No. 8 Alabama basketball already secured the SEC regular-season title but still has plenty to play for before next week’s conference tournament. Following a road win over Mississippi State, the Crimson Tide will look to keep its momentum as it hosts Auburn on Tuesday for its final home game of the season. Alabama beat Auburn 94-90 on the road earlier this season. The Tide will now be looking for its first season sweep over the Tigers since 2015.
Here’s all the information you need to know about Tuesday’s game.
How to watch
Who: No. 8 Alabama (19-6, 14-2 in the SEC) vs. Auburn (12-13, 6-10)
When: 6 p.m. CT, Tuesday, March 2
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Watch: ESPN2 (play-by-play: Kevin Fitzgerald, analyst: Dane Bradshaw)
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, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 44.9% FG, 48.8% 3-pt
Jaden Shackelford: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 14.1 ppg., 4.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 40.1% FG, 31.6% 3-pt
John Petty Jr.: 6-foot-5, 184 pounds, senior
Stats: 12.8 ppg., 5.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 44.2% FG, 38.1% 3-pt
Joshua Primo: 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, freshman
Stats: 8.3 ppg., 3.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 44.0% FG, 40.9% 3-pt
Jordan Bruner: 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, graduate
Stats: 7.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, 45.6% FG, 32.0% 3-pt
Auburn projected starting five
Sharife Cooper: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, freshman
Stats: 20.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 8.1 apg, 39.1% FG, 22.8% 3-pt
Jamal Johnson: 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, redshirt junior
Stats: 9.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.9 apg, 36.0% FG, 35.7% 3-pt
Allen Flanigan: 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 14.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 45.7% FG, 34.5% 3-pt
Jaylin Williams: 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, sophomore
Stats:10.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 51.0% FG, 35.2% 3-pt
JT Thor: 6-foot-10, 205 pounds, freshman
Stats: 9.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 45.1% FG, 30.9% 3-pt
Notes and quotes
— Alabama ranks second nationally with 755 attempts from beyond the arc this season. However, during his Monday Zoom call with reporters, Alabama head coach Nate Oats shot down the notion that his team lives and dies by the 3. Last month, BamaInsider broke down how Alabama’s perimeter attack creates space on the offense end. Monday, Oats expanded on that, criticizing those who claim the Tide is over reliant from 3-point range.
“They don’t know what they’re talking about,” Oats said. “They don’t really watch us play. You go to the Arkansas game, and anyone who thinks the foul count was 43-8 because we took more 3s than them doesn’t pay attention to what's going on in the game. We shot 25 at the rim, they shot 21. So we got more at the rims than they did.”
Oats went on to point out that the efficiency of long 2-point shots is less than it is for 3-pointers. He maintained that Alabama’s goal moving forward will be to drive the ball to the lane and either finish at the rim, draw a foul or spray the ball out to the perimeter for an open 3-point shot.
— While Alabama is known for its high-volume perimeter attack, the Tide’s defense has been the leading force in its title-winning season. According to the Ken Pomeroy ratings, Alabama ranks No. 3 in the nation in defensive efficiency entering its game against Auburn. The Tide ranked No. 114 in the category last season.
“I think defensively we’re headed in the right direction,” Oats said. “We need the offense to catch up now. … There’s a lot to fix on the offensive side, but defensively I like where we’re at.”
— The Tide received a hero’s welcome upon its arrival back to Tuscaloosa, Ala. following its win at Mississippi State over the weekend. While the drive from Starkville Miss. generally takes roughly 90 minutes, Oats estimates that he received more than 100 text messages over that span congratulating him on winning the SEC regular-season title.
“It was up well over 100, and then I trimmed it down a little bit,” Oats said. “Then it went back up. More came in yesterday, and I think it’s back up to the 60s or 70s. I like to keep that number at zero, but I don’t have enough time to return them all or read them all right now.”
Here’s all the information you need to know about Tuesday’s game.
How to watch
Who: No. 8 Alabama (19-6, 14-2 in the SEC) vs. Auburn (12-13, 6-10)
When: 6 p.m. CT, Tuesday, March 2
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Watch: ESPN2 (play-by-play: Kevin Fitzgerald, analyst: Dane Bradshaw)
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, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 44.9% FG, 48.8% 3-pt
Jaden Shackelford: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 14.1 ppg., 4.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 40.1% FG, 31.6% 3-pt
John Petty Jr.: 6-foot-5, 184 pounds, senior
Stats: 12.8 ppg., 5.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 44.2% FG, 38.1% 3-pt
Joshua Primo: 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, freshman
Stats: 8.3 ppg., 3.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 44.0% FG, 40.9% 3-pt
Jordan Bruner: 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, graduate
Stats: 7.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, 45.6% FG, 32.0% 3-pt
Auburn projected starting five
Sharife Cooper: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, freshman
Stats: 20.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 8.1 apg, 39.1% FG, 22.8% 3-pt
Jamal Johnson: 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, redshirt junior
Stats: 9.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.9 apg, 36.0% FG, 35.7% 3-pt
Allen Flanigan: 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 14.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 45.7% FG, 34.5% 3-pt
Jaylin Williams: 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, sophomore
Stats:10.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 51.0% FG, 35.2% 3-pt
JT Thor: 6-foot-10, 205 pounds, freshman
Stats: 9.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 45.1% FG, 30.9% 3-pt
Notes and quotes
— Alabama ranks second nationally with 755 attempts from beyond the arc this season. However, during his Monday Zoom call with reporters, Alabama head coach Nate Oats shot down the notion that his team lives and dies by the 3. Last month, BamaInsider broke down how Alabama’s perimeter attack creates space on the offense end. Monday, Oats expanded on that, criticizing those who claim the Tide is over reliant from 3-point range.
“They don’t know what they’re talking about,” Oats said. “They don’t really watch us play. You go to the Arkansas game, and anyone who thinks the foul count was 43-8 because we took more 3s than them doesn’t pay attention to what's going on in the game. We shot 25 at the rim, they shot 21. So we got more at the rims than they did.”
Oats went on to point out that the efficiency of long 2-point shots is less than it is for 3-pointers. He maintained that Alabama’s goal moving forward will be to drive the ball to the lane and either finish at the rim, draw a foul or spray the ball out to the perimeter for an open 3-point shot.
— While Alabama is known for its high-volume perimeter attack, the Tide’s defense has been the leading force in its title-winning season. According to the Ken Pomeroy ratings, Alabama ranks No. 3 in the nation in defensive efficiency entering its game against Auburn. The Tide ranked No. 114 in the category last season.
“I think defensively we’re headed in the right direction,” Oats said. “We need the offense to catch up now. … There’s a lot to fix on the offensive side, but defensively I like where we’re at.”
— The Tide received a hero’s welcome upon its arrival back to Tuscaloosa, Ala. following its win at Mississippi State over the weekend. While the drive from Starkville Miss. generally takes roughly 90 minutes, Oats estimates that he received more than 100 text messages over that span congratulating him on winning the SEC regular-season title.
“It was up well over 100, and then I trimmed it down a little bit,” Oats said. “Then it went back up. More came in yesterday, and I think it’s back up to the 60s or 70s. I like to keep that number at zero, but I don’t have enough time to return them all or read them all right now.”
