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Who’s Playing
Oklahoma Sooners @ Alabama Crimson Tide
Current Records: Oklahoma 13-0, Alabama 11-2
How To Watch
What to Know
Oklahoma is preparing for their first SEC matchup of the season on Saturday. They and the Alabama Crimson Tide will face off at 6:00 p.m. ET at Coleman Coliseum. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with the Sooners sitting on 13 straight victories and the Crimson Tide on five.
If Oklahoma beats Alabama with 89 points on Saturday, it’s going to be the team’s new lucky number: they’ve won their past two games with that exact score. Everything went Oklahoma’s way against Prairie View on Sunday as Oklahoma made off with an 89-67 win. The Sooners have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five matches by 21 points or more this season.
Oklahoma got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Jeremiah Fears out in front who went 7 for 11 en route to 19 points plus five rebounds and three steals. Another player making a difference was Duke Miles, who earned 17 points.
Meanwhile, Alabama entered their matchup on Sunday as the heavy favorite, and they fully lived up to expectations. They put the hurt on S. Dak. State with a sharp 105-82 win. With the Crimson Tide ahead 57-33 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Alabama’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Labaron Philon led the charge by going 8 for 14 en route to 21 points plus six assists and five rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Grant Nelson, who went 7 for 8 en route to 17 points plus eight rebounds and two blocks.
Alabama was working as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as S. Dak. State only posted 13.
Oklahoma’s victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-0. As for Alabama, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-2 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday’s match: Oklahoma has been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 36.7% of their threes per game. It’s a different story for Alabama, though, as they’ve only drained 31.7% of their threes this season. Given Oklahoma’s sizable advantage in that area, Alabama will need to find a way to close that gap.
Oklahoma took their win against Alabama when the teams last played back in January of 2023 by a conclusive 93-69. The rematch might be a little tougher for Oklahoma since the squad won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Series History
Oklahoma has won 2 out of their last 3 games against Alabama.
- Jan 28, 2023 – Oklahoma 93 vs. Alabama 69
- Jan 30, 2021 – Oklahoma 66 vs. Alabama 61
- Jan 27, 2018 – Alabama 80 vs. Oklahoma 73
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