Alabama basketball will have the opportunity to add another piece of equipment to its historic season. After notching a program record 28 win during Saturday’s SEC Tournament semifinal against Missouri, the Crimson Tide can claim their second conference title in three years on Sunday as they take on Texas A&M.
Top seeded Alabama advanced to the final by defeating Mississippi State, 72-49, on Friday before coming back alive in the second half to trail Missouri, 72-61. Meanwhile, second seed Texas A&M beat Arkansas (67-61) and Vanderbilt (87-75) to clinch the championship title.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
How do you watch
from: No. 4 Alabama (28-5) vs. No. 18 Texas A&M (25-8).
when: CT noon, Sunday, March 12th
where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
He watches: ESPN (Play-by-Play: Carl Ravish, Analyst: Dick Vitale, Sideline: Marty Smith)
He listens: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Brian Basnick; engineer Tom Stipe)
Expected Alabama appetizer
Jahvon Quinerly: 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, senior
Stats: 7.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.8 apg, 37.8% FG, 33.3% 3-pt
Mark Sears: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, junior
Stats: 12.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.6 apg, 40.9% FG, 35.3% 3-pt
Brandon Miller: 6-foot-9, 200 pounds, freshman
Stats: 19.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 45.9% FG, 40.7% 3-pt
Noah Clooney: 6-foot-10, 210 lbs., freshman
Stats: 10.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 0.9 apg, 49.1% FG, 27.8% 3-pt
Charles Pediaco: 7 ft., 225 lbs., freshman
Stats: 6.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 65.4% FG
Projected starting lineup for Texas A&M
Wade Taylor IV: 6 ft., 185 lbs., freshman
Stats: 16.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 41.0% FG, 36.5% 3-pt
Teresa Radford: 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, senior
Stats: 13.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 39.5% FG, 32.2% 3-pt
Dexter Dennis: 6-foot-5, 210 lbs., senior
Stats: 9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.2 apg, 39.3% FG, 29.6% 3-pt
Henry Coleman III: 6-foot-8, 245 pounds, junior
Stats: 9.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.0 apg, 54.0% FG
Julius Marble: 6-foot-9, 245 pounds, junior
Stats: 9.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.4 apg, 53.1% FG
chance at redemption
After Saturday’s semifinal win over Missouri, Alabama claimed it didn’t care who played in Sunday’s final. However, deep down in the Crimson Tide was hoping for a chance at revenge on the Aggies
Texas A&M handed Alabama its final loss, defeating the Tide 67-61 in College Station during the regular season finale earlier this month. During that game, Alabama shot just 33.8% from the floor, including 19.4% (7-of-36) from deep. She also turned the ball over 18 times and allowed Texas A&M to live at the free throw line, converting 27 of 28 attempts.
“I’d like to see A&M again because they’re one of two we have [SEC] “We lost to them in a close encounter,” said freshman guard Rylan Griffin, a Dallas native. “So I would like to have the chance to play them again and have a chance to go out there and beat them because we lost to them the first time.”
Since taking over Alabama in the 2019-20 season, the Oats are 0-3 against the Aggies. Texas A&M posted a 74-68 victory inside Coleman Coliseum during its first year while the next season’s Crimson Tide’s Road game was canceled due to weather. Last season, Texas A&M beat Alabama 87-71 in Tuscaloosa.
“They’re good,” said the oats. “They’re tough, they cause trouble.”
Taming Taylor
Stopping Texas A&M hinges on slowing down sophomore guard Wade Taylor IV. The first All-SEC player has scored 20 or more points in seven of his last 10 games, including 28 during the Aggies’ victory over the Crimson Tide earlier this month.
During his previous encounter against Alabama, Taylor was 8 of 15 from the ground, including 2 of 7 from deep. He also reached the line 10 times, making all of his free throw attempts. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Dallas native is averaging 16.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 41.0% from the floor and 36.5% from depth this season. He also leads the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with an 87.2 free throw percentage
Taylor is part of a trio of talented Texas A&M guards along with Terese Radford and Dexter Dennis. Radford scored 21 points during the win over Alabama and averaged 13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the team. Dennis is the Texas A&M leader in rebounding (5.7 per game) and blocks (0.6 per game) and also averages 9.0 points.
Game notes
Alabama has a record 28 games, surpassing the 2001-02 team for most wins in a season.
Brandon Miller set the program record for most points scored in a rookie season, surpassing Colin Sexton’s mark of 632 points set in the 2017-18 season. Miller has 645 points through 33 games. Reggie King holds the Alabama single-season scoring record with 747 points over 33 games during his first campaign in 1978-79.
Miller’s 99 3s this season ranks fourth on Alabama’s single-season list, 14 short of Eric Washington’s mark of 113 set in 1995-96.
— Nate Oats’ record in the SEC tournament is 5-1 with a . 833 winning percentage, the second-highest since 1979, behind Rick Pitino (17-1, . 944)
– Oats joined CM Newton as the only two head coaches at Alabama to have led UA to multiple regular season SEC championships.
– Alabama 15-16 against an AP Top 25 team during the Oats tenure
