Alabama Basketball Heads to Texas in Search of First Quality Win
Alabama basketball heads to Austin for a matchup with the Texas Longhorns, the beginning of a two-game road trip.
Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide will play Florida in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. Friday night, though, Alabama basketball heads to Austin for a matchup with the Texas Longhorns. This is the beginning of a two-game road trip, which will conclude against the Oregon Ducks on Dec. 11.
Texas started the season with three straight wins, but has since taken a step back by losing three in a row. Despite this slide, they are expected to win tonight, and ESPN has them listed as a four-point favorite. That’s a relatively small line, meaning that this game could easily go either way.
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A look at the two team’s statistics reveals very similar play so far. Both teams have allowed roughly 70 points per game (Alabama’s average is at 69.5, with Texas listing a slightly better 69.3). Both teams are also shooting in the low 40s (42.7 percent for Texas, 42.4 percent for Alabama).
While any road game (especially one so far away) against a power-5 opponent presents a challenge for Alabama basketball, this game looked much more threatening before the season began. Early polls had Texas in the Top 25, a rating that changed quickly after their three consecutive losses. This doesn’t mean that Alabama should expect an easy win tonight, but the Longhorns are certainly more vulnerable than they appeared early on.
Perhaps the most important statistic to watch tonight will be Alabama’s shooting. The team’s low percentages so far need to improve for the Crimson Tide to have a strong tournament resume. Poor shooting teams often struggle on the road, and if Alabama can put together a strong performance from that angle, this game will be much more winnable.
These next two games are very important for the Tide, and could loom large later in the season. Tonight, Alabama basketball will look for their best win of the year so far.
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