No. 8 Alabama basketball will wrap up its regular-season schedule Saturday as it travels to Georgia. The Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs 115-82 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. earlier this season. Alabama (20-6, 15-2 in the SEC) has already clinched the conference’s regular-season title, while Georgia (14-10, 7-10 enters the matchup in 10th place in the SEC standings.
Here’s all the information you need to know about Saturday’s game.
How to watch
Who: No. 8 Alabama (20-6, 15-2 in the SEC) at Georgia (14-10, 7-10)
When: 1 p.m. CT, Saturday, March 6
Where: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Ga.
Watch: CBS (play-by-play: Brad Nessler, analyst: Pete Gillen)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink; sideline Roger Hoover)
Alabama projected starting five
Herbert Jones: 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, senior
Stats: 11.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 44.9% FG, 45.5% 3-pt
Jaden Shackelford: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 14.5 ppg., 3.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 40.7% FG, 33.3% 3-pt
John Petty Jr.: 6-foot-5, 184 pounds, senior
Stats: 12.8 ppg., 5.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 44.0% FG, 38.0% 3-pt
Joshua Primo: 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, freshman
Stats: 8.0 ppg., 3.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 42.7% FG, 39.6% 3-pt
Jordan Bruner: 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, graduate
Stats: 7.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 44.7% FG, 31.5% 3-pt
Georgia projected starting five
Sahvir Wheeler: 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 7.1 apg, 39.6% FG, 23.7% 3-pt
Tye Fagan: 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, junior
Stats: 9.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 58.6% FG, 26.5% 3-pt
Justin Kier: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, graduate
Stats: 9.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 39.5% FG, 35.1% 3-pt
P.J. Horne: 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, graduate
Stats: 8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.5 apg, 44.7% FG, 36.8% 3-pt
Toumani Camara: 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 12.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 48.4% FG, 24.1% 3-pt
Notes and quotes
— Alabama head coach Nate Oats was one of 10 semifinalists named for this year’s Naismith Coach of the Year award on Friday. Last week, the second-year head coach helped the Tide lock up its first SEC regular-season title since 2002. He’s also led the Tide to 20 regular-season wins for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign. Alabama’s 15 conference wins are the Tide’s second-highest total in program history, trailing only the 1986-87 team which finished SEC play at 16-2.
During a Zoom call with reporters Friday, senior forward Herbert Jones and redshirt sophomore guard Jahvon Quinerly both sounded off on what makes Oats so special as a coach.
Jones: “I feel like he deserves everything that’s coming his way. He loves the game. He loves getting guys better, helping guys reach their dreams, and I feel like he does a great job of that. And I feel like he really knows how to expose your strengths on the court. I feel like that’s what makes him a great coach. He puts certain guys in great situations to do what they do best, and I feel like he’s one of the best to do it in the business.”
Quinerly: “He puts the work in, so he deserves everything that’s coming his way. He puts guys in the right positions. He’s just an overall great coach. The minute he walked in, he helped change the culture around here.”
— Jones joined his coach in receiving Naismith honors this week as he was named as one of 10 semifinalists for the organization’s player of the year award. Through 26 games, he is averaging 11.0 points while leading the team in rebounds (6.1 per game) asists (3.1 per game), 3-point shooting (45.5 percent) (steals 1.7 per game) and blocks (1.0 per game).
“It means a whole lot.” Jones said. “I couldn’t have done any of it without the team. They helped me improve my offensive game, my defensive skills. I mean, everything’s better when we win, so that’s just credit to my teammates. I’m not the only person out there scoring the points or getting stops. It’s a collective unit, and everybody contributes.
— Alabama’s 115-82 victory over Georgia marked its second-highest single-game points total in program history. Last season, Alabama recorded a 105-102 overtime victory at Georgia, giving it a combined 220 points in its last two games against the Bulldogs.
— While Alabama’s focus is on this season, Oats was asked Friday about five-star signee JD Davison, who played his final high school game Wednesday, scoring 45 points during a semifinal loss in the Alabama Class 2A state semifinals. Davison is the No. 3 point guard and No. 13 overall player in this year’s class, making him the Tide’s highest-ranked signee since Collin Sexton (No. 8 overall) in 2017.
Oats said he hopes Davison will be able to join the program at the end of May in order to take part in summer school and get a full summer of work in before his freshman season this year.
“He’s super talented,” Oats said. “With the way we play, as fast and open, he’s gonna fit perfectly. He’s hard to guard coming downhill with a full head of steam, he’s so athletic. He’s almost impossible to keep out of the paint when you give him enough space. So you put the shooting that we’ll have on the floor and the way we space the floor out, I think he’s gonna be a great addition.
“You add him into a mix with guys like Quinerly, you’ve got shooting. [Jaden Shackelford] can obviously drive the ball, too. Shack, [Josh] Primo, Keon Ellis, some other pieces we’re gonna add in. Jusaun Holt can really shoot it. Then you add some athletes. I think he fits what we need, what we want, how we wanna play.”
Here’s all the information you need to know about Saturday’s game.
How to watch
Who: No. 8 Alabama (20-6, 15-2 in the SEC) at Georgia (14-10, 7-10)
When: 1 p.m. CT, Saturday, March 6
Where: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Ga.
Watch: CBS (play-by-play: Brad Nessler, analyst: Pete Gillen)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink; sideline Roger Hoover)
Alabama projected starting five
Herbert Jones: 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, senior
Stats: 11.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 44.9% FG, 45.5% 3-pt
Jaden Shackelford: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 14.5 ppg., 3.9 rpg, 2.0 apg, 40.7% FG, 33.3% 3-pt
John Petty Jr.: 6-foot-5, 184 pounds, senior
Stats: 12.8 ppg., 5.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 44.0% FG, 38.0% 3-pt
Joshua Primo: 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, freshman
Stats: 8.0 ppg., 3.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 42.7% FG, 39.6% 3-pt
Jordan Bruner: 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, graduate
Stats: 7.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.6 apg, 44.7% FG, 31.5% 3-pt
Georgia projected starting five
Sahvir Wheeler: 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 7.1 apg, 39.6% FG, 23.7% 3-pt
Tye Fagan: 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, junior
Stats: 9.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 58.6% FG, 26.5% 3-pt
Justin Kier: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, graduate
Stats: 9.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 39.5% FG, 35.1% 3-pt
P.J. Horne: 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, graduate
Stats: 8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.5 apg, 44.7% FG, 36.8% 3-pt
Toumani Camara: 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 12.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 48.4% FG, 24.1% 3-pt
Notes and quotes
— Alabama head coach Nate Oats was one of 10 semifinalists named for this year’s Naismith Coach of the Year award on Friday. Last week, the second-year head coach helped the Tide lock up its first SEC regular-season title since 2002. He’s also led the Tide to 20 regular-season wins for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign. Alabama’s 15 conference wins are the Tide’s second-highest total in program history, trailing only the 1986-87 team which finished SEC play at 16-2.
During a Zoom call with reporters Friday, senior forward Herbert Jones and redshirt sophomore guard Jahvon Quinerly both sounded off on what makes Oats so special as a coach.
Jones: “I feel like he deserves everything that’s coming his way. He loves the game. He loves getting guys better, helping guys reach their dreams, and I feel like he does a great job of that. And I feel like he really knows how to expose your strengths on the court. I feel like that’s what makes him a great coach. He puts certain guys in great situations to do what they do best, and I feel like he’s one of the best to do it in the business.”
Quinerly: “He puts the work in, so he deserves everything that’s coming his way. He puts guys in the right positions. He’s just an overall great coach. The minute he walked in, he helped change the culture around here.”
— Jones joined his coach in receiving Naismith honors this week as he was named as one of 10 semifinalists for the organization’s player of the year award. Through 26 games, he is averaging 11.0 points while leading the team in rebounds (6.1 per game) asists (3.1 per game), 3-point shooting (45.5 percent) (steals 1.7 per game) and blocks (1.0 per game).
“It means a whole lot.” Jones said. “I couldn’t have done any of it without the team. They helped me improve my offensive game, my defensive skills. I mean, everything’s better when we win, so that’s just credit to my teammates. I’m not the only person out there scoring the points or getting stops. It’s a collective unit, and everybody contributes.
— Alabama’s 115-82 victory over Georgia marked its second-highest single-game points total in program history. Last season, Alabama recorded a 105-102 overtime victory at Georgia, giving it a combined 220 points in its last two games against the Bulldogs.
— While Alabama’s focus is on this season, Oats was asked Friday about five-star signee JD Davison, who played his final high school game Wednesday, scoring 45 points during a semifinal loss in the Alabama Class 2A state semifinals. Davison is the No. 3 point guard and No. 13 overall player in this year’s class, making him the Tide’s highest-ranked signee since Collin Sexton (No. 8 overall) in 2017.
Oats said he hopes Davison will be able to join the program at the end of May in order to take part in summer school and get a full summer of work in before his freshman season this year.
“He’s super talented,” Oats said. “With the way we play, as fast and open, he’s gonna fit perfectly. He’s hard to guard coming downhill with a full head of steam, he’s so athletic. He’s almost impossible to keep out of the paint when you give him enough space. So you put the shooting that we’ll have on the floor and the way we space the floor out, I think he’s gonna be a great addition.
“You add him into a mix with guys like Quinerly, you’ve got shooting. [Jaden Shackelford] can obviously drive the ball, too. Shack, [Josh] Primo, Keon Ellis, some other pieces we’re gonna add in. Jusaun Holt can really shoot it. Then you add some athletes. I think he fits what we need, what we want, how we wanna play.”
