Basketball
Most years, in every college basketball conference there’s a team that opponents will walk into the arena and know that they will win. The Missouri Tigers were on the wrong end of this fact last season as they didn’t win a single game in SEC play.
Nevertheless, Missouri head coach Dennis Gates was able to bring in highly touted recruiting and transfer classes in the offseason and it’s absolutely panned out as the Tigers are 8-4 against the SEC and were 11-2 prior to conference play.
The Tigers are 20th in the country in points per game this season with 82.6 and its 19.7 free throws made per contest is good for the second-most in the nation. Defensively, Missouri’s 69 points allowed per game is 93rd but its 10.0 steals is the sixth-best mark average in the country.
After a gut-wrenching home loss to No. 1 Auburn on Saturday, head coach Nate Oats and No. 2 Alabama aim to come back strong with a tough road win against No. 21 Missouri on Wednesday night.
Who: No. 2 Alabama (21-4, 10-2 SEC) at No. 21 Missouri (19-6, 8-4 SEC)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. CT.
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Mo.
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Color: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
TV: SEC Network
Series vs. Missouri: The Crimson Tide leads 15-7 with the first matchup occurring on Dec. 10, 1977. Alabama is 4-5 all-time on the road against Missouri and is 6-4 in the last 10 overall games. That said, the Tide has won the last four contests.
Last meeting with Missouri: Alabama cruised past the Tigers 93-75 at home on Jan. 16, 2024 behind a stellar second half. Crimson Tide guards Rylan Griffen and Aaron Estrada each scored 21 points on a combined 14-for-23 from the field, including 7-for-13 from deep. Grant Nelson (13 points), Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (11) and Nick Pringle (10) also finished in double figures. This was enough to stop Missouri’s Tamar Bates and Nick Honor, who combined for 37 points.
Last time out, Alabama: The No. 2 Crimson Tide fell to No. 1 Auburn 94-85 on Saturday in a battle in Tuscaloosa that was filled with state, conference and national history. Tigers forward and National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome led a six-man Auburn brigade of double-digit scorers as he tallied 19 points. Preseason All-American guard Mark Sears led Alabama in points with 18, but he shot just 4-for-17 from the field, including 2-for-11 from long range. This was certainly a theme for the Crimson Tide as it finished the game shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 19.2 percent from downtown.
Last time out, Missouri: The No. 21 Tigers handled Georgia 87-74 on the road on Saturday behind a dominant performance in the second half. Anthony Robinson II and Caleb Grill each scored 15 points as the latter did so off the bench. But starters Mark Mitchell and Tamar Bates were right there with 14 and 13 points respectively. The Tigers committed just three turnovers compared to their 18 assists––a 6-to-1 ratio that Alabama has accomplished once this season in the loss to Purdue.
Alabama Stat Leaders
Missouri Stat Leaders
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