Alabama will look for its third-straight win when it hosts OVC foe Murray State on Monday night.
The Crimson Tide followed up their opening round loss at the Charleston Classic with back-to-back wins over Ball State and Wichita State.
As for the Racers, they’ve jumped out to a 3-0 start with Division I wins over Wright State and Missouri State while earning a non-Division I win over Spalding.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this intriguing matchup.
Game Details
- Alabama (4-1) vs. Murray State (3-0)
- Location: Coleman Coliseum – Tuscaloosa, AL
- Game Date: Nov. 26
- Game Time: 8 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network+
Players to Watch
Kira Lewis (Alabama)
The 6-3 freshman was thrown into the mix right away despite being just 17 years old, and he’s responded with several great performances thus far this season.
Lewis is averaging 13.2 points and 2.8 assists while committing just 1.6 turnovers in 30.8 minutes per game.
This game will feature a point guard matchup between two excellent young talents, and Lewis will undoubtedly be ready for the challenge.
Ja Morant (Murray State)
Playing opposite of Lewis will be the highly-skilled 6-3 sophomore, who is already making his claim as one of the top guards in college basketball.
Morant racked up a triple-double in the team’s win over Missouri State, as he notched 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Considering that he’ll likely be a lottery pick in the 2019 NBA draft, Alabama certainly better focus a lot of its attention on slowing him down.
Key Stats
Murray State has been efficient from a shooting standpoint in ranking 13th nationally in effective field-goal percentage (58.6 percent) and 14th nationally in 2-point field-goal percentage (58.9 percent).
But what the Racers have struggled with early on has been taking care of the ball, with Matt McMahon’s squad ranking 281st nationally with 15.3 turnovers per game while sitting at 349th nationally in turnover percentage (26.0 percent).
Some potential areas of concern for Alabama involve Murray State’s defense.
The Racers are the best in the nation in allowing opponents to shoot just 11.8 percent from beyond the arc while also posting a 42.3 percent effective field-goal percentage defense (14th nationally).
Obviously, the 70-point victory over Spalding skewed those numbers a bit, but this is still a Murray State team that plays aggressive on both sides of the court.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Alabama -8.5
- Over/Under: 139.5
- KenPom Projection: Alabama, 74 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Alabama, 81.8 percent chance to win
Knowing where Morant is at all times will be the top priority for the Crimson Tide in this one.
He is a special talent that can affect the game in so many ways, and he can take over rather quickly.
Murray State has a lot of other complimentary pieces around him, so there’s enough depth on the roster to go toe-to-toe with Alabama.
However, the two wins in Charleston seemed to have helped Avery Johnson find the right rotations going forward.
I’ll take the Tide to pick up the win in what should be an entertaining game.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 59-13
Game Prediction: Alabama 74, Murray State 71
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