Alabama @ Texas preview
Moody Center
Last Meeting ( Dec 22, 2017 ) Texas 66, Alabama 50
Alabama moved up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll ahead of Tuesday's contest against stumbling Texas, which needs a big Southeastern Conference victory in Austin to brighten their resume.
The Crimson Tide (20-3, 9-1 SEC) have won six straight and 14 of their last 15. Alabama continued its run with an 85-81 road win at Arkansas on Saturday while No. 1 Auburn and No. 2 Duke both lost that day.
Interestingly, the Crimson Tide host No. 1 Auburn this Saturday, so a more definite answer of who's No. 1 is on the horizon. The teams entered the week tied for first in the SEC.
Alabama coach Nate Oats said he wasn't concerned if his team became the new No. 1 this week.
"I don't really care to be honest with you," Oats said after the victory over Arkansas. "I'm probably not going to make a pitch. I did see Auburn lost before we played, just because I try to watch SEC games when we've got a late game.
"So now we're tied and we just gotta take care of business. We've got full control of our own destiny to win the SEC right now. Wherever the voters want to put us, it doesn't matter. We'll be one, two or three, that's for sure, and I don't really care. Let's focus on Texas."
The Longhorns (15-9, 4-7) have dropped three of their past four, including Saturday's 86-78 road loss against Vanderbilt. That gave them two straight defeats because they lost 78-70 at home to Arkansas in their previous contest.
"A lot of teams lose two in a row in this league," Texas coach Rodney Terry said after the loss to Vanderbilt. "Every night is a good opponent so you have to have a short memory, move to the next game and try to prepare and match the physicality and toughness you have to have in this league."
Texas started 11-2 but things began spiraling in the wrong direction when SEC play began and the Longhorns lost to then-No. 13 Texas A&M, then-No. 2 Auburn and then-No. 1 Tennessee.
They rebounded with four wins in six games before the losses to Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
Texas held a 10-point, second-half lead against the Commodores, and the lead was still four with under seven minutes to play before Vanderbilt closed with a 25-13 run.
"I think we had some opportunities right around the basket," Terry said. "We also had some free throw opportunities as well. So wasn't a matter of them stopping us. We had some opportunities and we don't make shots, so you don't get any points."
Leading scorer Tre Johnson (19 points per game) tallied 15 against Vanderbilt during an afternoon in which the club didn't have the services of guard Tramon Mark (shoulder). Mark (9.1 ppg) was ruled out shortly before tipoff.
Grant Nelson and Chris Youngblood scored 15 points apiece to pace Alabama against Arkansas.
The Crimson Tide let an 18-point second-half lead get away against the Razorbacks and had to sweat it out down the stretch.
Oats wasn't thrilled with the final minutes, saying "we risked losing a road game that we were supposed to win."
Then again, his squad is hot and has put up an average of 91.3 points during the six-game winning streak.
"We got a big game Tuesday," Oats said. "If we take care of business Tuesday, we have a big one Saturday (against Auburn)."
The new conference foes are meeting for the first time since Dec. 22, 2017, when Texas recorded a 66-50 win over the Crimson Tide in a tournament in Birmingham, Ala.
--Field Level Media