Alabama Basketball had a wake-up call against Oklahoma in the blowout loss. Now it has a chance to show how it will answer that call, starting with a matchup with Vanderbilt.
The No. 5 Crimson Tide won the first matchup two weeks ago in Nashville. Brandon Miller scored 30 goals in Alabama’s 78-66 win. Now the Crimson Tide will try to prevail against the Commodores and go undefeated in the SEC game.
Vanderbilt has won against South Carolina, Arkansas and Georgia but lost SEC games against Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Texas A&M. A loss to the Crimson Tide on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. SEC Network) would mean the Commodores’ third loss in a row.
Here’s a look at Vanderbilt (10-11, 3-5 SEC) and how it stacks up against the Crimson Tide (18-3, 8-0 SEC).
RISING STAR:Brandon Miller grew up in Tennessee with the script A. Now, as a freshman, he’s a basketball star from Alabama
MARK SEERS:Alabama basketball’s secret weapon, Mark Sears, is no longer a secret
Estimated starting lineup for Vanderbilt
Guard Ezra Manjon (Senior): 6 feet, 170 pounds. Average: 8.7 points, 3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1 steal, 0.1 blocks, 1.4 turnovers.
Warden Tyrin Lawrence (Junior): 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. Average: 10.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1 steal, 0.1 blocks, 1.6 turnovers.
Forward Jordan Wright (senior): 6-foot-6, 220 pounds. Averages: 10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.7 turnovers.
Forward Myles Mare (Junior): 6-foot-7, 215 pounds. Averages: 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.1 blocks, 1.8 turnovers.
Center Quentin Millora-Brown (Senior): 6ft 10, 245 pounds. Average: 3.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.4 blocks, 0.7 turnovers.
Vanderbilt’s rotation
The Commodores have 10 players who have averaged 10 minutes or more, but players like Paul Lewis and Malik Dia are also averaging almost 10 minutes per game. Liam Robbins, who played an average of 22.1 minutes, is injured. He had led the Commodores in scoring with 13.2 points per game. He also missed the first matchup against Alabama. Trey Thomas (23.9 ppg) and Colin Smith (14.8 ppg) should also see quite a bit of playing time despite not being in the starting XI.
How Vanderbilt stacks up with Alabama in scoring, defense and pace
KenPom tracks Adjusted Offense and Defense Efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. Vanderbilt is better offensively than defensively, but not elite either.
In terms of pace, Vanderbilt isn’t playing as slow as Alabama’s last two opponents, but the Commodores are still on the slower end. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide is the second fastest in the country. KenPom measures the adjusted pace stat based on the number of possessions per 40 minutes.
Adjusted Offense Efficiency:
Vanderbilt: 111.8 (52nd national)
Alabama: 115.3 (23rd)
Adjusted Defense Efficiency:
Vanderbilt: 104.1 (164th nationally)
Alabama: 90.2 (6th)
tempo
Vanderbilt: 65.7 (256th)
Alabama: 73.7 (2nd)
Outcome Prediction
Alabama 86, Vanderbilt 65: The Crimson Tide got its wake-up call against Oklahoma. On a return to Coleman Coliseum, Alabama wins and wins big against the Commodores.