Alabama basketball enters SEC play as winners of five of its last six games with its only defeat in that span coming at the hands of currently-ranked No. 21 Penn State. The Crimson Tide (7-5) will hope to extend its winning streak to four Saturday as it travels to Florida (8-4). Here’s all the information you need to know about the game.
How to watch
Who: Alabama (7-5) vs. Florida (8-4)
When: 5 p.m. CT, Saturday, Jan. 4
Where: Stephen C. O’Connel Center, Gainesville, Fla.
Watch: ESPN2 (play-by-blay: Karl Ravech; analyst: Jimmy Dykes)
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink)
Alabama projected starting five
Kira Lewis Jr.: 6-foot-3, 165 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 16.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.8 apg, 44.6% FG, 33.9% 3-pt
John Petty Jr.: 6-foot-5, 184 pounds, junior
Stats: 16.4 ppg., 7.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 49.6% FG, 51.2% 3-pt
Herbert Jones: 6-foot-7, 205 pounds, junior
Stats: 8.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 47.4% FG, 12.5% 3-pt
Alex Reese: 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, junior
Stats: 9.1 ppg, 5.1, rpg, 1.4 apg, 39.8% FG, 34.4% 3-pt
Javian Davis: 6-foot-9, 242 pounds, redshirt freshman
Stats: 8.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.8 apg, 61.8% FG
Florida projected starting five
Andrew Nembhard: 6-foot-5, 193 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 9.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.9 apg, 38.1% FG, 33.3% 3-pt
Noah Locke: 6-foot-3, 207 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 9.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.6 apg, 36.4% FG, 37.0% 3-pt
Scottie Lewis: 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, freshman
Stats: 8.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.5 apg, 40.5% FG, 23.8% 3-pt
Keyontae Johnson : 6-foot-5, 231 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 13.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 52.5% FG, 31.3% 3-pt
Kerry Blackshear Jr. : 6-foot-10, 241 pounds, graduate student
Stats: 14.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 47% FG, 31.3% 3-pt
Notes and quotes
— Nate Oats provided an injury update following practice on Friday. The Alabama coach said that wing Herbert Jones (elbow) practiced every day this week for the first time all year. Graduate transfer James “Beetle” Bolden (hand/wrist) has “gotten into a lot more stuff,” while junior forward Alex Reese (hip) is “about the same as Beetle.”
“They’re both significantly better than they were a month ago,” Oats said of Bolden and Reese. “We’re as close to 100 percent as we’ve been since before the first game.”
— Oats said that Reese will have a procedure done on his hip following the season but that the 6-foot-9, 245-pound forward would not miss any time moving forward. Oats would have ideally liked to rest Reese for an extended part of the season but was unable to do so following season-ending injuries to forwards Juwan Gary (ACL) and James Rojas (ACL) in preseason.
“It’s definitely playable,” Oats said of Reese’s hip injury. “I don’t even know what it is to be honest with you, just that we are going to get him through the year. He’s a tough kid. He’s proved he can play through injuries, he’s played through them just about every game. You know, he’s got a different assortment of injuries. He’s a gamer. He steps up, plays well for us in games and I think he’s doing everything we need him to do. He’s obviously making shots at a pretty high level right now.”
— This will be the lone regular-season meeting between Alabama and Florida this year. The two teams have squared off 144 times on the hardwood with the Crimson Tide holding a 75-69 advantage in the series. Florida owns a 41-20 lead when hosting the Crimson Tide in Gainesville, Fla. However, Alabama enters the game having won two straight in the O’Connell Center. The last time Alabama won three straight at Florida was in 1955-57.
— Alabama enters Saturday’s game leading the SEC in scoring offense (82.8) and 3s made per game (11.1), while ranking second in three-point shooting percentage (.368). The Crimson Tide’s 3s made per game ranks third in the nation while ranking 10th nationally in scoring offense.
— Alabama’s current three-game winning streak comes as the Crimson Tide has scored 90 or more points in three consecutive contests. It’s the first time Alabama has accomplished the feat since the 2000-01 season.
— Over the past three games, Alabama is averaging 95.7 points per game and outscoring its competition by 16.7 points per game (95.7-79.0) while shooting 49.7 percent from the floor, 44.9 percent from beyond the arc and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line.
— Florida enters Saturday’s game leading the SEC and ranked No. 44 nationally in turnovers per game (12.0). As a team, the Gators are outscoring the competition by 8.2 points per game (70.8-62.6) and own a 4.4 edge on the boards (37.6-33.2). Florida is shooting 44.1 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from beyond the arc and 69.5 percent from the charity stripe. The team ranks sixth in the league in scoring defense, seventh in field goal percentage defense (39.2 percent) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage defense (28.6 percent).
WestGate Luxury Condos - To be any closer, you'd need a ticket
Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
Contact Andrew Bone for all of your real estate needs; buyers, sellers, investors, developers. Property management; BoneHomeTours.com Call 205-531-5577 or click here