Richmond @ Alabama preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 14, 2017 ) Richmond 71, Alabama 64

Alabama is playing some of its best basketball as it heads toward the new year and SEC play, but before it can get there it must survive a non-conference game Sunday against visiting Richmond. Behind the play of John Petty Jr., the Crimson Tide have won two straight and four of their last five games, but all the momentum can be stopped in an instant by the talented Spiders.

Petty, the first Alabama player to earn SEC Player of the Week honors since 2015, has put up 53 points, 21 rebounds, six assists and four steals in the last two games, but it is the team defense that has first-year coach Nate Oats raving. "Our defensive effort has been great. I think they are starting to figure it out," Oats told the media. "If we take care of it (the ball) on the offensive end, we're pretty good." The Crimson Tide were able to protect the ball and play great defense as they held Belmont, one of the top scoring and shooting teams in the nation, to 72 points and 40.3 percent shooting. The Spiders, who are led by junior Blake Francis - the No. 4 scorer in the Atlantic 10 Conference, will present a similar challenge as they shoot 47.5 percent as a team despite an off night in a 73-58 loss to Radford on Dec. 22 that ended a five-game win streak.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT RICHMOND (10-2): Grant Golden has taken a back seat in terms of minutes and scoring to Francis, Jacob Gilyard and Nick Sherod and it seems to be paying dividends for the Spiders. The junior was the leading scorer in the last two seasons as Richmond went 25-40, but is making due with fewer opportunities this season. The 6-10 forward has yet to post a 20-point game this season, something he did 23 times while averaging 16.4 points and scoring 1,065 points in the last two seasons, but has shown he can ramp it up when needed such as recent wins over Charleston and Old Dominion, when he scored 36 total points.

ABOUT ALABAMA (6-5): Kira Lewis Jr. cleaned up his turnover problem against Belmont and the sophomore will look to keep it going against the Spiders, who force a modest 13.8 per game. The sophomore matched his season high of eight assists against one turnover against Belmont, breaking a streak of seven straight games with four or more giveaways. Herbert Jones played a career-high 38 minutes against Belmont and the junior forward is averaging 10 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in the last three games for Alabama, which opens conference play Jan. 4 at Florida.

TIP-INS

1. The Crimson Tide lost for the first time in four games against Richmond when the teams met in the first round of the NIT in 2017.

2. Led by Gilyard, Sherod and Francis, who are making a combined 42.9 percent, the Spiders were 18th in Division I in 3-point shooting entering Saturday at 39.5 percent.

3. Petty was tied for eighth nationally in 3-point shooting at 50 percent, including 14-of-20 in the last two games

PREDICTION: Alabama 84, Richmond 78