Alabama @ Vanderbilt preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 7, 2017 ) Vanderbilt 56, Alabama 59

Alabama travels to Vanderbilt on Tuesday for its first SEC road contest of the season after beginning conference play with a dominant performance against the fifth-ranked team in the nation. The Crimson Tide blasted Texas A&M 79-57 on Saturday as freshman John Perry hit five 3-pointers in scoring 18 points, and on the heels of a lackluster loss to Texas in the final non-conference game, four Alabama players combined for 67 points.

“We came out and had one of our better games this season, and that’s what you can look forward to the rest of the season,” Perry told reporters after the game, citing Alabama’s preparation following the Texas loss. Vanderbilt dropped its conference opener at Florida, 81-74, rallying from a 20-point halftime deficit to pull within four points inside the final two minutes. The Commodores shot 12-of-31 from 3-point range, an encouraging sign after Vanderbilt struggled from long range throughout its non-conference schedule. “It was a big hill, but we had a shot there to cut it to one with a minute left,” Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew told the media afterward.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

ABOUT ALABAMA (9-4, 1-0 SEC): Freshman Collin Sexton, the SEC’s leading scorer at 20.1 points per game, scored 16 points against Texas A&M despite shooting just 3-of-12 from the field. Petty, who earned his second SEC freshman of the week award, is averaging 13.3 points per game while shooting 38.8 percent from 3-point range. The Crimson Tide play three of their next four games on the road.

ABOUT VANDERBILT (5-8, 0-1): Jeff Roberson led five Commodores in double figures against Florida with 18 points and is averaging 14.7 points and 8.2 rebounds (third in the SEC). Riley LaChance added 13 points against the Gators and moved into 10th place on Vanderbilt’s all-time assists list. Vanderbilt is shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range in its past three games.

TIP-INS

1. Alabama senior G Riley Norris will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury.

2. Vanderbilt’s Matthew Fisher-Davis and LaChance each have scored 1,177 career points, tied for second among current SEC players.

3. The Crimson Tide are 13th nationally in blocked shots per game (6.2).

PREDICTION: Alabama 78, Vanderbilt 69