quarterfinals, with the Wildcats taking an 85-59 decision on their way to winning the tournament title.
• The 145 games played against one another stands as UA’s sixth-most common opponent in program lore. Kentucky owns a 108-37 edge in the all-time series.
• When playing Kentucky in Tuscaloosa, Alabama owns an all-time record of 23-30, including a 17-19 mark in games played at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide has lost three consecutive games to the Wildcats in Coleman Coliseum.
• The Tide has dropped 13 of the last 15 games played against the Wildcats. The last UA victory over UK came on a 59-55 win on Jan. 22, 2013 in Coleman Coliseum.
• The series began in 1923.
ALABAMA-SOUTH CAROLINA: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
• What Won The Game For Alabama: The Alabama bench came up huge on Tuesday night. Led by Avery Johnson Jr. (23 points) and Ar’Mond Davis (19 points), the Tide’s reserves outscored its counterparts, 56-5, in the victory. The Alabama back-ups played a big key in the four overtimes as well, especially when leading scorers Braxton Key and Dazon Ingram fouled out before the end of regulation. Over the four overtime periods, the Tide’s reserves outscored the Gamecocks’ bench by a total of 22-3.
• The Difference Maker: Avery Johnson Jr. The sophomore point guard erupted for a 23 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc – all career-high numbers. In the previous five games combined, Johnson accounted for a total of 22 points while combining to shoot 8-of-33 from the field and 4-of-15 from beyond the arc.
• The Wow Stat: The contest had just one lead change and one tie over the 40 minutes of regulation. However, in the four overtimes, the game featured 10 lead changes and nine ties.
• Coach Avery Johnson Quote: “This was an SEC classic game – a game we will probably be watching 10 years from now. This was an outstanding game. I’m glad we were able to overcome a lot of adversity and bounce back to get the win. I’m proud of our guys; I can’t say that enough. They never quit on us as a staff and never quit on each other.”
NOTES FROM THE QUADRUPLE OVERTIME THRILLER
• Alabama and South Carolina played an epic quadruple overtime contest, that many feel was the game of the year – not only in the SEC but in all of college basketball this season.
• The Crimson Tide escaped Columbia, S.C., with a 90-86 victory in its first overtime game of the season. Below are some other notes surrounding that contest:
– It was the first four overtime game in Division I college basketball. The last time it happened in college basketball came when UConn defeated Cincinnati, 104-97, in the American Athletic Conference quarterfinal match-up on March 11, 2016.
– It was just the second quadruple overtime game in Alabama program history. The only game in which it took four extra periods to decide the outcome came on Feb. 12, 1972 vs. LSU. The Tide, which defeated the Tigers 103-99 in that contest, improves to 2-0 in such games.
– With the victory, Alabama captured its first true road win over a top-25 team since taking a 77-73 victory over then-No. 4 Mississippi State on Feb. 21, 2004 in Starkville, Miss.
– The contest featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes throughout. All but one lead change occurred at the end of regulation and in the four overtimes.
– Avery Johnson Jr. led Alabama with a career-high 23 points in the winning effort. Over the previous five contests, he had a combined 22 points.
– South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell finished with 44 points and 21 boards on the night. He was only the third collegiate Division I player to record a 40/20 game in the last 20 years (Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin and Cleveland State’s Norris Cole).
THE TIDE AGAINST THE TOP 25
• Alabama will play its third top-25 team this season when it takes on the No. 15/12 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Tide is 1-1 on the year against ranked opponents. The Tide lost to then-No. 24/24 Oregon, 65-56, back on Dec. 11, in Eugene, Ore., before upending No. 19/16 South Carolina in four overtimes, 90-86, on Feb. 7 in Columbia, S.C. Saturday’s game marks the first time this season a top-25 team has played in Coleman Coliseum.
• Under head coach Avery Johnson, Alabama owns a record of 5-5 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.
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Aaron Jordan | Director of Basketball Communications
University of Alabama