How to watch: No. 4 Alabama takes on No. 15 Gonzaga in C.M. Newton Classic

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In the midst of its best start in 16 years, No. 4 Alabama basketball will look to add another ranked win to its resume as it takes on No. 15 Gonzaga on Saturday for the C.M. Newton Classic inside Birmingham’s Legacy Arena.

The Crimson Tide knocked off the Bulldogs, 91-82, in Seattle last year. A victory Saturday would give Alabama its fourth win over a ranked opponent this season.

Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.

Who: No. 4 Alabama (9-1) vs. No. 15 Gonzaga (8-3)

When: Noon CT, Saturday, Dec. 17

Where: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Ala.

Watch: CBS (play-by-play: Spero Dedes; analyst: Jim Spanarkel; rules analyst: Gene Steratore)

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: 14.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.0 apg, 45.0% FG, 43.9% 3-pt

Jaden Bradley: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, freshman

Stats: 8.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 51.8% FG, 60.0% 3-pt

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

Stats: 18.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 39.4% FG, 43.7% 3-pt

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

Stats: 9.6 ppg, 8.4, rpg, 1.0 apg, 50.0% FG, 26.5% 3-pt

Charles Bediako: 7-foot, 225 pounds, freshman

Stats: 5.3 ppg, 6.7, rpg, 0.7 apg, 63.9% FG

Rasir Bolton: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, senior

Stats: 10.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 41.3% FG, 41.9% 3-pt

Nolan Hickman: 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 8.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 38.6% FG, 34.8% 3-pt

Julian Strawther: 6-foot-7, 205 pounds, junior

Stats: 13.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 42.5% FG, 40.0% 3-pt

Anton Watson: 6-foot-8, 225 pounds, senior

Stats: 8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 57.8% FG, 25.0% 3-pt

Drew Timme: 6-foot-10, 235 pounds, senior

Stats: 20.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, 62.1% FG, 11.1% 3-pt

Gonzaga lost two of last year’s starters to the NBA as five-star forward Chet Holgren was selected No. 2 overall in the draft while Andrew Nembhard, the team’s leader in assists, was taken with the 31st pick. However, the Bulldogs will still bring back their biggest star in Drew Timme, the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Year.

Timme scored a team-high 23 points while pulling in 10 rebounds in last year’s loss to Alabama. This year, he’s once again been Gonzaga’s go-to man, leading the team in points per game (20.5), field-goal percentage (62.1) and blocks per game (1.1) while ranking second in rebounds per game (7.9) and assists per game (3.1).

“He’s a great player, obviously,” Alabama center Charles Bediako said. "Great footwork. But we’ve got a plan to hopefully get an edge on them to win the game. I can’t talk too much on that, but they’re really, overall, a well-balanced team obviously with a good big in there.”

While Timme leads the charge, Oats singled out sharpshooting guards Rasir Bolton, Julian Stawther and Nolan Hickman as players who could cause his team trouble Saturday. Strawther scored 13 points during last year’s game against Alabama while Bolton and Hickman had 9 points apiece

“Hickman, Bolton and Strawther can all make 3s at a high clip,” Oats said. “Two of them are over 40 percent and one’s mid-30s. They’ve got shooting to go with [Timme]. I think we’re a little deeper, although without Nimari [Burnett] and Dom [Welch] still not being (available), that’s not as big a strength as maybe what it would have been before Nimari went out.

“I don’t wanna say one’s got a better frontcourt, backcourt. Timme’s obviously a national player of the year candidate, so you can probably give them the nod in the frontcourt. But I like our depth and versatility and what we have on both sides of the ball in the frontcourt. We may not have a scorer at Timme’s level in the frontcourt, but we’ve got a good defensive frontcourt that will get tested by Timme.”

Alabama starting guard Nimari Burnett is set to miss the next 6-8 weeks with a broken wrist, but the Crimson Tide’s backcourt is still in good hands. With Burnett out Tuesday night, freshman Jaden Bradley made his first collegiate start, recording 10 points and five assists in Alabama’s 91-88 victory over Memphis.

“He’s like a settling influence,” Oats said. “He plays really hard. He’s got a high IQ. He’s a great two-way player. Brings a lot of winning traits to the team. He makes tough plays. He puts his nose in there. He gets tough rebounds. He steps up to the challenge. He can guard four-men. Sometimes we have him guard a four because he’s tough, physical. He can guard point guards.

“When he’s in, the ball gets moving a little better. He found Brandon, kind of got Brandon [Miller] going there in the second half against Memphis. Found Darius. He just creates plays for other people. He’s one of those guys that you can kind of move, or you can play him with whoever. If you play him with Mark Sears, he’s gonna get Sears more open shots. If you play him with JQ, he’s gonna get JQ more open shots. You can play JQ off the ball a little bit that way, kind of like we did with Herb and JQ played off the ball.”

Bradley admits he was a little bit nervous during his starting debut. The freshman said Burnett spoke to him prior to the game, who told him to play with confidence and stay true to his game.

“I was just trying to fill in his spot,” Bradley said of Burnett. “When somebody goes down, you’ve gotta have that next-man-up mentality, and I feel like we did a decent job at that. We’ve still got a lot to do until he gets back.”

— Alabama has beaten three ranked teams before the New Year for the first time in program history. Its previous high was when it defeated two ranked teams in 2015, knocking off No. 17 Notre Dame and No. 20 Wichita State prior to conference play in 2016.

— For the second straight week, Noah Clowney has been named SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance in Alabama’s wins over South Dakota State and Houston. The 6-foot-10 forward shot a combined 7 of 18 (38.9%) from beyond the arc in the two games. He recorded his first career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Houston.

— Alabama joins Arizona as the nation’s only two teams with three wins over top-25 opponents.

— The Crimson Tide is the first team since Duke in 1965-66 with multiple wins over the AP No. 1 team before the New Year.

— Alabama leads the country in rebounds per game (48.8) and defensive rebounds per game (33.2). The Crimson Tide is tied with Tennessee for the nation’s lead in offensive rebounds per game (15.6) and ranks No. 2 in rebound margin (+11).

— Gonzaga forward Drew Timme leads the West Coast Conference averaging 20.5 points per game and ranks second shooting 62.1% from the floor. He is eighth with 1.1 blocks per outing. Bulldogs’ guard Nolan Hickman is second in the league in assists per game (4.0) while guard Julian Strawther’s 8.3 rebounds per game ranks fifth.

— Timme was named the CBS Sports Preseason National Player of the Year and to the NABC and Naismith Player of the Year Preseason Watch Lists. He was also tabbed Preseason AP AllAmerican First Team.

— Since 2018-19, Gonzaga boasts a 6-1 record in regular season games against teams ranked in the Top 5 in either the AP or Coaches polls. The lone loss was to Duke by three points last season in Las Vegas.