The ordeal for Alabama continues against No. 4 Arizona.
Fourth No. As the action wraps up for the day at Jerry Colangelo’s Hall of Fame Series in Phoenix on Wednesday night, Arizona will aim to recover from its season’s opening defeat against Alabama. The Wildcats (8-1) lost to then-No. 3 Purdue 92-84 on Saturday in Indianapolis, ending their two-week stay at the top of the rankings. The Boilermakers, who are now leading the polls, upset the Crimson Tide (6-4) in Toronto one week prior by an almost identical score of 92-86. Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith of Purdue, who combined for
53 points and made 20 of 33 field goals, including 9 of 16 from 3-point range, put Arizona under pressure. Additionally,
The second half saw the Wildcats fall down by 15, but they often battled back to within four. “I think the character of our program is strong and I think our guys dug in and fought back and I was really proud they gave us a chance,” Tommy Lloyd, Arizona coach, said. “I think this is going to go a long way to really help with our program.” According to kenpom.com, Arizona is still among the top 10 in the country for both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, but Alabama is only making an impact on the offensive end. Up to Monday’s games, the Crimson Tide led the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency.Mark Sears of Alabama is averaging 21.2 points per game and shooting 48.1 percent (26 of 54) from outside the 3-point arc. Sears has scored 54 points in his last two games. Aaron Estrada leads the Crimson Tide, who
shoot 49.0 percent from the field, with 14.4 points per game, followed by Grant Nelson (13.6 ppg). Alabama is on a two-game losing streak heading into Wednesday’s contest at Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns. The Tide lost 85-82 at then-No. 8 Creighton on Saturday in response to their loss to Purdue. Arizona will be Alabama’s third away top 10 opponent in a row. After his team made just 4 of 22 3-point tries, coach Nate Oats is looking for a better showing from his long-range shooters.
