From UA Athletics
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 15/20 Alabama will play its first home-and-home partner of the 2021-22 season when it travels to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Missouri Tigers on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The Tigers will play the return game in Tuscaloosa in exactly two weeks on Jan. 22 (SEC Network/5 p.m. CT).
Saturday’s contest will mark the 12th meeting between Missouri and Alabama as SEC rivals and the 18th contest overall in the series history. The Tide owns an 11-6 edge in the all-time series, with Alabama having won seven of the last 10 games. However, Mizzou has won two consecutive – both coming in Mizzou Arena where the Tigers own a 4-3 edge. It is also one of just three SEC arenas that coach Nate Oats has yet to win (Arkansas, Missouri and Texas A&M).
The Crimson Tide is coming off a well-earned 83-70 victory at Florida last Wednesday night to earn the team’s first true road win of the season (Gonzaga was played in Seattle and considered a semi-away game). All five Alabama starters reached double figures as the Tide collected a season high 13 steals and 20 offensive rebounds while forcing the Gators into 20 turnovers to earn its third win in the last four trips to Gainesville.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 15/20 Alabama will play its first home-and-home partner of the 2021-22 season when it travels to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Missouri Tigers on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The Tigers will play the return game in Tuscaloosa in exactly two weeks on Jan. 22 (SEC Network/5 p.m. CT).
Saturday’s contest will mark the 12th meeting between Missouri and Alabama as SEC rivals and the 18th contest overall in the series history. The Tide owns an 11-6 edge in the all-time series, with Alabama having won seven of the last 10 games. However, Mizzou has won two consecutive – both coming in Mizzou Arena where the Tigers own a 4-3 edge. It is also one of just three SEC arenas that coach Nate Oats has yet to win (Arkansas, Missouri and Texas A&M).
The Crimson Tide is coming off a well-earned 83-70 victory at Florida last Wednesday night to earn the team’s first true road win of the season (Gonzaga was played in Seattle and considered a semi-away game). All five Alabama starters reached double figures as the Tide collected a season high 13 steals and 20 offensive rebounds while forcing the Gators into 20 turnovers to earn its third win in the last four trips to Gainesville.
THE BROADCAST
- Saturday’s game will be available on SEC Network with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst) on the call
- The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The Crimson Tide comes into the game ranked No. 15 by the Associated Press and dropped a spot to No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches Poll according to the most recent national rankings, which were revealed Monday afternoon.
- In addition to its national rankings, Alabama is ranked in the following (as of 1/7): No. 6 Sagarin, No. 16 KenPom.com and No. 18 in both the NCAA NET and ESPN.com BPI. The Tide’s “Best” NET wins include: Houston (No. 3), Gonzaga (No. 4), Tennessee (No. 13), Florida (No. 49), Oakland (No. 72), Drake (No. 91) and Miami (No. 95).
- Alabama is the only team in the country to have three wins versus teams ranked in the top 15 of the NCAA NET rankings (No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Gonzaga and No. 13 Tennessee). The Tide owns a record of 4-3 vs. Quad 1 teams, 3-0 vs. Quad 2 and 2-0 vs. Quad 3 foes. Alabama is the only power 5 team and one of just two teams nationally (Prairie View A&M) to have not played a Quad 4 opponent all season.
- According to the most recent KenPom rankings (as of 1/6), the Tide ranks No. 10 in the nation in offensive efficiency, No. 19 in average possession length and No. 32 in adjusted tempo. The site also ranks UA No. 41 in the nation and defensive efficiency.
- The Crimson Tide has won 17 consecutive games inside Coleman Coliseum dating back to a 73-71 loss to Western Kentucky on Dec. 19, 2020. The streak began in the very next game vs. East Tennessee State (won, 85-69) on Dec. 22, 2020. The 17-straight home wins is the longest home winning streak since claiming a school-record 24-straight home wins from March of 2010 to December of 2011.
- Guards Jaden Shackelford (16.3 ppg) and Jahvon Quinerly (15.2 ppg) combine to average 31.5 points per game which makes them the top scoring duo in the SEC. When combining Keon Ellis (12.2 ppg), the trio averages 43.7 points a contest – approximately 53 percent of the team’s 82.2 scoring average – making the trio the top scoring threesome in the league.
- Alabama leads the nation in Quad 1 wins with four (tied), combined Q1 and Q2 (3) wins with seven and NCAA NET top-15 wins with three. Moreover, the Tide is one of only two teams in the nation to have not played a Q4 opponent (Prairie View A&M is the other) and boasts the No. 1 Average Opponent NET Rank in the nation.
- UP NEXT: The Crimson Tide will return home to take on rival No. 9/9 Auburn on Tuesday, Jan. 11, in Coleman Coliseum. The game, which is the first of two contests played between the in-state foes (Alabama returns the trip on Feb. 1), will be televised on ESPN at 8 p.m. CT.
