How to watch: No. 4 Alabama travels to Missouri

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama heads back out onto the road again on Saturday to wrap up its two-game swing.

The Crimson Tide makes a trip to Columbia, Missouri a place where Alabama has struggled to win as of late. Despite the recent string of losses, Alabama holds a 12-7 advantage against the Tigers since the series began in 1977.

Here's everything you need to know as No. 4 Alabama faces Missouri.

Who: No. 4 Alabama (16-2, 6-0) vs. Missouri (14-4, 3-3)

When: 5 p.m. CT, Saturday, Jan. 21

Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Mo.

Watch: SEC Network (play-by-play: Mike Morgan; analyst: Daymeon Fishback)

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

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

Stats: 8.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 44.4% FG, 33.3% 3-pt

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

Stats: 14.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 42.8% FG, 40.2% 3-pt

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

Stats: 20.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 46.7% FG, 46.2% 3-pt

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

Stats: 9.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 0.9 apg, 50.0% FG, 29.1% 3-pt

Charles Bediako: 7-foot, 225 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 5.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 0.7 apg, 57.7% FG

Nick Honor: 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, senior

Stats: 8.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 45.4% FG, 41.7% 3-pt

D'Moi Hodge: 6-foot-4, 188 pounds, senior

Stats: 14.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 48.1% FG, 37.8% 3-pt

Tre Gomillion: 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, senior

Stats: 5.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 47.4% FG, 37.5% 3-pt

Ronnie DeGray: 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, junior

Stats: 2.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.3 apg, 42.9% FG, 27.3% 3-pt

Kobe Brown: 6-foot-8, 250 pounds, senior

Stats: 15.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 56.0% FG, 40.8% 3-pt

Another matchup with Missouri means another run-in with Kobe Brown.

The Tigers guard/forward has served as one of the team's most reliable scoring options in 2022, leading Missouri in scoring with 15.7 points per game. In conference play, the senior has found another level averaging more than 18 points per game which includes a 30-point performance against Kentucky.

It's a level Alabama fans have grown accustomed to during his tenure with the Tigers. Last season, Brown torched Alabama at Mizzou Arena, tallying 30 points, 10 of which came from the free-throw line and 13 rebounds en route to a 92-86 upset win for Missouri.

"I wasn't here when he was getting recruited out of high school, so I'm not taking any responsibility for not recruiting him," Oats said. "Maybe you can put that out there so he doesn't take it out on me. I would love to have him on this team. You can tell how good he is

"He shoots the 3-pointer well, he's big and strong and when he gets to the rim he finishes. He's really one of those matchup guys. He's gotten better every year like he's shooting the ball better than when he came in. He doesn't have many holes in his game."

After vanquishing the demons at Memorial Stadium in Nashville, Alabama faces another daunting road test when it travels to Columbia on Saturday.

Despite beating No. 1 Houston on the road and then North Carolina at the Phil Knight Invitational, Oats is still looking for his first victory at Missouri since he arrived in Tuscaloosa.

"The year we went 16-2, we went up there and we were just flat," Oats said. "Last year, Charles (Bediako) didn't really have a matchup. We turned to zone, didn't work very well for us. They provide matchup problems. This year, again. Brown is an Alabama kid that is up at Missouri. Seems like he's always up for our game. He's a mismatch problem."

Regardless of how both teams are doing, Missouri continues to get the best of Alabama as Oats is 0-3 in trips to Mizzou Arena. Since the Tigers joined the conference, the home team has largely controlled the series with the hosts combining to go 11-3. For Oats his message was simple, Alabama needs a repeat of its performance on Tuesday.

"We're just going to have to change the narrative about Missouri, to be honest with you," Oats said. "We're just going to have to go out, play hard, first four minutes have to be really good."

Dom Welch's transition to Tuscaloosa hasn't gone as smoothly as any member of the Crimson Tide could have hoped.

After battling through a nagging calf injury, Welch has struggled to find his rhythm shooting a woeful 1-for-13 from deep. While the low percentage is shocking, it's compounded by the fact that Welch is currently third in St. Boneventure's program history with 257 3-pointers. He also sports a 37.4 career average from behind the arc.

"It's really hard to come into every game and go 1-for-2," Oats said. "It's easy to go 0-for-2. If he was getting eight attempts, he wouldn't be shooting 13% or 8%. In my opinion, he was out for a while and it takes you a little while to get back. When he came back we were playing so well.

"It's hard to just focus on just getting him (going) and to sacrifice wins and losses at the expense of getting one player back. When you have limited minutes and limited reps, it's hard as a shooter."

Oats said he hopes Welch is able to find his stroke soon with Nirmari Burnett still not healthy enough to make a return to the lineup. Despite this Oats is impressed with Welch's practices of late and hopes that will progress will show up during the game.

"I thought this was his best practice since he's been back but I also thought he kind of lost himself with the game," Oats said. "Just played a really hard I think for shooters and skill guys, when you just lose yourself in playing in the game and play really hard, your instincts take over. He's an instinctual player and he made shots so we just get him focused on just playing hard."

— Alabama became the fourth team in the last 50 years to start conference play by winning each of its first six contests by double figures (+20.8 scoring margin) joining Kentucky (twice – 1977-78 and 1994-95) and Florida (2012-13)

— Alabama has five Quad 1 wins this season, which is tied for third-most in the country behind Purdue and Kansas (7 wins)

— Alabama is looking to improve to 7-0 in SEC play for the second time under Coach Oats. Prior to Oats’ arrival, the Tide had not started SEC play 6-0 since the 1986-87 season

— Alabama is ranked No. 4 in the AP Top-25 Poll for the second time this season, its highest AP ranking since 2006-07 (Ranked No. 4)

— After recording 16.9 turnovers per game during non-conference play, the Tide is now averaging just 11.7 turnovers in SEC games

— Alabama is 14-12 against AP Top 25 teams during Nate Oats’ tenureAlabama has posted five wins over top-25 opponents in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history, going 10-5 over the span

— Brandon Miller was named NCAA March Madness’ Player of the Week and SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 16 for the fifth time this season

— Miller is averaging 20.1 points per game, the most by any freshman in the country and No. 20 overall

— Miller is the only freshman in the country to rank in the top 70 in points and rebounds per game (No. 69)

— Miller is one of six players in Division I, the only player in the SEC and the only freshman in the country that has scored 360 points and recorded 150 rebounds this season