When the Alabama men’s basketball team travels to Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday, it will be looking to break one of the more ignominious streaks in team history.
The Crimson Tide is winless away from Coleman Coliseum this season for an 0-12 record, but Alabama coach Anthony Grant said the team is looking forward to a tough road game against an Ole Miss team it narrowly edged two weeks ago on a last-second 3-point shot from senior guard Trevor Releford.
“We’re looking forward to a chance to get back on the court at Ole Miss,” Grant said. “Obviously, we played them two weeks ago, so both teams will be familiar with each other. Looking at film of the last time we played them, we were fortunate to win. [Releford] hit a huge shot for us to make a difference in the game. We’re looking forward to a tough contest, and we understand that we’ll have to be at our best to beat them on their home court.”
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Releford has been the key for the Crimson Tide this season, with the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year candidate averaging 19 points per game and an SEC high 2.2 steals per game. Releford will be coming off a leg injury sustained in the early minutes of Alabama’s win over Missouri, but the point guard said he expects to be prepared to take on Ole Miss.
“I’m feeling a lot better today,” Releford said. “I’ll practice today and see how it feels, and just go from there. … I’m feeling a lot better in the past two days.”
Once again, the Crimson Tide will be concerned with Ole Miss senior Marshall Henderson, who leads the nation in 3-pointers made per game. During their previous matchup, Alabama held the guard to his second-lowest percentage of the season, shooting 4-15. Henderson will be coming off a 22-point performance in a loss to No. 1 Florida.
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“He’s a great player, obviously, and a great shooter,” Grant said. “He’s got the ability to make tough shots. We were fortunate some of his shots didn’t go in, but I thought our guys did a great job being aware and alert and trying to make it as difficult as possible for him to get open looks.”
To Releford, Henderson’s quick trigger is unlike any other he has seen in his four-year career at Alabama.
“He’s a great player, and I don’t think he’ll really be worried about the last game,” Releford said. “He’ll still get the same shots up and we have to ready to guard them. … I’ve never seen anybody while I’ve been playing that’ll take the shots that he takes. But he’s good at making them. He shoots, and his team is confident in him.”
Last time these teams met, senior Nick Jacobs scored 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds. For the rematch, Alabama will be without Jacobs, who is still on an indefinite leave of absence from the team.
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