Georgia @ Alabama preview
Coleman Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Feb 8, 2020 ) Alabama 105, Georgia 102
Alabama tightened its grip on the Southeastern Conference lead with a win over South Carolina this week and holds a three-game cushion in the loss column when it hosts Georgia on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The 11th-ranked Crimson Tide (16-5, 11-1 SEC) lead five teams all tied with at least four conference losses each after surviving South Carolina's upset bid in Columbia, S.C. Alabama rallied from an early, 11-point deficit and then withstood the Gamecocks' late surge for the 81-78 victory.
The Tide led 78-70 with 3:22 left before the Gamecocks closed out the game on an 8-3 run. They missed a tying 3-pointer with the Tide up 79-76 in the closing seconds before settling for a 2-point basket. James Rojas' free throws for Alabama with 1.8 seconds remaining completed the scoring.
"It would have been nice to open it up, but it's nice to win a close one," Alabama coach Nate Oats said. "I think we're 3-3 in two-possession games and last year we were 4-11. We put a big point of emphasis in learning how to close. We did some dumb things late in the game, but we did enough to win it."
John Petty Jr. had a bounce-back game with 20 points after totaling just 26 points in his previous three outings combined. It was his highest scoring game since a season-high 24-point effort at LSU on Jan. 19.
"Our record in February has always been pretty bad," the senior guard said. "So as the leadership on this team, as a senior on this team, I'm not letting it go down that road this year. Whatever it takes to win I'm going to do it."
The only downside was a shoulder injury starting forward Juwan Gary suffered in opening minutes of the first half. He did not return. With veteran team leader Herb Jones dealing with a back injury that has kept him out of practice and Jordan Bruner out with a knee injury, the Tide has some vulnerability up front.
"Herb obviously is still not back to himself, but he gives us enough," Oats said. "He's tough. He brings leadership to us."
After winning three consecutive conference games (Ole Miss, Auburn, Vanderbilt), Georgia saw its comeback bid come up short in an 89-81 loss at Tennessee on Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs (12-7, 5-7 SEC) trailed by 23 points approaching the midpoint of the second half before cutting their deficit to six with just over a minute left. K.D. Johnson led the Bulldogs with 22 points.
"We have to play with force for 40 minutes and we have to play aggressive for 40 minutes," Georgia coach Tom Crean said. "In the second half, we played a lot faster with less turnovers."
--Field Level Media