No. 10 Alabama basketball saw its perfect start to the season snapped Thursday night as it lost to Iona 72-68 to open up play in the ESPN Events Invitational. The Crimson Tide will have little time to lick its wounds as it goes up against Drake today in the consolation bracket of the tournament.
Here’s all the information you need to know about today's game.
How to watch
Who: No. 10 Alabama (4-1) vs. Drake (3-1)
When: 3:30 p.m. CT, Friday, Nov. 26
Where: HP Fieldhouse, Kissimmee, Fla.
Watch: ESPNU (play-by-play: Doug Sherman; analyst: Daymeon Fishback)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink)
Alabama's projected lineup
Jahvon Quinerly: 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, redshirt junior
Stats: 15.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 44.8% FG, 25.0% 3-pt
Jaden Shackelford: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, junior
Stats: 19.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 40.2% FG, 36.7% 3-pt
Keon Ellis: 6-foot-6, 175 pounds, senior
Stats: 12.4 ppg., 8.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 52.8% FG, 40.0% 3-pt
Noah Gurley: 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, graduate
Stats: 7.2 ppg, 4.2, rpg, 0.6 apg, 40.5% FG, 23.5% 3-pt
Charles Bediako: 7-foot, 225 pounds, freshman
Stats: 8.2 ppg, 4.4, rpg, 0.8 apg, 64.3% FG
Drake projected lineup
Roman Penn: 6-foot, 185 pounds, redshirt senior
Stats: 12.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 52.0% FG, 27.3% 3-pt
D.J. Wilkins: 6-foot-2, 188 pounds, senior
Stats: 7.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 42.3% FG, 46.7% 3-pt
Darnell Brodie: 6-foot-10, 275 pounds, senior
Stats: 6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.0 apg, 50.0% FG
Tremell Murphy: 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, redshirt senior
Stats: 15.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 58.8% FG, 57.9% 3-pt
ShanQuan Hemphill: 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, senior
Stats: 7.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.3 apg, 44.8% FG, 100% 3-pt
Game notes
— Drake was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference, giving Alabama seven opponents on this year’s slate that were picked to win their respective leagues. The Tide has already played Summit League favorite South Dakota State and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference favorites Iona. Other projected conference winners on Alabama’s schedule included Gonzaga (West Coast Conference) on Dec. 4, Houston (American Athletic Conference) on Dec. 11, Colorado State (Mountain West on Dec. 21 and Kentucky (SEC) on Feb. 5 and Feb. 19.
— Thursday night’s game was the first time Alabama lost a game that saw head coach Nate Oats called for a technical foul. Oats was whistled for the technical with 11:11 left in the game after he threw a water bottle. Alabama was leading 46-39 at the time.
“It was dumb on my part,” Oats told reporters after the game. “I thought it should have been our ball out. Thought it went off their player. They didn’t see it that way. I thought the one ref that was on top of it needed some help from the guy in front of me. Said he didn’t see it.
“Thought I saw it fairly clear in front of me. I got a little irritated and threw the water bottle behind me. It was stupid. I think this is the first game we’ve lost when I’ve gotten a T, but it was not a smart T. Coaches make mistakes, too, and I got to own that one.”
— Alabama’s 68 points against Iona marked just the 13th time the team has failed to score 70 or more points under Oats. The Crimson Tide is 2-11 in those games.
— Juwan Gary returned from an ankle injury that kept him out of two games. The redshirt junior forward played 20 minutes against Iona, recording 4 points on 2 of 3 shooting while pulling in seven rebounds.
— Belmont handed Drake its first loss of the season, 74-69, Thursday night. The Bulldogs were led by senior forward Tremell Murphy, who matched a season-high with 18 points — all in the second half — along with nine rebounds.
— Drake is one of the top shooting teams in the nation through the early going, connecting on 47.1 percent from the floor, 42.0 percent from beyond the arc and 70.9 percent from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs are averaging 82.0 points per game.
Here’s all the information you need to know about today's game.
How to watch
Who: No. 10 Alabama (4-1) vs. Drake (3-1)
When: 3:30 p.m. CT, Friday, Nov. 26
Where: HP Fieldhouse, Kissimmee, Fla.
Watch: ESPNU (play-by-play: Doug Sherman; analyst: Daymeon Fishback)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink)
Alabama's projected lineup
Jahvon Quinerly: 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, redshirt junior
Stats: 15.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.8 apg, 44.8% FG, 25.0% 3-pt
Jaden Shackelford: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, junior
Stats: 19.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 40.2% FG, 36.7% 3-pt
Keon Ellis: 6-foot-6, 175 pounds, senior
Stats: 12.4 ppg., 8.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 52.8% FG, 40.0% 3-pt
Noah Gurley: 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, graduate
Stats: 7.2 ppg, 4.2, rpg, 0.6 apg, 40.5% FG, 23.5% 3-pt
Charles Bediako: 7-foot, 225 pounds, freshman
Stats: 8.2 ppg, 4.4, rpg, 0.8 apg, 64.3% FG
Drake projected lineup
Roman Penn: 6-foot, 185 pounds, redshirt senior
Stats: 12.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 52.0% FG, 27.3% 3-pt
D.J. Wilkins: 6-foot-2, 188 pounds, senior
Stats: 7.8 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 42.3% FG, 46.7% 3-pt
Darnell Brodie: 6-foot-10, 275 pounds, senior
Stats: 6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.0 apg, 50.0% FG
Tremell Murphy: 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, redshirt senior
Stats: 15.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 58.8% FG, 57.9% 3-pt
ShanQuan Hemphill: 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, senior
Stats: 7.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.3 apg, 44.8% FG, 100% 3-pt
Game notes
— Drake was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference, giving Alabama seven opponents on this year’s slate that were picked to win their respective leagues. The Tide has already played Summit League favorite South Dakota State and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference favorites Iona. Other projected conference winners on Alabama’s schedule included Gonzaga (West Coast Conference) on Dec. 4, Houston (American Athletic Conference) on Dec. 11, Colorado State (Mountain West on Dec. 21 and Kentucky (SEC) on Feb. 5 and Feb. 19.
— Thursday night’s game was the first time Alabama lost a game that saw head coach Nate Oats called for a technical foul. Oats was whistled for the technical with 11:11 left in the game after he threw a water bottle. Alabama was leading 46-39 at the time.
“It was dumb on my part,” Oats told reporters after the game. “I thought it should have been our ball out. Thought it went off their player. They didn’t see it that way. I thought the one ref that was on top of it needed some help from the guy in front of me. Said he didn’t see it.
“Thought I saw it fairly clear in front of me. I got a little irritated and threw the water bottle behind me. It was stupid. I think this is the first game we’ve lost when I’ve gotten a T, but it was not a smart T. Coaches make mistakes, too, and I got to own that one.”
— Alabama’s 68 points against Iona marked just the 13th time the team has failed to score 70 or more points under Oats. The Crimson Tide is 2-11 in those games.
— Juwan Gary returned from an ankle injury that kept him out of two games. The redshirt junior forward played 20 minutes against Iona, recording 4 points on 2 of 3 shooting while pulling in seven rebounds.
— Belmont handed Drake its first loss of the season, 74-69, Thursday night. The Bulldogs were led by senior forward Tremell Murphy, who matched a season-high with 18 points — all in the second half — along with nine rebounds.
— Drake is one of the top shooting teams in the nation through the early going, connecting on 47.1 percent from the floor, 42.0 percent from beyond the arc and 70.9 percent from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs are averaging 82.0 points per game.
