Alabama will try to earn its sixth win of the season when it hits the road to take on UCF on Thursday night.
The Crimson Tide are coming off a 78-72 win against Murray State earlier in the week after winning their last two games at the Charleston Classic.
Meanwhile, the Knights are trying to grab their fifth straight victory.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this intriguing matchup.
Game Details
- UCF (5-1) vs. Alabama (5-1)
- Location: CFE Federal Credit Union Arena – Orlando, FL
- Game Date: Nov. 29
- Game Time: 7 p.m. EST
- Watch: ESPNU
Players to Watch
Kira Lewis (Alabama)
The 6-3 freshman continues to lead the way for the Crimson Tide, as he’s averaging 14.3 points in 30.3 minutes per game.
Lewis has now hit the 20-point mark three times this season, and despite not knowing what his specific role would be entering the new campaign, it’s clear that he’s someone that Alabama will lean on all year long.
His performance in the Tide’s first true road game will tell us a lot about his potential heading into challenging environments in SEC play.
BJ Taylor (UCF)
Taylor’s scoring ability makes him a tough matchup for anyone, and he’s picked up where he left off last season.
The 6-2 senior is posting 15.5 points and 2.5 assists per contest while shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc.
UCF has a good nucleus of scorers on the roster, but Taylor will be the team’s main go-to option if this game is close down the stretch.
Key Stats
There’s certainly a big gap in experience when comparing these two teams, and that’s due to the Knights’ veteran core that features a lot of upperclassmen.
UCF is ranked 37th nationally in experience, which could prove to be a significant advantage against an Alabama team that ranks 272nd nationally in that category due to its reliance on several freshen and sophomores.
Both teams should provide difficulties for the opposing offense in this one, as the Knights sit at 19th nationally in defensive efficiency while Alabama is 48th
And since this figures to be a close game throughout, free-throw shooting could play a major role here.
Alabama is much-improved at the line thus far in shooting 73.4 percent (72nd nationally), but UCF is struggling mightily in making just 55.8 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe (345th nationally).
Game Outlook
- Spread: UCF -5.5
- Over/Under: 134.5
- KenPom Projection: UCF, 70 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: UCF, 66.4 percent chance to win
Avery Johnson’s team was impressive in its recent wins over Wichita State and Murray State, with Alabama making big plays down the stretch to secure the victories.
But this is going to be a difficult road test against a more experienced team that features a 7-6 shot blocker in Tacko Fall in the lane.
The Tide aren’t a great 3-point shooting team, and considering that the Knights are holding opponents to just 41.4 percent shooting inside the perimeter, that’s could present some problems when it comes to finding consistent scoring.
UCF isn’t the most consistent team itself, as shown by the early season home loss to Florida Atlantic. But this team has been playing well the past few weeks and seems to be hitting their stride.
I’ll take the Knights to grab a quality victory here.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 68-15
Game Prediction: UCF 70, Alabama 64
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.