Alabama @ Vanderbilt preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 23, 2019 ) Vanderbilt 61, Alabama 68

Alabama is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation entering Wednesday’s contest at Vanderbilt and, after losing two of its first three games in SEC play, the Crimson Tide are finding their stride following victories over Auburn and Missouri last week. Junior guard John Petty Jr. rebounded from a rare off-night offensively, scoring 20 points with six rebounds to spark Alabama to an 88-74 home victory Saturday, and now the focus is on improving its 1-4 road record.

Petty, who averages 16.3 points for an offense ranked second nationally in scoring at 83.5, hit four 3-pointers against Missouri after finishing just 2-for-9 from the field in a seven-point performance against Auburn. “Coach (Nate Oats) gives us the green light to shoot 3s in transition if we’re open,” Petty told reporters postgame. The Commodores come in looking to snap a 22-game regular-season losing streak in SEC play - matching the second-longest league losing streak in conference history - and in Saturday’s 66-45 defeat to Tennessee they did not hit a 3-pointer for the first time since the shot’s inception in 1986. “We want to get a win for these guys,” Vanderbilt first-year coach Jerry Stackhouse told reporters postgame.

TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT ALABAMA (10-7, 3-2 SEC): Sophomore guard Kira Lewis Jr. sparked the Crimson Tide against Auburn, scoring 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field, and leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points. Junior swingman Herbert Jones recorded double-doubles in both games last week, and across his past six games is averaging 13 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 50.9 percent from the field. Freshman guard Jaden Shackelford recorded 17 points Saturday after scoring a combined 11 in his previous two games.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (8-9, 0-4): The Commodores' struggles continue as Vanderbilt is 0-3 since losing sophomore forward Aaron Nesmith - the SEC’s leading scorer at 23 points per game - to an injured right foot that likely will sideline him for the rest of the season. Junior guard Saben Lee averages 15.7 points on 50.3 percent shooting from the field, and freshman guard Scotty Pippen Jr. scored a team-high 16 points against Tennessee. Vanderbilt shot 23.5 percent from the field against Tennessee and finished 0-for-25 from 3-point range.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Lee became the 49th player in Vanderbilt history to surpass the 1,000 career point mark Saturday.

2. The Crimson Tide shot 13-for-39 from 3-point range against Missouri, after attempting 42 shots from long range across its previous two contests.

3. Alabama has won three of its past four matchups with Vanderbilt and leads the all-time series 71-69.

PREDICTION: Alabama 89, Vanderbilt 71