Alabama and Auburn men’s basketball are set to face off for the first time in the Steven Pearl era for Auburn. It has been an up-and-down year for both teams as they both look to add a rivalry win to their resume.
Alabama is sitting in the middle of the pack in the SEC, even after the addition of center Charles Bediako mid-season, and the team still has many questions after getting beat down by Florida 100-77 on the road on Saturday.
Auburn has won four out of its last five games, but is coming off a loss to Tennessee. Auburn also sits in the middle of the pack halfway through SEC play at 5-4.
Forward Keyshawn Hall has been leading recently for Auburn, averaging 25.3 PPG during the Tigers’ recent win streak. Hall is in his first year with the Tigers after transferring from UCF.
Hall has drawn praise from opposing coaches, such as Texas’s Sean Miller, for his stellar play recently, with Miller stating that Hall is one of college basketball’s premier players. Hall is looking to continue to win while not caring about individual stats.
“I’m not gonna worry about individual stuff; we’re gonna keep trying to win, keep trying to roll,” he said.
Hall will most likely be matched up against Alabama forwards Amari Allen or Taylor Bowen, both of whom have been battling injuries as of late.
Alabama’s biggest weakness so far is staying healthy, especially at the forward position. This was a major reason why Alabama brought back Bediako, head coach Nate Oats said.
“We were thin in the frontcourt when Collins went out to begin with. Our players are trying to win. Their goals are high. Charles is going to contribute to them winning, and he’s a great guy,” Oats said.
With the consistency of the forwards being shaky at times, Alabama has become reliant on the guard duo of Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway to produce at a high level.
Both have made major jumps this season, with Philon averaging a team-high 21.6 PPG and Holloway scoring 17.1 PPG.
Philon has increased his field goal percentage to 51% while Holloway has been shooting the ball well from 3 at 45.2%, which is a career high.
While Philon has been stellar offensively, Oats has been Philon’s biggest critic defensively and is challenging the guard to be better on that side of the ball.
“With the offensive load, he’s taken a big, major step backward on the defensive end this year. In order to be a leader, I think you’ve got to play both sides of the ball,” Oats said.
Philon is hopefully up to the challenge, facing off with Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford, who scored 19 points against Alabama in their last meeting.
Both teams are looking to add another win to their resume with the Iron Bowl up for grabs in Auburn on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. The game can be streamed on ESPN2.
Hence then, the article about from tuscaloosa to auburn the rivalry preview was published today ( ) and is available on The Crimson White ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( From Tuscaloosa to Auburn: the rivalry preview )
Also on site :
- Russia exposed plot to blow up Black Sea gas pipelines – Putin
- NATO nations could transfer nuclear bomb to Ukraine – Russian intelligence
- Discord cuts ties with Peter Thiel-backed verification software after its code was found tied to U.S. surveillance efforts