by After recording its biggest win in the Nate Oats era earlier this week, basketball No. Alabama’s No. 4 will look for a repeat performance against an LSU team it has already shut out this season. Last month the Crimson Tide beat the Tigers 106-66 inside the Coleman Coliseum. He will attempt to complete the regular season sweep on the street inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday.
Alabama is aiming to start the SEC game 10-0 for only the third time in program history, while LSU hopes to snap a nine-game losing streak.
Here’s everything you need to know about the meeting.
How to watch
Who: No. 4 Alabama (19-3, 9-0 in the SEC) at LSU (12-10, 1-8)
When: 3:00 PM CT, Saturday, February 4
Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Clock: ESPNU (play-by-play: Kevin Fitzgerald; analyst: Daymeon Fishback; Sideline: Alyssa Lang)
Listen: Crimson Tide Sports Network (play-by-play: Chris Stewart; analyst: Bryan Passink; engineer Tom Stipe)
Alabama has scheduled the starting lineup
Jaden Bradley: 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, freshman
Stats: 8.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 42.2% FG, 35.3% 3-pt
Marco Sears: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, junior
Stats: 13.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, 41.3% FG, 36.4% 3-pt
Brandon Miller: 6-foot-9, 200 pounds, freshman
Stats: 19.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 45.9% FG, 44.7% 3-pt
Noah Clowny: 6-foot-10, 210 pounds, freshman
Stats: 9.9 ppg, 8.4, rpg, 0.8 apg, 47.6% FG, 25.7% 3-pt
Charles Bediako: 7ft, 225lbs, sophomore
Stats: 5.4 ppg, 5.5, rpg, 0.6 apg, 59.6% FG
LSU’s anticipated initial education
Justice Williams: 6ft, 175lbs, sophomore
Stats: 3.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 35.8% FG, 17.4% 3-pt
Adam Miller: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, redshirt sophomore
Stats: 12.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 34.7% FG, 31.7% 3-pt
Cam Hayes: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, junior
Stats: 7.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.0 apg, 46.7% FG, 36.5% 3-pt
Derek Fontana: 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, junior
Stats: 7.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 0.7 apg, 53.4% FG, 18.2% 3-pt
KJ Williams: 6 foot 10, 250 pounds, senior
Stats: 17.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 0.9 apg, 49.3% FG, 42.9% 3-pt
Welch’s shooting problems
Dom Welch is starting to find his footing after a calf injury kept him out of the first 12 games of the season. Now Alabama is hoping his shot starts to fall.
Welch, a transfer from St. Bonaventure, is shooting just 14.3% from the floor, including just 3-of-22 (13.6%) from beyond the arc. Those are staggering numbers for a senior who shot 40.2% from the floor and 36.7% from depth during his career.
“The injury didn’t help him because he was really shooting the ball well in practice, as was everyone else on the team before he was out for that extended time,” said Alabama coach Nate Oats. “I think she just needs to get comfortable with him again and increase the reps. He has to enter the gym and shoot.
Outside of his shooting struggles, Welch has been a solid contributor off the bench. The 6-foot-5 guard recorded a season-high five rebounds last time out against Vanderbilt and has been one of the Crimson Tide’s best defenders on the perimeter this season. On Friday, Oats said it’s only a matter of time before shooting him follows.
“The good thing with him is that he’s productive in everything else,” Oats said. “He’s playing hard in defense. He is bouncing. He is an experienced veteran. He’s not shooting footage for whatever reason right now, but he has four years of college experience shooting it at nearly 40% clip.
Don’t take the Tigers for granted
Alabama lit up the scoreboard during its previous matchup against LSU, hitting 20 shots from beyond the arc, including 14 in the first half, during a 106-66 win inside the Coleman Coliseum. However, Oats believes the outbreak was a bit deceptive. The coach on Friday warned his team not to take the Tigers for granted, reminding them that last month’s game was closer than it looked after the Tide’s hot start.
“The last thing I told them on video this morning was the second half score was 47-44,” Oats said. “It’s great that we went out and hit 14 3s in the first half, but we didn’t play very well in the second half. Our defense was not good. It was practically a balanced game throughout the second half. And this time we will play away. I think we have to play better, to be honest with you.
LSU went 21-of-24 from the free throw line in the second half. The Tigers also saw Cam Hayes shooting 4-for-5, including 2-for-2 from deep after halftime.
“They have some shooters they can shoot, and one way to get angry is to give shooters open looks,” Oats said. “We can’t give open looks at their shooters.”
Game notes
– Nate Oats received a contract extension on Friday to keep him in charge of the
Alabama basketball schedule through March 14, 2029.
– Alabama is looking to improve to 10-0 in SEC play for the third time in program history.
— The Crimson Tide’s 101-44 victory over Vanderbilt on Tuesday was the largest margin of victory in a game between two Power 5 teams since March 3, 2008 (Kansas beat Texas Tech 109-51).
— Over the past four games, the Alabama bench has averaged 34.5 points.
— Brandon Miller is shooting 0.445% from 3-point range, which ranks 12th in Division I.
— LSU’s KJ Williams is averaging 17.09 points per game, which ranks third in the SEC. He had an SEC-best 51 field goals this season, putting him No. 51 in the nation. In addition to his scoring, he ranks seventh in the conference averaging 7.5 rebounds per game.
— Williams and Miller are two of four SEC players to rank in the top seven in both points per game and rebounds per game this season.
– The last time Alabama defeated LSU at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center was January 19, 2021, when the Crimson Tide set the SEC record for most 3-pointers made in a game, absorbing 23 shots from beyond the arc in a 105-75 win.
