Alabama’s schedule begins to ramp up later in the week at the Barclays Center Classic, but before the Crimson Tide get there, they welcome in Sun Belt favorite UT-Arlington into Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama has started the season 3-0, with wins over Memphis in Annapolis, Lipscomb, and Alabama A&M, while UTA has compiled a 2-0 record, with wins over Loyola Marymount and BYU.
The Mavericks also defeated Oklahoma in Norman by 15 in a preseason charity exhibition, which is a very impressive win, even if it was just a scrimmage.
The Tide, under third-year head coach Avery Johnson, have impressed so far this season in averaging just over 90 points per game behind the efforts of super freshmen Collin Sexton and John Petty, with the latter breaking a school record by hitting 10 3-pointers in the 104-67 victory over Alabama A&M.
UTA is led by 12th year head coach Scott Cross, who led the Mavericks to a 27-9 season last year and an NIT Quarterfinals appearance.
Players to Watch
Riley Norris (Alabama)
Alabama’s senior leader and glue guy, Riley Norris is truly the definition of a do-it-all player for a Crimson Tide squad that is known for its youth.
Norris has not played a game this year due to a preseason hip injury that has sidelined him for around a month, but he is projected to be game-time decision in this one, and the Tide will need him to be a high-level defender should he play.
Norris has proven to be a reliable option in guarding the other team’s best guard scorer, shooting 3-pointers at a serviceable clip, and hustling for rebounds and loose balls.
The Tide have lacked that sort of gritty player this season and have allowed nearly 13 offensive rebounds per game, so Norris’ rebounding prowess will be very key for Alabama’s development as a team and in this game, where UTA is getting out-rebounded by four per game on average.
Donta Hall (Alabama)
Alabama’s best big man to this point in the season has been Hall, who is averaging nearly 10 points per game and seven rebounds as the starting center.
Hall’s biggest contribution this season, however, has been as a rim protector in averaging over three blocks per game.
If Hall can avoid foul trouble, which he has in the three games that’s he’s played in, look for him to be a dominant force against the UTA bigs, who have struggled to rebound at a decent rate.
Erick Neal (UTA)
Neal is the driving force of UTA’s offense in averaging 10.5 assists per game and shooting 47 percent from behind the arc.
He will likely be checked by Sexton the entire game, which may make things tough, but the senior guard truly makes the UTA team go on the offensive end and will be an important piece to get going in this matchup.
Neal will need to cut down on his turnovers (5.5 per game) if the Mavericks want to keep pace with the Tide, but his elite playmaking ability can’t be overlooked.
Kevin Hervey (UTA)
Hervey, who is the Mavs’ leading scorer at 25.5 points per game, was chosen as the Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year, even after missing the final 19 games of UTA’s 2016-17 campaign with a knee injury.
He can score the ball at a high rate, shooting 40 percent from three on a high number of attempts.
The Tide cannot allow Hervey to get open coming off of dribble handoffs or screens, but if they do, he is poised to have a big game from behind the line.
At 6’9”, he poses a matchup nightmare, so perhaps Norris is a possible defensive option should he return, but history shows that not a lot of people have been successful in attempting to defend UTA’s top threat.
How Alabama Can Win
An important factor to this game is the Tide dominating the glass against a UTA team that ranks 321st in rebounds per game.
Getting out on the break will also be crucial, as the Tide’s transition offense is one of its strengths, so if they can grab-and-go effectively and get their shooters open threes and driving lanes for Sexton and Ingram, they can potentially run UTA off of the floor.
How UTA Can Win
Controlling the pace of the game is very important to UTA’s success.
The Mavericks want to get the ball to Hervey and let him do his thing, as well as allow Neal to create in space to open up more opportunities for those around him.
If UTA can control the pace of how the game is played and stay within themselves, the Mavs can undoubtedly pull off the upset in Tuscaloosa.
Prediction
UTA is a very talented team with a lot of scoring talent, especially on the wings.
Neal is a talented point guard and distributor, but Sexton has been defensively dominating the guards that he matches up with, so it’s possible that the UTA guard could struggle throughout the game with the length of Alabama.
Look for this one to be close until around midway through the second half, when the Tide will take over with a big run to close out the Mavericks and move to 4-0 on the season.
Prediction: Alabama 81, UTA 69