How to watch: Alabama basketball faces first road test at South Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It’s been smooth sailing for the Crimson Tide so far this season. After blowing out Longwood and Liberty last week, No. 18 Alabama basketball is living up to its preseason hype. However, the Crimson Tide’s early momentum will be tested Tuesday night as it travels to South Alabama for its first road game of the year.

The matchup is part of a two-for-one series between the two programs. Last season, Alabama beat South Alabama 73-68 in Tuscaloosa. Following this year’s game, the Crimson Tide will host the Jaguars next season in Coleman Coliseum.

South Alabama is off to a 1-1 start, breezing past Mobile in its season opener before suffering an 80-74 loss at New Mexico last week. Here’s everything you need to know about Tuesday’s game between the Crimson Tide and the Jaguars.

Who: No. 18 Alabama (2-0) at South Alabama (1-1)

When: 9 p.m. CT, Tuesday, Nov. 15

Where: Mitchell Center, Mobile, Ala.

Watch: ESPNU (play-by-play: Mike Morgan; analyst: Mark Wise)

Listen: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink; engineer Tom Stipe)

Mark Sears: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, junior

Stats: 17.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 4.5 apg, 45.5% FG, 40.0% 3-pt

Nimari Burnett: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 6.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 20.0% FG, 0.0% 3-pt

Brandon Miller: 6-foot-9, 200 pounds, freshman

Stats: 17.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 50.0% FG, 36.4% 3-pt

Noah Clowney: 6-foot-10, 210 pounds, freshman

Stats: 5.5 ppg, 8.5, rpg, 0.0 apg, 50.0% FG, 20.0% 3-pt

Charles Bediako: 7-foot, 225 pounds, freshman

Stats: 6.0 ppg, 8.5, rpg, 1.0 apg, 55.6% FG

Isaiah Moore: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, graduate student

Stats: 16.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 9.0 apg, 56.0% FG, 0.0% 3-pt

Tyrell Jones: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, junior

Stats: 9.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 46.2% FG, 0.0% 3-pt

Greg Parham II: 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, graduate student

Stats: 13.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 61.1% FG, 50.0% 3-pt

Owen White: 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, graduate student

Stats: 7.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 45.5% FG, 40.0% 3-pt

Kevin Samuel: 7-foot, 260 pounds, graduate student

Stats: 13.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 0.5 apg, 68.4% FG

Alabama traveled to Europe for its foreign tour this summer and took part in a closed-door scrimmage at TCU earlier this fall, but Tuesday will mark the first time the Crimson Tide plays in a true road environment this season.

Still, Nate Oats is hoping his team receives a bit of love from Alabama fans in the southern part of the state.

“I would hope that we’d have quite a few Alabama fans down there in South,” Oats said Monday. “I mean, that’s part of the reason we agreed to do the 2-for-1, was to get, kind of, all the Alabama fans down in the Mobile area a chance to watch us play.”

Alabama has traveled to different parts of the state on multiple occasions throughout Oats’ first three years in charge of the program. During his first season in 2019, the Crimson Tide played a road game against Samford inside Birmingham’s Legacy Arena before taking on Belmont in a neutral-site game inside Huntsville’s Von Braun Center. The Crimson Tide won both games comfortably in front of predominantly welcoming crowds.

Alabama also saw its fans turn out for its impromptu meeting against Davidson inside Legacy Arena last season. However, the Crimson Tide suffered a 79-78 defeat to the Wildcats that night.

Alabama could face another challenge Tuesday night. During last year’s meeting against South Alabama, the Crimson Tide went into the half trailing by three before pulling out a 73-68 win inside Coleman Coliseum. Despite featuring a deeper roster than the Jaguars, the Crimson Tide isn’t taking Tuesday’s matchup for granted.

“We got a tough road game early in the season, which is probably not ideal with the young roster we’ve got,” Oats said. “But it’s the schedule we’ve got.”

It’s going to be a late night in Lower Alabama. The Crimson Tide’s 9 p.m. tipoff at South Alabama will be its latest start of the season as games typically begin by 8 p.m.

While the late tip shouldn’t serve as too much of a hurdle for Alabama, it will cause the Crimson Tide to alter its schedule a bit as the team generally starts its day with an early-morning practice. With that in mind, Oats said he’s letting his players sleep in a bit Tuesday in order to be fully charged throughout the night.

“We kind of work backward from the game,” Oats said. “Game tips here, start pregame meals here, shootaround’s right before that if we can get it ideally, then we just kind of work backward. They’re college kids, they’ll sleep in as long as you let them usually. So we’ll just start breakfast a little later than a typical day.”

The majority of Alabama’s players are used to late tipoffs dating back to their days in AAU ball. When asked Monday, freshman Jaden Bradley said he’s started games as late as 10 p.m., stating he isn’t worried about going a bit past his bedtime Tuesday night.

“This is not going to be a huge impact,” Bradley said. “I’m definitely ready to get out there, get to it and get the win.”

Alabama will likely be a bit short-handed against South Alabama as Darius Miles and Dom Welch are still limited due to injuries.

"Neither one of them did much in practice today,” Oats said Monday. “I’d probably say they’re both doubtful. Based on how they wake up tomorrow morning and feel, we’ll see where they’re at.”

After playing just seven minutes during the opener against Longwood, Miles sat out last week’s game against Liberty while wearing a walking boot on his left foot. Welch, a St. Bonaventure transfer, has yet to make his Alabama debut. He was wearing a walking boot on his right foot during last week’s game against Liberty.

Miles averaged 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds over 17.2 minutes per game in 30 appearances for Alabama last season. Welch averaged 12.3 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from beyond the arc for St. Bonaventure.

— South Alabama was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt preseason poll. The Jaguars finished fifth in the conference last year with a 9-7 record. South Alabama placed two players on the Preseason All-Sun-Belt teams. Kevin Samuel was named to the first team, and Greg Parham II was voted to the second team.

— Samuel, who played for TCU and Florida Gulf Coast before joining South Alabama this season, is one of three current players in the NCAA with 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds (Armando Bacot, UNC & Jayveous McKinnis, Ole Miss). Samuel is the active leader in NCAA for career rebounds with 1,060 and he holds the career blocks record at TCU (206).

— This will mark the first time South Alabama has hosted Alabama on the hardwood. The Jaguars are 1-3 all-time against the Crimson Tide, with their lone win coming in the 1989 NCAA Tournament. Alabama won last year’s matchup in Tuscaloosa, 73-68.