Reading coach Jones pregame comments, the Alabama basketball team sounds a lot like their football team: They're very good defensively and extremely sound on the defensive end. Offensively they just continue to make plays and win basketball games. We look forward to that challenge on Saturday... They play extremely physical. They try and take you out of your offense
LSU is now 7-3 in SEC over the last ten games, with the only losses on the road: 75-70 L @ Kentucky (#3 in SEC) 60-57 L @ Alabama (#2 in SEC) 82-72 L @ Tennessee (probably the hottest team in SEC right now, they've won 4 straight inc an epic 88-58 beat down of Kentucky, and are 7-3 in their last ten) LSU is now 5-0 in the last 5 homes games (after starting 0-2)
For the Crimson Tide, the loss spoiled Trevor Releford 's career-best 36-point performance on 14-of-18 shooting, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range. The junior also had three steals, making him the Crimson Tide's all-time leader in that department with 178. Releford is a 4-star recruit (#50 on Scout100, #52 on ESPN100, #90 on Rivals100) that was Freshman All-SEC then 2nd Team All-SEC last year as a sophomore
JOB had 24 pts, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block...giving him his 12th double-double of the season (#1 in SEC)
Hickey had 13 pts, 7 assists, 5 steals, 5 rebounds coach Jones on Hickey in the pregame press conference: On Anthony Hickey passing him on the career steals list (Hickey now has 140, Jones 136) ... "I didn't see that. I would have taken him out earlier if I had known. I don't think that was anything we had to worry about. He's got a couple of more years left, too. As tenacious and ferocious as he is guarding the basketball, I think it says a lot about him. I think he's going to pass a lot of guys up on that list, and I'm so excited and happy for him." "I'll see him today, and I'll really congratulate him because I think it's wonderful. I think it's great. I think there were only two areas, steals and assists, that I was still kind of lingering around in, but I'm dropping pretty steadily because of the play of these guys."
Senior G Charles Carmouche (who transferred to LSU from Memphis, where he was at from 2010-12) had 20 pts, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Junior F Shavon Coleman (JUCO transfer who was #127 on the Rivals 150 coming out of high school) had 17 pts, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 1 assist
Junior G Andre Stringer ( Mr. Basketball in the state of Mississippi ... Two-time Gatorade Mississippi Player of the Year) had 10 pts, 4 assists, 4 rebounds
