A promising opening week has created a buzz around Alabama basketball. The Crimson Tide rolled to two double-digit wins last week, blowing out Louisiana Tech 93-64 before corralling a pesky South Dakota State team in a 104-88 victory. Alabama will look to carry over that momentum as it hosts South Alabama on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CT inside Coleman Coliseum.
Here’s all the information you need to know about Tuesday’s game.
How to watch
Who: No. 14 Alabama (2-0) vs. South Alabama (1-1)
When: 6:30 p.m. CT, Tuesday, Nov. 16
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Watch: SEC Network+ (play-by-play: Eli Gold; analyst: Richard Hendrix)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink; engineer: Tom Stipe)
Alabama's projected lineup
Jahvon Quinerly: 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, redshirt junior
Stats: 17.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, 45.2% FG, 25.0% 3-pt
Jaden Shackelford: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, junior
Stats: 20.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 43.8% FG, 38.9% 3-pt
Keon Ellis: 6-foot-6, 175 pounds, senior
Stats: 16.5 ppg., 11.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 58.8% FG, 55.6% 3-pt
Noah Gurley: 6-foot-8, 215 pounds, graduate
Stats: 6.0 ppg, 3.0, rpg, 1.0 apg, 31.3% FG, 28.6% 3-pt
Charles Bediako: 7-foot, 225 pounds, freshman
Stats: 8.5 ppg, 4.5, rpg, 1.5 apg, 72.7% FG
South Alabama projected lineup
Jay Jay Chandler: 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, graduate
Stats: 14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 36.0% FG, 16.7% 3-pt
Tyrell Jones: 6-foot-1, 186 pounds, junior
Stats: 5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 42.9% FG, 50.0% 3-pt
Kayo Goncalves: 6-foot-8, 212 pounds, graduate
Stats: 11.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 53.8% FG, 45.5% 3-pt
Diante Smith: 6-foot-6, 189 pounds, junior
Stats: 9.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 35.3% FG, 27.3 3-pt
Javon Franklin: 6-foot-7, 220 pounds, redshirt senior
Stats: 15.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 73.7% FG
Oats provides injury update on Gary
An Alabama program that hasn’t had the best luck with injuries can take a brief sigh of relief. During his Monday Zoom call with reporters, Nate Oats provided an update on Juwan Gary, stating that the redshirt sophomore forward is day-to-day with a right ankle injury while also noting that the injury is not viewed as serious.
That’s positive news after Gary was last seen hobbling off the court after landing awkwardly on his ankle during last Friday’s game against South Dakota State. The 6-foot-6, 218-pound forward got off to a strong start to the season, netting his first double-double with the Tide by recording 12 points and 10 rebounds during the opener against Louisiana Tech.
While Gary’s injury isn’t viewed as a long-term setback, it did prevent him from practicing Monday and will likely keep him out of Tuesday night’s game.
“I would probably say, if we’re going through all the NFL [terms], he would be doubtful for tomorrow, if we’ve got all those words to use,” Oats said.
Alabama will receive a bit of reinforcement as redshirt freshman forward Alex Tchikou served out his two-game suspension and will be eligible to play Tuesday night. Tchikou missed all of last season with an Achilles injury and has yet to make his Alabama debut after joining the program as the No. 37 player in last year’s class.
Miles continues hot start
A few months ago, Darius Miles was struggling to find his shot. In the midst of a frustrating summer slump, the sophomore wasn’t viewed as the likeliest candidate to carve out an extended role in an Alabama roster chock full of offensive talent.
You’d never know by looking at him now.
No Tide player has started the season with a hotter hand than Miles, who made his first eight shots from the floor, including six straight from beyond the arc. Through two games, the forward is averaging 12 points off the bench while shooting a team-high 85.7% from deep.
So how did he shake his offseason funk? One shot at a time.
“I got out of it by staying in the gym,” Miles said Monday, “getting 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 shots up a week, making sure I was putting the work in.”
Miles said he knew he was out of the slump after Alabama’s season-opening win over Louisiana Tech when his teammates told him he went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc on the night. Since then, he hasn’t been shy to try out his hot hand.
“When they told me, I was like, ‘OK, I feel like a shooter again,’” Miles said. “That was good.”
After averaging just 4.3 minutes last season, Miles has seen the floor an average of 17 minutes per game this year. Monday, Oats praised the sophomore, stating his early production is a testament to his persistence over the offseason.
“I tell our guys, the hard work’s always going to pay off,” Oats said. “It’s not always going to pay off the next day, the next week, but it will eventually pay off.”
Oats hoping for defensive improvement from Quinerly
Alabama already knows what Jahvon Quinerly can offer on the offensive end. The redshirt junior ranks second on the team averaging 17.5 points and 5.0 assists and is coming off a career-high 26 points against South Dakota State. Now, his head coach wants to see that same production on the other side of the ball.
So far, the starting point guard is making positive strides toward that progression. Monday, Oats commended Quinerly for his defensive performance in practice, challenging him to match that same intensity during the game against South Alabama.
“He’s definitely quick enough, tough enough,” Oats said. “He’s just got to make it that priority on that end of the floor to be a great defender. He’s not where we need him to be yet, but he’s coming. He wants to be a great defender, it’s just got to be a high priority.”
Scouting South Alabama
— South Alabama added 10 newcomers this offseason. Eight of those are transfers, including four from SEC programs in Jay Jay Chandler (Texas A&M), Charles Manning Jr. (LSU), Javon Franklin (Auburn) and Tyrell Jones (Auburn).
— South Alabama was picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt preseason poll. The Jaguars finished fifth in the Sun Belt last year, posting a 17-11 record, including a 10-7 mark in conference play. South Alabama has won 17 or more games in three straight seasons.
— Alabama is 2-1 all-time against South Alabama with the Jaguars’ lone win coming during a 86-84 victory in the 1989 NCAA Tournament. Alabama won the most recent meeting between the two schools with a 72-50 victory on Dec. 1, 2000, inside of Coleman Coliseum.
— South Alabama head coach Richie Riley is in his fourth season in charge of the program. The former UAB assistant owns a 55-40 record with the Jaguars.
