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  • No. 6 Alabama Heads to Fayetteville for a Challenege at No. 20 Arkansas

No. 6 Alabama Heads to Fayetteville for a Challenege at No. 20 Arkansas

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Basketball

The No. 6/7 Alabama men's basketball will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on No. 20/20 Arkansas on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 in a battle between the top two teams in the Southeastern Conference. It marks the second time the two teams will meet on the hardwood this season. In the first meeting, the Crimson Tide snapped a six-game losing streak in the series when it toppled the Razorbacks, 90-59, back on Jan. 16. It was the last time Arkansas lost an SEC game as it has now reeled off seven straight wins in league play entering the showdown.

Alabama needs just one more win to clinch at least a share of the Southeastern Conference regular season championship. Should that happen, it will be the Crimson Tide's first regular season title since 2002 – a span of 19 years. Currently, UA owns a 3.5-game lead on the league with possibly four games remaining.

In its previous contest, the Crimson Tide squeaked out a narrow 82-78 win over Vanderbilt last Saturday afternoon. Alabama struggled shooting the ball from deep (10-of-39) but converted 15-of-20 At The Rim (ATR) shots led by Jaden Shackelford who was 9-of-12 ATR and finished with a season-best 27 points in the victory.

Team Notes

  • Alabama remained in the national rankings, checking it at No. 6 in the Associated Press Top-25 and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches poll. It's the highest ranking for the Tide in the AP Poll this year. In fact, the last time UA was ranked inside the AP Top-10 in the month of February came in 2002. That year, UA was ranked as high as No. 5 in the final week of February on its way to claiming the SEC regular season title.
  • According to the Ken Pomeroy ratings (as of 2/22), Alabama owns the nation's No. 2-ranked defense entering its contest at Arkansas. Last year, the Tide was rated by the same site at No. 114 in the category. Alabama is also No. 24 in offensive efficiency, making it one of eight teams in the nation to rank in the top 25 in both offense and defense efficiency, according to the site.
  • Five UA players shoot better than 40-percent from beyond the arc in SEC play entering its contest at Arkansas. Two players are above 50-percent shooting in Herbert Jones, who leads the way at 54.2 percent (13-of-24), followed by Jahvon Quinerly's 53.3 percent (24-of-45). Keon Ellis (48.1 percent, 13-of-27), Joshua Primo (45.8 percent, 27-of-59) and John Petty Jr. (44.1 percent, 41-of-93) are all above 40 percent shooting from deep in league contests.
  • Alabama enters the game with an 13-1 record against league competition which is the second-best start in SEC play in program history. Only the famed Rocket 8 1955-56 team that finished the conference season with a perfect 14-0 record had a better start. The Tide's 13 league wins is tied for the sixth-most conference wins in program history.
  • In SEC games only, UA's defense is the most efficient in the SEC, ranking first in field goal percentage defense (.389), three-point field goal percentage defense (.255) and defensive rebounds (29.5), and is tied for first in steals (8.8) while ranking fifth in scoring defense (70.4). Offensively, UA leads the league in scoring offense (84.8), scoring margin (+14.3), three-point shooting (.394), threes made per game (11.9) and rebounding offense (40.8).
  • The Crimson Tide is ranked No. 8 in the NCAA NET rankings (as of 2/22) which leads all SEC teams. Alabama is also projected by ESPN's Joe Lunardi as a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, which would match the program's highest NCAA Tourney seed (No. 2 seed in 2002). The Tide owns seven Quad 1 wins which ranks second in the NCAA (Ohio State has eight) and is one of five SEC teams ranked among the top-30, which also includes No. 17 Tennessee, No. 26 Arkansas, No. 27 LSU and No. 29 Florida. UA owns a combined record of 12-4 against Quad 1 (7-3) and Quad 2 (5-1) opponents.

About Alabama

  • Alabama enters its contest at Arkansas atop the league standings at 13-1, 3.5 games ahead of both the Razorbacks (9-4) and LSU (9-4) following its 82-78 victory over Vanderbilt this past Saturday. The victory improved the Crimson Tide to 18-5 overall and marked UA's 14th win across its last 16 contests. UA's 13 league victories are tied for the sixth-most in a single season in the school record books, three shy of matching the record SEC wins in a season which was set in 1987 (16-2).
  • Four Crimson Tide players are averaging 11.0 or more points per game for head coach Nate Oats on the season. Guard Jaden Shackelford leads the way, averaging 14.5 ppg. Guard John Petty Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring average at 13.0 ppg, followed by forward Herbert Jones (11.7 ppg ) and guard Jahvon Quinerly (11.7 ppg).
  • Jones, considered one of the top defensive players in the SEC and one of just six players from across the nation who has been named to both the Naismith Trophy Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Watch Lists. He leads the team in rebounding (5.9 rpg), assists (3.0 apg), steals (1.7 spg), Blue Collar Points (459, 20.0 BCP per game), deflections (78), floor dives (15) and Hard Hat Awards (11), while ranking second in charges taken (9) and blocked shots (1.1 bpg). He also boasts much improved offensive numbers during his senior season. In addition to averaging double digits, Jones is shooting 46.8 percent from the field (89-of-190) and leads the team in three-point shooting (52.6 percent, 20-of-38) and free throw percentage (71-of-94, 75.5 percent).
  • The combination of Petty (56-of-146) and Shackelford (40-of-125) have combined to hit 96 of the Tide's 250 three-pointers (38.4 percent) and have 271 of the team's 694 total attempts from beyond the arc (39.0 percent). Combined, the duo is shooting 35.4 percent (96-of-271) from beyond the arc.
  • As a team, Alabama is outscoring the opposition by 10.4 points per contest (80.9-70.5) while shooting 43.7 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from deep and 72.1 percent from the charity stripe.
  • It's UA's defense that has set the tone in SEC play. UA leads the league in defensive efficiency, ranking first in field goal percentage defense (38.9 percent) and three-point field goal percentage defense (25.5 percent), while ranking in a tie for first in steals (8.8) and fifth in scoring defense (70.4).
  • This season, the Tide welcomed back four starters and five of its top seven scorers off last year's team, three were named as All-SEC performers a year ago. Petty (Second Team All-SEC), Shackelford (All-Freshman) and Jones (All-Defensive) all earned a spot on the postseason teams. Both Petty and Jones tested the NBA waters, with Petty, who was one of the last players to withdraw his name, announcing his return in early August and Jones in mid-June.
  • Alabama was predicted to finish fifth overall as voted on by a select panel of both SEC and national media members. Additionally, Petty All-SEC Preseason First Team honors by both the coaches and media members, while Jones earned a spot on the preseason second team as voted on by the league's head coaches.
  • Head coach Nate Oats is in his second season at the helm of the Crimson Tide program and owns a record of 34-20 (.630) during his time at the Capstone. Oats, who is in his sixth season as a collegiate head coach, owns a career record of 130-63 (.674).

About Arkansas

  • Arkansas has reeled off seven consecutive victories in SEC play and claimed wins in seven of its last eight games (lost at Oklahoma State, 81-77, in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge) overall coming into the contest with Alabama. The Razorbacks, who did not play last Saturday due at Texas A&M due to COVID protocols within the Aggies program, last played on Feb. 16 when they defeated Florida 75-64 to improve to 17-5 overall and 9-4 in SEC play under second year head coach Eric Musselman.
  • Four players average in double digits for the Razorbacks, which helps contribute to its 82.5 points per game average which ranks second in the SEC. Arkansas also tops the league in scoring margin (+12.4) and rebounds per game (40.4). Offensively, the Razorbacks are shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc while outscoring the competition by an average of 12.4 points a game (82.5-70.1).
  • Leading the offensive attack is freshman Moses Moody who leads the team in scoring (16.2 ppg), field goals made (114) and attempted (259), threes made (39), free throw shooting (89-of-108, 82.4 percent) and minutes (32.4) per game. JD Notae comes off the bench to rank second in scoring average (12.5 ppg), threes made (36) and assists (1.8 apg). Both Moody (39-of-105) and Notae (36-of-111) have combined to account for 75 made threes and 34.7 percent shooting from deep (75-of-216).
  • Forward Justin Smith (11.8 ppg) and guard Jalen Tate (11.1 ppg) also average in double figures for Arkansas. Smith is the team's leading rebounder at 6.4 rpg while Tate leads in assists (4.3 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). Desi Sills also contributes offensively at 9.6 points per game.
  • In SEC games only, ranks second in the league in turnover margin (+2.8), fourth in scoring offense (78.2), third in scoring margin (+3.7) and free throw percentage (.766). Individually, Moody is 11th in scoring average (15.7 ppg), 15th in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and fifth in free throw percentage (.859) and minutes played (34.4 mpg).
  • Musselman owns a record of 37-17 (.685) in his second season at the helm of the Arkansas program. Now in his sixth year as a collegiate head coach, Musselman, the son of former NBA and collegiate head coach Bill Musselman, owns a record of 147-51 (.742).

Alabama-Arkansas – Series Notes

  • Wednesday's game between Alabama and Arkansas will be the 64th meeting in series history, with the Razorbacks owning a 35-29 edge in the all-time series.
  • It marks the second meeting this season between the two teams. In the first meeting the Crimson Tide captured a 31-point 90-59 victory in Tuscaloosa back on Jan. 16. It was the last SEC loss for the Razorbacks, who has since reeled off seven consecutive league victories to pull into a second-place tie, 3.5 games behind the Tide.
  • Alabama's victory last month snapped a six-game losing streak to Arkansas in the series. Despite the set back, the Razorbacks have won seven of the last nine games in the series.
  • Alabama has lost four straight games at Bud Walton Arena and owns an all-time record of 6-19 when playing at Arkansas. In fact, the Tide's lone win on the Razorbacks' home floor over the last 11 games dating back to the 2004-05 season came on Feb. 23, 2012 (won, 72-63).
  • Fifty-four of the 64 games played in the series have come as conference opponents.
  • The Crimson Tide is 3-2 in overtime contests against Arkansas. All five overtime games have come within the last 13 seasons.
  • The series began during 1947-48 campaign.