Louisiana Tech @ Alabama preview

Alabama hosts Louisiana Tech on Wednesday, four days after taking part in one of the most bizarre games in NCAA history that also could signal the emergence of Collin Sexton as one of the top players in the SEC. The Crimson Tide lost 89-84 to Minnesota but Sexton, a freshman, carried the Crimson Tide with 40 points in a game where the perfect storm of ejections, injuries and foul trouble left Alabama coach Avery Johnson with just three players for the final 10 minutes.

“They battled, they fought, they made some tough shots, they passed and moved,” Johnson told reporters after the Crimson Tide’s first loss of the season, in which Sexton, Riley Norris (13 points) and Galin Smith (10 points) helped Alabama outscore the Golden Gophers 30-22 while playing short-handed. Sexton, named SEC Freshman of the Week, hit 12-of-22 shots from the field in becoming the first Alabama player to score 40 points since Reggie King in 1978. Alabama lost John Petty to an ankle injury in the second half Saturday, but MRI results showed no damage and the freshman may be available Wednesday. The Bulldogs come in riding a season-opening five-game winning streak, knocking off Evansville 63-61 on Derric Jean’s 3-pointer with one second left Nov. 22 in their last contest.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network Plus

ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (5-0): Senior guard Jacobi Boykins earned Cancun Challenge tournament MVP honors after averaging 13 points and eight rebounds in the event, and is 21 points shy of reaching 1,000 career points. Jean scored 30 points in two games in the tournament and is averaging 11.6 for the season. The Bulldogs have surrendered just 61 points per game in their past three contests after surrendering 83 points per game in their opening two games.

ABOUT ALABAMA (5-1): Sexton leads the SEC in scoring at 25.2 points per game, adding six rebounds and five assists against Minnesota. Petty set a school record with 10 3-pointers made against Alabama A&M on Nov. 17, and averages 14 points per game. The Crimson Tide have scored 84 points per game through six contests this season, fueled by shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from 3-point range.

TIP-INS

1. Three of Alabama’s 2017 signing class - Sexton, Petty and Herbert Jones - have combined to average 45.4 points per game.

2. Alabama F Donta Hall ranks fourth in the SEC in blocks per game (2.3) while leading the Crimson Tide in rebounding (7.2) and field-goal percentage (71.1 percent).

3. The Crimson Tide have scored 82 points of more four times in six games, after reaching that mark just three times last season.

PREDICTION: Alabama 87, Louisiana Tech 71