JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (February 10, 2024) – A five-game winning streak came to an end for the University of North Alabama men’s basketball team at Jacksonville on Saturday, as the Dolphins pulled out a tight 67-63 victory over the Lions in Swisher Gymnasium.

 

Saturday’s task was not an easy one for the Lions, as Jacksonville entered with a 9-1 record at home despite being near the bottom of the Atlantic Sun Conference standings. The Lions, who had won five straight entering Saturday with two of those five on the road, were unable to overcome a late surge in the final 10 minutes of play.

 

With the loss, UNA drops to 6-5 in ASUN play, while Jacksonville moves back into the mix with a 4-7 record. With five games remaining, both teams remain in play for a spot in the 2024 ASUN Championship Tournament.

 

Tied at the half, North Alabama came out the aggressors, shooting 4-4 behind the arc to open the second frame. This gave UNA a 45-35 lead at the first media timeout, but Jacksonville went on a run of its own thanks to good defense and rebounding to tie the game back at 47-47. The Dolphins got ahead after that and maintained a one or two possession lead the rest of the way to end UNA’s win streak.

 

In the last three road games, UNA has played Kennesaw State, North Florida and Jacksonville. Those three teams combined for a 27-3 record before playing UNA, including a combined 20-game win streak. The Lions were able to win two of the three, ending an 11-game streak for KSU and a seven-game streak for North Florida. 

 

Senior KJ Johnson led the way with 18 points, including a 12-16 showing at the line. Sophomore Jacari Lane, junior Will Soucie and graduate Tim Smith Jr. each had nine points, while junior Dallas Howell added eight. Senior Eoin Nelson came off the bench and added six points over six minutes.

 

Jacksonville was led by Bryce Workman and Stephon Payne III with a pair of double-doubles, while Robert McCray matched Johnson with a game-high 18 points.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

 

First Half: For the first time all season, UNA ended the first half in a tie. Both teams shot between 35-40 percent with 11 field goals en route to a 31-31 tie at the break. The Lions led for most of the first half with nearly 12 minutes ahead, but Jacksonville surged back late to take a 26-23 lead with 5:43 to go. At this point, UNA went on a 6-0 run with two layups from Johnson. Howell ended the half with a basket to tie the game.

 

Second Half: The Lions opened on fire in the second half with four straight threes, taking their first double-digit lead of the game. Soucie hit three of the four triples in this run, making it 45-35. Jacksonville came back with a 12-2 run to tie it at 47-47, then Gyasi Powell drained the go-ahead three with 9:43 to go to take the lead. UNA stayed within six the rest of the way despite running into foul trouble with Soucie, Smith Jr. and Damian Forrest, pulling within two at the final minute, but Jacksonville retained the lead with timely plays.

 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

 

•     UNA shot 19-51 for 37.3 percent, while going 7-19 for 36.8 percent behind the arc.

 

•     Jacksonville went 22-61 for 36.1 percent, while going just 3-21 from downtown for 14.3 percent.

 

•     Though UNA made up a lot of difference on three-point shooting, Jacksonville won the boards with a 45-26 advantage and had 21 second-chance points. UNA had 11.

 

•     There were seven lead changes and eight ties on Saturday.

 

COMING UP NEXT

 

UNA returns home to CB&S Bank Arena next week with games against Lipscomb on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. and Austin Peay on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. Saturday’s game is senior night, as the Lions will honor Johnson, Nelson, Forrest and Smith Jr.

 

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

 

BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 16/16 Alabama men’s basketball team got back to its winning ways Saturday afternoon at LSU, defeating the Tigers 109-92 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. With the win, the Crimson Tide (17-7, 9-2 SEC) completes a season sweep of the Tigers, scoring a combined 218 points in the two victories (won 109-88 on Jan. 27).

 

Saturday’s contest featured 17 lead changes and six ties, with 15 lead changes and all six ties coming in the opening 20 minutes. LSU (12-11, 4-6 SEC) trailed by double digits early in the second half but clawed its way back to take a 73-72 lead at the 9:32 mark. Alabama responded by going on a 26-9 run over the next 5:29 to take control of the game at 98-82. The Tide would go on to score 60 points after intermission to take the 17-point win.

 

Five Tide players reached double digits led by Mark Sears, who finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who added 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Nick Pringle (17), Rylan Griffin (16) and Aaron Estrada (15) also reached double figures.

 

Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments

“This was a big road win and that we needed to get it if we are trying to stay in the hunt and win the league. LSU came ready to go and we had no answer for (Will) Baker in the first half. Then they made their run to take the lead in the second half and we were able to open up a barrage of three’s. We were only able to force 12 turnovers, but we scored on most of them. I thought the job that Nick Pringle did in the second half was really good on Baker. We ended up outrebounding them by 12, which we knew we needed to do playing a small lineup. Latrell (Wrightsell Jr.) had a double-double for the first time this year and he played great. He shot six-of-nine from three and we keep trying to tell him he can't turn down open threes because he shoots it way too well to turn them down. I still think he might’ve turned some open ones down tonight, but he was great, with 10 rebounds. I thought Sears played a great game, he ended up with five assists on only two turnovers, Rylan had six assists and zero turnovers, Latrell had four assists and zero turnovers and Estrada seven assists and one turnover and when you add that up its 22 assists to only three turnovers. That is pretty impressive from those four guards that started. We've been on these guys about rebounding, turnovers and defensive intensity. We’ve got to get our front court a little bit better, I thought our backcourt was pretty good on everything we've been on them about. It’s big to get a win, we haven't played great on the road, and they have played great at home. So, to kind of blow this thing open at the end was big on number fronts.”

 

TEAM STATS

• It is the seventh 100-point game for the Crimson Tide this season, which is a school record and the second-most in the Southeastern Conference in the last 30 years
• Alabama’s 218 points scored against LSU this season is the most in any two-game stretch against the Tigers in series history. UA also made a combined 33 three-pointers in 78 total attempts (42.3 percent).
• The Tide forced 12 turnovers while only committing eight, however, had a big +17 advantage (23-6) lead in points off turnovers
• The 18 made three-pointers (18-40) were the second-most made in a game by UA this season (had 19 vs. Purdue and Eastern Kentucky)
• Alabama took a season-high 81 shots, marking the second time in the last three contests that the Tide has had 80-or-more shots (83 vs. Mississippi State)
• Nick Pringle scored a season-high 17 points and five rebounds, four of which were on the offensive glass
• Wrightsell drilled six three-pointers, matched a career-best, while his 21 points set a new season-high
• Wrightsell also earned his first double-double of the year

 

 

FIRST HALF

• Both offenses were exceptional to start the game, as LSU shot 80 percent (8-10) from the field by the first media timeout led by Will Baker’s nine points and led 18-17
• The game had 10 lead changes and tied twice by the first media timeout
• From the 5:21 mark until the 4:14 mark of the half Alabama went on a 7-0 run to take its first double-digit lead (47-37) of the game
• Alabama scored two points in the final four minutes, going into halftime with a 49-46 lead
• LSU’s Will Baker had 22 points
• Mark Sears and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. led Alabama with 12 points each

 

SECOND HALF

• Alabama went on a 9-0 run early in the second half to take a 62-51 lead
• LSU went on a 14-3 run to tie the game and eventually take its first lead of the half (73-72) with nine and a half minutes left in the game
• Alabama led 76-75 and would go on a 12-2 run just under two minutes to take a double-digit lead with six and a half minutes left in the contest
• The Tide’s run total of 26-9 turned a one-point deficit into a 16-point lead (98-72) with 4:03 remaining

 

UP NEXT

• Alabama will have a bye date this week and will return to action next Saturday at home against Texas A&M
• The game is slated for a 11 a.m. CT tipoff at Coleman Coliseum and will air live on ESPN or ESPN2

 

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Chaney Johnson nearly recorded his first double-double but No. 12 Auburn fell behind early and trailed throughout, falling to Florida 81-65 Saturday at Exatech Arena, ending the Tigers’ three-game winning streak.

 

“Florida played great. They were ready to go,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “They scored every time they touched it in the first half. There were a lot of things we talked about doing that we just did not get done. I think Florida is going to be one of the top five teams in our league. They were very physical.”

 

Johnson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and scored nine points on 3-for-4 shooting.

 

“Chaney is one of our best athletes,” Pearl said. “Florida was very athletic, bouncy and fresh. They were extremely prepared and ready. We had a really good game plan but we did not execute it.”

 

Johni Broome scored a team-high 14 points and added seven rebounds. K.D. Johnson scored 12 points and Denver Jones added 10. 

 

Florida, which had extra time to rest and prepare for Auburn after not playing since last Saturday, scored the game’s first nine points before Broome’s dunk accounted for Auburn’s first points.

 

“Our guys just were not as locked in nor as aggressive or physical,” Pearl said. “Florida was better than us tonight. Their guards were terrific. As a result, they got the win.”

 

The Gators used a 10-0 run to build a 17-point lead and led 42-26 at the half.

 

Auburn committed 15 turnovers while forcing only seven, leading to Florida’s 16-7 edge in points off turnovers. The Gators made 10 steals to Auburn’s one. Florida blocked six shots while Broome’s two blocks were Auburn’s only rejections.

 

Florida missed its last 14 shots as Auburn trimmed 13 points off a 29-point deficit to close the final margin to 16 points. 

 

Riley Kugel scored a game-high 22 points for Florida (16-7, 6-4). Fellow guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin scored 20 and 19, respectively.

 

Auburn (19-5, 8-3) returns to Neville Arena Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT to host first-place South Carolina on SEC Network.

 

“We’ve got an opportunity,” Pearl said. “If we think Florida was physical, South Carolina is even more physical.”

 

FLORIDA POSTGAME NOTES

» Florida and Auburn have now split the last eight games in the series. The Gators lead, 52-29, in games played in Gainesville including 15-straight wins and victories in 20 of the last 21. AU still leads 91-83 in the all-time versus UF.

 

» Bruce Pearl is 12-13 against Florida during his coaching career including 4-8 at Auburn. Pearl is 3-9 lifetime on the road against the Gators including 0-6 at Auburn. He is now 1-1 against second-year Florida head coach Todd Golden, who served on Pearl’s staff at Auburn for two seasons – as the director of basketball operations for the 2014-15 season and as an assistant coach for the 2015-16 campaign.

 

» Auburn outscored Florida, 40-38, in the paint. The Tigers have outscored their opponent in the paint in 22-of-24 games this season and were even with St. Bonaventure in paint points in one of the other two games. Mississippi State is the only team to outscore Auburn in the paint this season, doing so 34-20, on Jan. 27.  

 

» AU also outscored Florida, 31-28, in bench points. The Tigers’ reserves have outscored its opponents’ bench in all but one game this season including the last 17 contests.

 

» Auburn shot 14-of-26 (53.8%) from the floor in the second half. It was the fourth time the Tigers have shot at least 50 percent for a half over the last four games.

 

» Auburn placed three players in double figures including 14 points from Johni Broome, 12 points from K.D. Johnson and 10 points from Denver Jones – all in the second half. Broome was 6-of-11 from the floor and 1-of-2 from long range. It was his 15th-straight game in double figures. He is 8-of-16 from 3-point range over the last seven games making a 3-pointer in all seven games. He added seven rebounds, two blocks and an assist on the afternoon. Broome has blocked a shot in 18 of the last 19 games including 15 multi-block games during that stretch. He has now recorded 135 blocked shots in his Auburn career surpassing former Tiger Pat Burke for 10th in program history.

 

» Johnson scored in double figures for the second time in three games and seventh time this season. It was Johnson’s 58th career game in double figures. He was 4-of-7 from the floor, including one 3-pointer, and grabbed three rebounds at Florida.

 

» Jones finished 3-of-6 from the floor, 1-of-2 from 3-point range and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line against the Gators. He pulled down one rebound on the afternoon. It was his third game in double figures over the last four games and eighth of the season. It was also Jones’ 54th career game scoring in double figures.

 

» Chaney Johnson recorded SEC season highs with nine points and 10 rebounds at Florida. His previous highs in league play were eight points at Mississippi State and five rebounds against Ole Miss. It was his second game with double-digit rebounds on the season (11 boards vs. SE Louisiana).

 

» Jaylin Williams played in his 131st career game for the Tigers, tying him with Bryce Brown for second in program history and three games behind Frankie Sullivan’s school record 134 career games.

 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Chaney Johnson nearly recorded his first double-double but No. 12 Auburn fell behind early and trailed throughout, falling to Florida 81-65 Saturday at Exatech Arena, ending the Tigers’ three-game winning streak.

 

“Florida played great. They were ready to go,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “They scored every time they touched it in the first half. There were a lot of things we talked about doing that we just did not get done. I think Florida is going to be one of the top five teams in our league. They were very physical.”

 

Johnson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and scored nine points on 3-for-4 shooting.

 

“Chaney is one of our best athletes,” Pearl said. “Florida was very athletic, bouncy and fresh. They were extremely prepared and ready. We had a really good game plan but we did not execute it.”

 

Johni Broome scored a team-high 14 points and added seven rebounds. K.D. Johnson scored 12 points and Denver Jones added 10. 

 

Florida, which had extra time to rest and prepare for Auburn after not playing since last Saturday, scored the game’s first nine points before Broome’s dunk accounted for Auburn’s first points.

 

“Our guys just were not as locked in nor as aggressive or physical,” Pearl said. “Florida was better than us tonight. Their guards were terrific. As a result, they got the win.”

 

The Gators used a 10-0 run to build a 17-point lead and led 42-26 at the half.

 

Auburn committed 15 turnovers while forcing only seven, leading to Florida’s 16-7 edge in points off turnovers. The Gators made 10 steals to Auburn’s one. Florida blocked six shots while Broome’s two blocks were Auburn’s only rejections.

 

Florida missed its last 14 shots as Auburn trimmed 13 points off a 29-point deficit to close the final margin to 16 points. 

 

Riley Kugel scored a game-high 22 points for Florida (16-7, 6-4). Fellow guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin scored 20 and 19, respectively.

 

Auburn (19-5, 8-3) returns to Neville Arena Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT to host first-place South Carolina on SEC Network.

 

“We’ve got an opportunity,” Pearl said. “If we think Florida was physical, South Carolina is even more physical.”

 

FLORIDA POSTGAME NOTES

» Florida and Auburn have now split the last eight games in the series. The Gators lead, 52-29, in games played in Gainesville including 15-straight wins and victories in 20 of the last 21. AU still leads 91-83 in the all-time versus UF.

 

» Bruce Pearl is 12-13 against Florida during his coaching career including 4-8 at Auburn. Pearl is 3-9 lifetime on the road against the Gators including 0-6 at Auburn. He is now 1-1 against second-year Florida head coach Todd Golden, who served on Pearl’s staff at Auburn for two seasons – as the director of basketball operations for the 2014-15 season and as an assistant coach for the 2015-16 campaign.

 

» Auburn outscored Florida, 40-38, in the paint. The Tigers have outscored their opponent in the paint in 22-of-24 games this season and were even with St. Bonaventure in paint points in one of the other two games. Mississippi State is the only team to outscore Auburn in the paint this season, doing so 34-20, on Jan. 27.  

 

» AU also outscored Florida, 31-28, in bench points. The Tigers’ reserves have outscored its opponents’ bench in all but one game this season including the last 17 contests.

 

» Auburn shot 14-of-26 (53.8%) from the floor in the second half. It was the fourth time the Tigers have shot at least 50 percent for a half over the last four games.

 

» Auburn placed three players in double figures including 14 points from Johni Broome, 12 points from K.D. Johnson and 10 points from Denver Jones – all in the second half. Broome was 6-of-11 from the floor and 1-of-2 from long range. It was his 15th-straight game in double figures. He is 8-of-16 from 3-point range over the last seven games making a 3-pointer in all seven games. He added seven rebounds, two blocks and an assist on the afternoon. Broome has blocked a shot in 18 of the last 19 games including 15 multi-block games during that stretch. He has now recorded 135 blocked shots in his Auburn career surpassing former Tiger Pat Burke for 10th in program history.

 

» Johnson scored in double figures for the second time in three games and seventh time this season. It was Johnson’s 58th career game in double figures. He was 4-of-7 from the floor, including one 3-pointer, and grabbed three rebounds at Florida.

 

» Jones finished 3-of-6 from the floor, 1-of-2 from 3-point range and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line against the Gators. He pulled down one rebound on the afternoon. It was his third game in double figures over the last four games and eighth of the season. It was also Jones’ 54th career game scoring in double figures.

 

» Chaney Johnson recorded SEC season highs with nine points and 10 rebounds at Florida. His previous highs in league play were eight points at Mississippi State and five rebounds against Ole Miss. It was his second game with double-digit rebounds on the season (11 boards vs. SE Louisiana).

 

» Jaylin Williams played in his 131st career game for the Tigers, tying him with Bryce Brown for second in program history and three games behind Frankie Sullivan’s school record 134 career games.

 

 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (February 9, 2024) – Fresh off an 79-74 road win last night at North Florida, the University of North Alabama men’s basketball team will look to leave Duval County with two wins as the Lions take on Jacksonville University on Saturday.

 

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and will tip off at 2 p.m. for fans watching in the Shoals. Fans are also encouraged to tune into WLX Radio on 98.3 or 103.5 FM for the local broadcast featuring “Voice of the Lions” Benjamin Ray. The “Countdown to Tipoff” show begins at 1:40 p.m. Live stats are also available.

 

The Lions remain the hottest team in the Atlantic Sun Conference with five straight wins, overcoming a 1-4 start to league play to now sit in a tie for third at 6-4. A win tomorrow would give UNA its first six-game win streak since 2021.

 

Meanwhile, Jacksonville enters with a 3-7 record in conference play. The Dolphins are a much tougher team inside Swisher Gymnasium, owning a 3-1 record at home during ASUN play.

 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

Game: North Alabama at Jacksonville

Date: Saturday, February 10

Time: 2:00 p.m. CT

Location: Jacksonville, Florida

Venue: Swisher Gymnasium

Capacity: 1,360

Watch: ESPN+

Radio: WLX 98.3 / 103.5 FM — “Voice of the Lions” Benjamin Ray

Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

Tickets: Click here

UNA Game Notes: Click here

Social Media: @UNA_Basketball

 

NOTES

 

LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama won its fifth-straight game on Thursday, taking down North Florida by a 79-74 final in Jacksonville. Despite there being no lead changes, North Florida worked back from a double-digit deficit to tie it up at 74-74 with 46 seconds remaining. Senior KJ Johnson converted an and-one layup for the go-ahead points and later iced the game with two free throws. This marked UNF’s first home loss since December 2, snapping a seven-game home winning streak.

 

SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA enters with an even 12-12 record and a 6-4 record in league play, tied with UNF and Lipscomb for third in the ASUN. The Lions average 77.4 points per game this season, but are averaging 81.6 PPG over the last five games. The Lions have five players averaging double figures over the last five games, including Johnson with 18.0 PPG and sophomore guard Jacari Lane at 15.4 PPG. Both guards are above 14.0 PPG for the season.

 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Jacksonville enters with a matching 12-12 overall record, joining UNA as the only two .500 teams in the ASUN. Things have not gone as well for the Dolphins in league play, as they sit in 11th place with a 3-7 record — including an 0-6 league record on the road. Jacksonville does have some momentum heading into Saturday following a 59-55 win over Central Arkansas on Thursday. Robert McCray leads the squad with 17.0 PPG to rank fifth in the ASUN, including 19.8 PPG over his last five.

 

SERIES HISTORY: UNA leads the all-time series with a 6-2 record, including an 80-62 win last season at CB&S Bank Arena. The last four meetings have taken place in Florence, meaning this year’s trip to Swisher Gym is the first game at Jacksonville since 2020 before COVID. UNA has won three of the last four games.

 

RIGHT ON AVERAGE: UNA entered the week averaging 78.9 points in ASUN play this season. The Lions essentially met this average in Thursday’s win over North Florida, scoring 79 points in the five-point road victory.

 

SHOOTING STARS: The Lions are 6-1 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, including last night’s win where the Lions shot 28-56 for exactly 50 percent. On the flipside, UNA is 1-6 when shooting under 40 percent in games this season.

 

SOUCIE COOKS: Fourth year guard Will Soucie scored 15 points against FGCU last Saturday before drawing his fourth foul midway through the second half, but followed that performance with a season-high 20 points against North Florida on Thursday. This marks the second career game for Soucie where he scored 20 or more points, as his career-high remains 23 against Central Arkansas in 2022.

 

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: In the first four games of the five-game win streak, UNA experienced a combined 40 lead changes before coming out on top. Against North Florida, the Lions never lost the lead, but did fight off a tie in the final minute.

 

HELPER, HELPER: Sophomore Jacari Lane enters this week with 100 assists on the season. He needs just eight more to tie his own Division I era record for single-season assists which he set at 108 as a freshman over 33 games. His 100 total this season has come in just 24 games.

 

CAREER GUYS: Four-year players Will Soucie and Detalian Brown became just the second and third players in UNA Division I history to appear in over 100 games, joining Jamari Blackmon who played in 113 games from 2018-22. Dallas Howell is not far behind the pair at 87 games, tying Aleksa Matic (2019-22) for the fourth-most Division I appearances at UNA.

 

FOUR OVER A THOUSAND: The Lions have four players on the active roster who have scored 1,000 career points — Johnson, Smith Jr., Forrest and junior transfer Marco Foster. Johnson accomplished the feat last season, while Smith Jr. did so against Jacksonville State this season. Foster and Forrest hit the marks against Rust College and Morehead State, respectively.

 

ELITE COMPANY: UNA is one of nine known schools in Division I basketball with at least four 1,000 point scorers when factoring in players who scored some of their totals at the JUCO level. The list is led by St. John’s (NY) with six, followed by TCU and Missouri with five. North Alabama is joined by Tennessee, Villanova, St. Bonaventure, Memphis and New Mexico with four.

 

ON THE HORIZON: The Lions return home next week for its final regular season home games, starting with a visit from Lipscomb on Thursday, Feb. 15 and Austin Peay on Saturday, Feb. 17. The Saturday game will serve as UNA’s senior day, as the Lions will honor Johnson, Forrest, Smith Jr. and Eoin Nelson.

 

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 16/16 Alabama men’s basketball team will wrap up this week’s Southeastern Conference road trip Saturday at LSU. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT at the Pete Maravich Center.

The matchup features three of the top-15 scorers during SEC play in Alabama’s Mark Sears (No. 3, 21.7 ppg) along with LSU’s Jordan Wright (No. 14, 16.1 ppg) and Jalen Cook (No. 15, 16.0 ppg). The Crimson Tide comes into the contest in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC with Auburn and South Carolina at 8-2.

The Crimson Tide will be looking for the season sweep of the Tigers, as Alabama posted a 109-88 home victory over LSU just two weeks ago (Jan. 27). 

The Broadcast

Saturday’s game is set for an 11 a.m. CT tipoff and will be aired on ESPN with Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) on the call.

The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call, while Tom Stipe (engineer) is turning the dials. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

Notes You Need To Know

• Since Oats arrived at Alabama in 2019-20, the Crimson Tide has won a league-best 57 SEC contests
• Alabama has not lost back-to-back SEC games since March 5, 2022 (vs. Texas A&M and at LSU)
• Alabama has scored 100 points in eight SEC games during Oats’ tenure. The rest of the league has a combined 10 100-point games during that span.
• According to KenPom, Mark Sears ranks No. 8 in the National Player of the Year standings and ranks No. 3 in Barttorvik’s player rankings
• Sears is the only player in Division I that has 465 points, 95 rebounds, 90 assists and 50 three-pointers this season
• Sears has recorded 20-points or more in 14 games this season, matching Brandon Miller (2022-23) and Retin Obasohan (2015-16) and most since Collin Sexton in 2017-18 (16 games)
• last season and the most since Collin Sexton (16 games)
• Sears ranks No. 1 in the SEC in scoring (20.4 ppg), No. 4 in field goal percentage (52.3) and No. 8 in assists (3.9 apg)
• Sears (21.7 ppg) is one of four SEC players (Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, 26.9 ppg, Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV, 22.7 ppg and Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves, 20.6 ppg) that is averaging over 20 points per game during conference play
• The Crimson Tide owns the No. 2 scoring offense in the country (89.5 ppg) and the No. 2-ranked offense, according to KenPom
• Alabama is one of three schools (Purdue and Wright State) in the country that has two players on its current roster that has scored at least 1,700 points throughout their career in Sears (1,822 points) and Estrada (1,768 points)

About LSU

• LSU’s four wins during SEC play surpasses last year’s win total (2)
• During SEC play, LSU is 3-1 at home, with one win over an AP Top-25 opponent (No. 22 Ole Miss)
• LSU has two players ranked in the top 15 in scoring during SEC play in Jordan Wright (No. 14, 16.1 ppg) and Jalen Cook (No. 15, 16.0 ppg)
• LSU has three players averaging double figures during conference play in Wright, Cook and Will Baker (11.0 ppg)
• During LSU’s last four contests, Wright is averaging 17.3 points per game
• Wright’s 1.9 steals per game ranks No. 4 in the SEC and No. 69 in Division I
• The Tigers will be playing its fifth-ranked team (1-4) in the AP Poll this season
• In its last six contests, LSU has made 60 three-pointers led by Mike Williams III’s 13 threes made and 41.9 percent three-point percentage

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on X, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.